2024-05-04T02:49:27-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/129964678/view-from-the-farnsworth-house-may-soon-be-a-lot-drier Amelia Taylor-Hochberg 2015-06-19T20:13:00-04:00 >2019-01-05T12:31:03-05:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/j0/j0uj3abv1zfjlkz6.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>"The river was part of its immediate environment. To move it to higher ground where it never floods would be ridiculous. You would ask: 'Why is it on stilts?' It makes no sense to me."</p></em><br /><br /><p>All along, <a href="http://archinect.com/features/article/128649077/screen-print-33-the-alternative-history-of-edith-farnsworth-and-her-architect-from-mit-s-thresholds" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mies van der Rohe's iconic design for the retreat of Dr. Edith Farnsworth</a> was intended to withstand floodwaters, but in the past 19 years, the <a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/98957852/should-it-stay-or-should-it-go-preservationists-weigh-options-to-protect-farnsworth-house-from-flooding-damage" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">house has flooded</a> three times, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. These incidents were partially blamed on rapid suburban development nearby, for bringing more water into the Fox River.</p><p>So as a protective measure, the house's owner, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is considering a few drastic alternatives for how to proceed &ndash; most notably moving the house entirely to another, higher spot on Farnsworth's 62-acre property. The other options include lifting the house on hydraulic stilts, or reorienting it on top of a "9-foot mound at its original site". An advisory committee, including Chicago architect and grandson of Mies, Dirk Lohan (quoted above), is discussing the options with the Trust today.</p><p>The Trust alone can't make the final call &ndash; Landmarks Illinois, a group of historic preservation advocates, ...</p>