Farnsworth House

Plano, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Completed in 1951 for physician Edith Farnsworth, the Farnsworth House stands along the Fox River near Plano, Illinois, as one of only three private residences designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in the United States. Built in the International Style, the house exemplifies Mies's minimalist philosophy: raised 5¼ feet above the floodplain on eight steel columns, it features a glass and steel facade with an open-plan interior that dissolves spatial boundaries. An outdoor travertine terrace accesses the structure from the south, while the western third opens as a veranda. Though the design earned recognition as a major modernist work, the project was marked by conflict—cost overruns led Mies and Farnsworth to litigation in 1951. After decades of private ownership and subsequent flooding, the 62-acre estate was acquired by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2003 and now operates as a house museum with visitor center and gallery.

Architect

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Movement

Neues Bauen

Built: 1951
Type: single-family detached home
Heritage: National Register of Historic Places listed place, National Historic Landmark
Place: Plano, United States

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Location

41.63500, -88.53569