The glass house is always greener
Residential architect Lance Weber was thrilled to finally visit the Farnsworth House, the Modernist weekend home that Ludwig Mies van der Rohe completed along the Fox River in 1951.
Weber, who studied the famous work in college, said it's fascinating to see how the legendary Chicago designer melded his clean-lined style with a natural wooded setting. And yet …
"It opens up questions about livability - how would you use such a pristine structure?" the Aurora resident said recently after touring the structure.
Other curious guests may likewise wonder: Is the Farnsworth House a sleek but impractical glass-and-steel box that literally sits on a pedestal, or is it a functional example of van der Rohe's "less-is-more" style?
The German-born Mies Van Der Rohe (1886-1969) probably is best known for his urban skyscrapers, including the pair of black steel-mullioned high-rises that anchor Federal Plaza in the Loop. The getaway retreat he designed for physician Edith Farnsworth 60 miles southwest of Chicago - at a then-extravagant cost of $73,000 - likewise has a no-frills design, but on a drastically smaller scale.
The architect placed the 28-foot-by-54-foot home on a raised pad that hovers five feet above a flood-prone meadow. Ten-foot-tall glass panes serve as the home's exterior and interior walls. Inside, linear swaths of living space wrap around a rectangular, primavera wood-coated core, which conceals bathrooms and utilities. The 1,500-square-foot dwelling is one big room - or perhaps it's a series of rooms separated by corners.
The flooring is comprised of perfectly fitted squares of Travertine marble, the same porous material that covers an outdoor patio. Inside, full-length curtains can be drawn horizontally for privacy. Or, through the glass, occupants can admire the rustic wallpaper - nature - that completely surrounds the place.
"I loved it," said Chicagoan Richard Klancer of Chicago, a retired human-resources manager who has wanted to tour the Farnsworth House for years. "It's so interesting, so clean-lined, so stark, yet it seems to suit this natural environment. It's not jarring."
The Farnsworth House had not been widely accessible to visitors during the 30-year tenure of its second owner, Peter Palumbo, who took pains to restore the home and install Modernist furniture. Palumbo put the house on the auction block in 2003, and historic preservationists scrambled to raise more than $7 million to keep it out of private hands; they succeeded.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation owns the Farnsworth House, while the not-for-profit Landmarks Illinois organization operates it as a museum during an eight-month touring season. The Chicago-based group is trying to raise a large enough endowment to stem an annual operating deficit of between $100,000 and $150,000, Landmarks Illinois president David Bahlman said.
"It's a much more delicate site than anyone would have expected in terms of keeping it running smoothly at a high quality every day," Bahlman said. "There are a lot of moving parts and it's difficult to manage all those moving parts."
To help shore up finances, the Farnsworth House is rented out for special events, photo shoots and commercials. American film star Brad Pitt recently filmed a jeans commercial at the location for Japanese television.
Since opening in 2004, the house has averaged 6,500 visitors per year. Site director Whitney French said many of them are foreign travelers who revere Mies van der Rohe.
"This is an iconic structure," she said. "They worship it."
Mike Ramsey can be reached at (312) 857-2323 or ghns-ramsey@sbcglobal.net <mailto:ghns-ramsey@sbcglobal.net> .
IF YOU GO: TIPS TO KNOW
The Farnsworth House is located near Plano, about 60 miles southwest of Chicago. The site is located a short distance from Interstate 88. For detailed directions, go to www.farnsworthhouse.org.
Advance reservations are required. Suggested donation is $20 per person, but a reduced rate is available for large groups. Visitors must be at least 12 years old.
Only exterior photographs of the Farnsworth House are allowed, for personal use.
The house is not handicap-accessible. Guests park at a visitor's center, and they are expected to walk a quarter-mile along a trail to the Farnsworth House. A motorized cart is available visitors who may have trouble making the hike.
Guests are required to remove their shoes before entering the house. Disposable socks are available.
The site is not open year-round. It is closed from December through March, though special arrangements can be made for groups, depending on the weather. During the tour season, the museum is closed Mondays.