Modern House Tours
I know I’ve made brief mention of it before, but I wanted to emphasize that the next time you are in Chicago with a rental car and a free afternoon, you should definitely make the trip down to Mies van de Rohe’s Farnsworth House. We are so lucky that it has been preserved and is open to the public.
Mies’s elegant white pavilion floats above the flood plain of the Fox river in Plano, Illinois (about 58 miles from Chicago). The glass and steel construction is arguably the best example of international style we have here in the states, and the horizontal lines of the structure fit in perfectly with the flat prairie landscape of the midwest as well as the flood plain. The interior still demonstrates Mies’s mastery of minimalism and materials. While the house only contains the necessities for dwelling, it is comfortable and beautiful. The furniture he originally designed for The Barcelona Pavilion fits in perfectly…
Tours are available Tuesday - Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. from April-November. You can make a reservation here. The site is also available for rental during off-tour hours, with lots of restrictions. I can’t think of a better site for architecture fanatics to gather for cocktails, can you? For more information on renting the Farnsworth House, click here.
P.S. The Sarah J. Hahn Resource Center at the nearby Visitor’s Center appears to be chock full of amazing materials as well. I’d love to get a look through all of the old photographs like this one of the framing construction on the left. This steel engineering, which removed the need for structural interior walls, allowed and inspired many of the elements of international style, and Mies used the same structural system later on The Seagram Building.
all photographs from farnsworthhouse.org
May 15th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Becky, it’s nice that you bring this up. We go to Chicago deveral times a year - and not once have I stopped to see the Farnsworth House. I always think of it after the fact when I run across the ever-present Barcelona chair in a lobby or home. It really is a marvel that the home is open for display!
We’ll have to plan this as part of our journey next time we’re in Chi-town! Thanks for the nudge to us design enthusiasts!
May 15th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Hey Franki, I’ve never been either, and I feel awful about it. The other midwestern masterpiece I’d love to get into is the Miller House in Indiana, especially to see the Dan Kiley landscape around it. Then of course I am going to have to get to New Canaan for Philip Johnson’s Glass House now that it’s open to the public.
I’d recommend calling the Farnsworth House to make sure they are open before planning a visit - it looks like they are closed on a lot of holidays and through the winter, and that devastating floods are more common these days! All of the phone numbers are on the tour page.
Thanks for stopping by!!!
becky
May 16th, 2007 at 2:03 am
I did not know about this when I was in Chicago, but then again I do not drive so I probably could not go. I wanted to see the FL Wright buildings too outside the city bu did not do that either….I hope to do that next time. Chicago has so many wonderful architecture… I loved it!
May 16th, 2007 at 6:42 am
I have the honor of being the new Historic Site Director at the Farnsworth House. We recognize the debt of gratitude we owe to the stewards of this masterpiece, both past and present, including Landmarks Illinois, The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the hundreds of private donors who saved the house from the wrecking ball.
Our goal is to protect and preserve the Farnsworth house and assure that the house is accessible to its admirers. We have a significant foreign and out of state visitor demographic who are challenged by our remote location and their tight schedules. I recommend anyone seeking a solution to reach us by telephone (630-552-0052) and we will assist you in finding transportation and do our best to accomodate your schedule. Alternative methods for reaching us include private tour providers and the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF). We will be delighted to help you through any obstacles you may encounter and will assure your visit is memorable.
Everyone should experience this significant structure because it truly is about the space, which can only be experienced first hand.
May 16th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
It is a very beautifull architectural Design..love it. If on my next trip to US I’ll finally go to Chicago I’ll do my best to pass by. Thanks!
http://www.lucianobove.blogspot.com/
May 17th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Whitney, thank you so much for sharing that valuable information! What a wonderful and challenging job you have. I’m going to look into the CAF so that I can let our readers know more about it in a future post.
I’m sure if people did not already know the immense influential power this house still has as a precedent to all modern architecture (exterior and interior), they will certainly feel it the second they see it!
Chicago, in my opinion, hands-down has the best architecture in the country - Sullivan, Wright, Saarinens, Mies, et. al. It’s been chock full of starchitecture long before “starchitecture” was a word. I’m going to have to come up with a good excuse to go there again soon so I can get to the Farnsworth.
Becky