Farnsworth House - Plano, IL
Posted by: adgorn
N 41° 38.096 W 088° 32.138
16T E 372096 N 4610383
A glass box residence designed by world renowned architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe as a weekend retreat home for Dr. Edith Farnsworth from Chicago, completed in 1951.
Waymark Code: WMRQBN
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 07/23/2016
Views: 3
From the NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK NOMINATION form:
"The architecture of the house represents an extreme refinement of Mies van der Rohe’s minimalist expression of structure and space. It is composed of three strong, horizontal steel forms - the terrace, the floor of the house, and the roof - attached to attenuated, steel flange columns. "
From the house website:
"Mies constructed this glass box residence of “almost nothing” for Dr. Edith Farnsworth as a country retreat along the Fox River in Plano, IL. It continued to be a private residence for over 50 years until Landmarks Illinois and the National Trust for Historic Preservation purchased it in 2003. Today it is owned and managed by the Trust and the site is open as a public museum."
The waymark (
visit link) provides an excellent summary of the history of the house.
Excellent guided tours are offered year round, giving the chance to see the home in the full spectrum of seasonal settings.