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Aurora, United States

Sam and Ruth VanSickle Ford House

Aurora, United States

Sam and Ruth VanSickle Ford House
Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Located at 404 S. Edgelawn Drive in Aurora, Illinois, the Sam and Ruth VanSickle Ford House is a striking example of organic architecture designed by Bruce Goff and built in 1949–50. Commissioned by painter and art teacher Ruth Van Sickle Ford and her civil engineer husband Sam, the residence features a distinctive dome-shaped form constructed with Quonset hut ribs as its frame. Shingles clad most of the dome's exterior, while the southeast side remains deliberately open to create outdoor living spaces. Two smaller domes housing the bedrooms extend from the main dome's south and northeast sides. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2023 in recognition of its architectural significance.

Architect

Movement

Type
house
Heritage
National Register of Historic Places listed place, National Historic Landmark
Place
Aurora, United States

This building on

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Location

41.75333, -88.35917