Commission brief: In winter 1945, Mies van der Rohe and Dr. Edith Farnsworth met at a dinner party near the end of the year. During their first encounter the two discussed Dr. Farnsworth’s desire to build for herself a retreat from Chicago on a large plot of land that she owned in Plano, Illinois. In the following days, Farnsworth secured Mies for the commission.

Design brief: By 1946, the basic design of the house was established. The house was intended to serve as a weekend retreat for Edith
Farnsworth, a single Chicago doctor. The house is strategically placed yards from the banks of the Fox River. To cope with common rising tides that occur during the spring months, Mies designed the house to sit 5 feet 3 inches above ground level. The south elevation, from which the house is entered, faces the river. In addition, the house is framed by the presence of a large sugar maple, also on the south elevation. The house is essentially a single room in which the only visual barrier is the central mechanical core containing the kitchen, two bathrooms and all heating and electrical equipment.

The open composition was not at all common in domestic spaces and was admired almost immediately by architect Philip Johnson. In 1949, Philip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut, which he openly admitted was inspired in part by the Farnsworth House, was completed. An early rendering of the Farnsworth house shows a narrow, cylindrical core very similar to the core of the Johnson house. Although the design process lasted for approximately two years (1945-47), very little change in the plan as noted after 1946.

Building/ construction: In September 1949, delayed due to financial constraints, construction on the house began. Construction was not completed until October of 1951. First, the steel frame was welded into place and sandblasted to remove all seam lines. Subsequently, pre cast concrete slabs were installed for the floor and ceiling, supported by a total of eight steel columns. A radiant heating system was installed in the floor, followed by travertine flooring and finally the large, plate glass walls.

Type of change: Alteration
Date(s): (c) 1951-52
Circumstances/ reasons for change: Farnsworth had screens added to enclose the porch shortly after construction was completed.
Effects of changes: As a result of the change, the original asymmetrical composition was compromised. The cantilevered roof and floor slabs do not clearly convey the feeling of a floating box as the architect intended.
Persons/ organizations involved: Dr. Edith Farnsworth

Type of change: Restoration
Date(s): (c) 1957
Circumstances/ reasons for change: The nearby Fox River set record flood levels, with water rising to four feet above the floor.
Effects of changes: Although neither the wood nor the steel frame were damaged significantly, draperies and some furnishings were replaced.
Persons/ organizations involved: Dr. Edith Farnsworth

Type of change: Restoration, renovation and alteration
Date(s): (c) 1972
Circumstances/ reasons for change: Peter Palumbo employed Dirk Lohan, an architect and Mies’ grandson to restore the Farnsworth house to its original 1951 appearance, reversing changes that Dr. Farnsworth had made over the years.
Effects of changes: The changes include removing the screens around the porch, replacing the tarred roof and sandblasting the steel frame, repainting it white. An air conditioning system was also added, without any visible changes to the aesthetic. Renovations were also made to the kitchen space, updating the appliances. The only noted alteration that was made to the house at this time was the addition of a hearth around the fireplace, both in travertine in order to make it more functional, inhibiting ash from flying around the house. Palumbo also replaced all the interior furnishings with those of Mies’ design. In addition Palumbo altered the landscape with the aid of landscape architect Lanning Roper. Pathway tiles leading to the house that had beenadded by Farnsworth were removed, the driveway was moved further away from the house and followed the curve of the landscape (replacing the straight driveway that remained from the contractors during the house’s construction) and various plantings were added to enhance the house and screen the roadway.
Persons/ organizations involved: Lord Peter Palumbo, Dirk Lohan (architect) and Lanning Roper (landscape architect)

Type of change: Restoration
Date(s): (c) July, 1996
Circumstances/ reasons for change: Flood waters from the Fox River engulfed the house, rising to a height of ten feet resulting in extensive damages to the house and furnishings.
Effects of changes: The glass windows were not strong enough to stand up against the flood. Furniture was carried away and mud and silt infiltrated the Primavera wood and travertine requiring a large clean up and restoration project. The veneer panels were replaced where necessary as well as the windows and furniture. Restoration was completed (c) 1997.
Persons/ organizations involved: Peter Palumbo and Dirk Lohan (architect)

The aesthetic merits of the house are intrinsically tied to its structure. Structural clarity, expressed through the steel columns and the
horizontal, cantilevered planes they support enhances the serene, floating image of the house at the edge of the Fox River. In addition, the heightened transparency of the glass between the cantilevered planes dissolves the barriers between internal and external environments. The vibrant vegetation surrounding the house is responsible for its subdued tones—painted white steel, natural stone and glass acting as the palette onto which an ever-changing picture is displayed.

Canonical Status: Upon its completion, the house was featured in Architectural Forum, where it was not only described in terms of its “precise and detailed” construction but also in terms of “pure simplicity of concept.” Most importantly, this was recognized as “the will of an epoch translated into space,” serving as a physical manifestation of Mies’ ideas regarding architecture and the individual, namely that architecture should be “an objective, impersonal backdrop against which an individual...can develop freely.” Since its construction, the house has been considered an achievement of modern architecture, melting away the boundaries that differentiate inside from out and dissolving the entire building down to only that which is absolutely essential, achieving a maximum of transparency in the process.

During its design phase, the Farnsworth House became the inspiration for another critically acclaimed work, Philip Johnson’s glass house,
which also capitalizes on a minimal use of materials and a connection with the environment. These two houses have become iconic examplesof the ascetic ideals in mid-century modern architecture. Although similar in design ideals, there are important differences in construction andmeaning between the two, particularly that unlike the Farnsworth House the Glass House is “symmetrically balanced” and “firmly rooted to the ground.”
The Farnsworth House is a progression of Mies’ earlier work in Europe including the Barcelona Pavilion (1929) and the Tugendhat house
(1930). Here, the reduction of elements in the composition serves as the synthesis and refinement of these earlier works into the style and ideas that Mies van der Rohe became recognized for.

Sarah J. Hahn Resource Center, Farnsworth House Visitor Center, 14520 River Road, Plano, Illinois, 60545
contains written records, correspondence, and photographs pertaining to the Farnsworth House

5.2 Principal publications (in chronological order)

“This is the First House Built by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe”, Architectural Forum, v.95, 1951, pp. 64-67

SCHWEIKHER, Paul, “One Hundred Years of Significant Buildings,” Architectural Record, February, 1957, pp. 199-210

BLAKE, Peter, The Master Builders: Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, New York. Knopf; 1960

PRATT, Steven, “ ‘Glass House’ Owner Asks for New Hearing,” Chicago Tribune, Aug. 15, 1998, p. W4

PALUMBO, Peter, “Farnsworth Impressions,” Inland Architect, vol. 30 no. 2, 1986, pp. 42-47

SPAETH, David, “The Farnsworth House Revisited,” Fine Homebuilding, Apr./ May, no.46, 1988, p. 32-37

FRAMPTON, Kenneth, Modern Architecture: A Critical History, New York; Thames and Hudson; 1992; ISBN: 0500202575

SCHULZE, Franz, The Farnsworth House, Chicago; Lohan Associates; 1997; ISBN: 0966084004

BLASER, Werner, Farnsworth House Weekend House/ Wochenendhaus, Boston; Berkhauser; 1999; ISBN: 3764360895

FLAMINI, Roland, “The Farnsworth House Restored: Mies van der Rohe’s Illinois Icon Survives the Flood,” Architectural Digest, v.56, 1999, pp.66-68

ABERCROMBIE, Stanley, “Much Ado About Almost Nothing: Rescuing Mies’ Farnsworth House, a Clear and Simple Statement of What Architecture Can Be,” Preservation: The Magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Sept./ Oct., v.52, n.5, 2000

“Lord Palumbo puts Farnsworth up for Sale After City Deal Collapses,” The Architect’s Journal, v.218, 2003, p. 4

SWANSON, Stevenson, “Preservationist Groups Use Donations to Win Bidding for Chicago-Area Landmark,” Chicago Tribune, 14 Dec., 2003, p. 1

GOLDBERGER, Paul, “Farnsworth: The Lightness of Being,” Preservation: The Magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, July/August, v.56, n.4, 2004, pp. 36-39.

RAYNSFORD, Anthony, “National Register Nomination Report for Farnsworth House,” 2004, pp. 1-23

CLEMENCE, Paul, Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, Atglen; Schiffer Publishing; 2006; ISBN: 0764324438