Casa Loma, or "Knoll House," served as the private residence of Ernest Chilson and his descendants from 1928 to 1949. Designed by Chilson in the Art Deco style and built of cement and steel, it had a sleek, linear appearance with stylized geometric ornamentation. The house contained 18 rooms, 6 bathrooms, 3 kitchens, a huge ballroom, a swimming pool, and a large garden that is now part of the parking lot. Its roof was copper, and its walls were a full 18 inches thick. Chilson, then regarded as Raleigh County's most distinguished citizen, had lived there for barely a year when he died unexpectedly in the home on Sunday, January 4, 1931, of a heart ailment at age 62. His funeral was held at Casa Loma a few days later during a terrible snowstorm, yet an enormous turnout of mourners arrived, reported at the time as more than 100 automobile loads, and all local businesses closed between 2:00 and 3:00 that afternoon in recognition of the event. For the next 18 years the property remained a popular and stylish place, though family members later said they felt isolated from the rest of the city because of its location on the outskirts of town. In 1949 it was sold to the United Mine Workers of America, which first used it as a district headquarters, and today Casa Loma houses offices of the UMWA and other unions.