farnsworth house

Both my husband and I would highly recommend a visit to the Farnsworth House, one of three private homes in the country designed by Mies van der Rohe.We went on a weekday morning and were thrilled to have a private tour. Our guide Adrienne was excellent--she knew a great deal about both the architect and the property and I'm sure that we would have enjoyed talking to her longer.The welcome center and gift shop are both very good additions to the visit and there is an excellent movie playing which I would encourage visitors to attend.The visit has encouraged us to visit more historical houses and, in fact, because of that, joined the National Historic Preservation group this morning. There is a considerable reduction on the ticket for many sites including the Farnsworth property.

Even the house itself is woth seeing, I thought the guiding visit was much focused on the job the preservation comunity is doing to maintain the house, the prices of all the sales and the story arround the house itself. I missed a little bit of story of architecture, influences mies had received by the time he made the house, a general background of mies, more principles he followed, maybe show a croquis... Anyway, the environment is incredible and is compulsory for any architect.

I had already lived in Plano for a few years and heard of the Farnsworth House before visiting. I had even been over the bridge right next to it many times and looked at the house. None of that prepared me for how incredible the design of this building actually is. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but it is really incredible to see how amazing this structure is up close and inside.

Even though I've lived in the area for the past 5 years, this was my first visit. It was a wonderful experience. Our docent, Bill, was very nice gave us a lovely tour. There were only 4 others on the tour, so it was intimate. It felt like a private tour. This is a great place to visit when the leaves peak. They are beginning to change now, so I'd guess in about 2-3 weeks they will be just gorgeous. I followed another traveler's advice and arrived 30 minutes before my tour departed. It gave enough time to watch the 20-minute video before leaving the visitor's center. The walk from the center to the house is about .5 miles. Once you get to the house, you remove your shoes and walk inside. You can't touch anything or take photos inside, but it was very cool to be inside! We spent about 30 minutes inside the house, then went out around the back side of the house. When we got back to the visitor center, we got to go in "Barnsworth", the small building next to the visitor center that houses Ms. Farnsworth's wardrobe.After visiting this place, one can understand why Ms. Farnsworth chose this spot for her city getaway. It is beautiful and peaceful.

This place is breathtakingly beautiful. We went there on a Chicago Architecture Foundation tour, which also took in other Mies Van Der Rohe buildings, and it was a wonderful day. Although I am far from a minimalist in terms of the ay I organise my life, I would gladly throw away 99% of my belongings in order to live here. Get there one way or another!

We had travelled to Illinois in 2012 but not managed to get out to Farnsworth as we had no vehicle. This summer we traveled with friends and it was as said worth the wait. The building is obviously not the biggest, but the tour guide was very knowledgable and his enthusiasm shone through. I could have probably spent an afternoon in the area. If your reading this you probably know all there is to know about the building but for anyone thinking about going I would recommend the trip. Similarly we also visited iit on 2012 which was also worth a visit

Took an afternoon day trip to visit this house and wasn't disappointed. The tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable about both the history and architecture of the house. Developed a true understanding of complex this simple structure was and how it truly is a work of art. Lovely setting. Enjoyed the fact that we spent so much time in the house and really got a good insight into the mind of the architect.

Another National Trust Home to definitely visit. Very interesting story behind the building of this house. Go on a beautiful day and enjoy the hike to and from the house.

Definitely worth the trip of driving from Chicago to Plano. There is really nothing else in the area to see. Signage for the house is really bad so you'll need GPS. They also don't tell you on the website but there is a twenty minute video that is on a perpetual loop which helped my non-architect husband learn about the significance of the house. It also probably goes without saying that kids would not find this interesting at all. There is a nice little gift shop to wait in before your tour. Walking to the house takes about five minutes and while there is a golf cart that the docent used to return after the tour I would imagine that people who have a hard time walking might have trouble with the experience. Our docent was very knowledgable but also a bit stiff, like she had given the same speech for many years. There was also a lack of information about Mies and his style. I know the tour was for the house, but the more information the more interesting the tour. Another nit-picky note, the landscaping could be described as natural, or unkempt. I was surprised with it's lack of thought and support of the house.

Very interesting to see this modern home by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe . Our docent was so knowledgeable. The house is just beautiful and so is the land surrounding it on the Fox River. Dr. Farnsworth must have enjoyed spending her weekends in this tranquil setting.

My mother once served as a docent at Farnsworth House, architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's masterpiece located on the Fox River south of Plano, Illinois. She enjoyed taking visitors on a tour of the 1,500-square-foot steel and glass house and the 60-acre estate. But she admitted that she could never live in the structure. Too much glass, not enough room, no neighbors. And, of course, there always is the threat of a flood. In 2008, the house was flooded by rains. Water reached 18 inches above the floor and the five-foot stilts upon which the house rests. But, hey, Farnsworth House was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 2006. It has received wide-spread acclaim as a masterpiece of the modernistic style. But it is worth the time to marvel at one of the world's great architectural structures, like viewing one of Frank Lloyd Wright's houses. In 1945, Dr. Edith Farnsworth of Chicago commissioned Mies van der Rohe to design a one-room weekend retreat. She purchased the riverfront property from Colonel Robert McCormick, publisher of the Chicago Tribune. It is located 55 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. Work began in 1950 and was completed in 1951 at a total cost of $74,000 ($648,000 in 2012 dollars). Dr. Farnsworth lived there for 21 years, then sold the property in 1972 and moved to Italy. Built on a vast meadow with a variety of trees along the Fox River, the building has open views from all sides which help to enlarge the area and aid flow between the living space and its natural surroundings. It is in perfect harmony with nature--no garden architecture, no pathways, no beds or flowers, no car garage, no basement, just a lot of greenery. In 1972, Farnsworth House was purchased by Peter Palumbo, a British real estate magnate, who added air conditioning, extensive landscaping and sculptures. He owned the property for 31 years but rarely stayed there. In 2003, the National Trust for Historic Preservation bought the house for $7.5 million. It is now operated as a house museum, open to the public for guided tours. During the winter months, when it isn't hidden by foliage, you can get a wonderful picture postcard view of the house and surrounding property by driving along the highway that crosses the Fox River on the route to Plano. It isn't a family structure but, as a weekend retreat in the country, it certainly fills the need that Dr. Farnsworth was looking for. Even today, more than 60 years after it was built, Farnsworth House remains a one-of-a-kind architectural masterpiece.

Went here last weekend when the daffodils were in bloom. Our tour guide was delightful and told us all about the history of the house. I am an architecture fan, so seeing a Mies up close and personal was such a treat! The house is right on the Fox River and is absolutely stunning. I don't think you are allowed to view the house and grounds without doing the tour ($20 in advance), but being a fan of this sort of thing and knowing my money would go to maintaining and restoring the home, it was well worth it. The hike (0.5 mi) down to the actual house is so nice with the birds chirping around you. You are allowed to go into the house with your guide (no shoes... but they did provide socks for those wearing sandals). You cannot take pictures inside the house, but can take as many as you want outside. After the tour we were free to poke about the grounds. The house was being partly restored on one side, so I had to crop all of my photos, but alas, I understand that is how these things go. The gift shop has a nice little selection of modern items and a beautiful collection of chairs built to scale. There is also a video you can watch about the house but we didn't arrive in time to see it. Everything was just delightful about this tour. I would not recommend it for young children.

The Farnsworth house on of very few dwellings designed by Mies Van der Rohe. It is on the outskirts of Chicago, along the Fox River. The property is very wooded, and incorporates nature with a living space. The building may only be entered by guided tour, with an additional indoor camera permit available. There is a visitor center with a movie and gift shop. There is also another exhibition space housing Dr Farnsworth's wardrobe.Having seen photos of the building, I was utterly awestruck when I saw the actual structure. It is a rather small space, and preservation efforts are ongoing. The furniture is all of the type the architect would probably have placed in the building.A must for architecture buffs.

I have wanted to go to Farnsworth House for years. It took my 8 year old son and his LEGO model of Farnsworth House to finally get me there this April on our spring beak.As for a rating, if you are an architecture buff, and you don't give this place a rating of a 5, you are nuts. But for non architects or someone who doesn't know Mies van der Rohe, it might seem like a lot of money to pay ($25 for adults) to visit and explore such a simple weekend cottage. And I can see this place getting anywhere from a 3 to a 5 rating depending on the knowledge the visitor brings to this place ahead of their tour. Its simplicity is its brilliance, its point, its absolute wonder. And if you have a guide as good as ours was, even those who are non architecture students / enthusiasts will come away understanding its significance and its elegant beauty. On this tour you will also learn about its faults, floods and the romantic interludes between the single female doctor who commissioned it and Mies van der Rohe. If you can, arrive at least 30 minutes early, and watch the film in the Visitors Center BEFORE heading down to the cottage. Also, if they will let you, check out the wardrobe that they have in its own building next to the Visitors Center, because seeing it BEFORE the tour will help you understand better how this weekend cottage was functionally used by Doctor Farnsworth after it was built.As I mentioned, I brought my 8 year old boy, who admittedly has developed a passion for architecture through his LEGO Architecture Series models. He loved this tour. He brought his LEGO model, and we took photos of it outside the house, and though it wasn't something we had arranged to happen, our guide was so impressed with his interest in the house that she let me take a photo of him with his model INSIDE the house. This is not something we expected at all. There is no photography on weekends in the house, and during the weekdays, only with a pre-arranged permit. Outdoor photos are enthusiastically encouraged on all tours. My 12 year old daughter found it fascinating enough too, so don't think of this as an adult trip only. If your children have been raised to appreciate such things, this is a magnificent day trip from the city. Combine it with a trip to Mies van der Rohe's Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago, and make a day of it. Finally, my only complaint, the east side of the house was being restored when we went on our trip this April, 2014. I would have liked to know that in advance, but they do not post this information on their website. I understand they need the dollars from all the visitors they can, even during restoration work, but not to get a sense of the glass opening to the outside on all four walls definitely took away from the experience, and it is why I have rated our trip a 4 instead of a 5. We hope to go back this fall when the leaves are at their peak and the work is done on that one area. Hopefully, then we can experience The Farnsworth House in all its splendor. This is an undervalued Chicago GEM. At least from those of us here in the area. On our tour, besides ourselves, only three others were locals. The rest of the 14 tour participants were all from abroad... Germany, Austria, China. Fans of van der Rohe REGULARLY come from across the globe to view this masterpiece. If you live in Chicago and have never been out here, you owe it to yourself to add this to your Chicago area cultural literacy with a visit. It really is a stunning bit of architecture that continues to inspire architects around the globe.

My husband is a modern architecture aficionado and we have made a concerted effort over the years to visit as many notable structures around the world as we can. He had this on his list for quite a while and we were able finally to visit. Just a short drive from Ohare airport, we took a 1pm tour last week and were not disappointed. Our guide,Ann, was knowledgeable and personable, and although some restorations were ongoing we were still able to take many great photos and appreciate the house in all its simple elegant glory. Due to its location right next to the river,though, we hope that they can find a solution to the flooding issues, as it would be a tragedy to lose this fine example of Van der Rohe's design aesthetic.