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Edith Farnsworth House: Name change emphasizes Farnsworth’s role in creating an American masterpiece

2021-10-19T12:38:00-04:00

As part of the house’s 70th-anniversary celebration next month, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced that the iconic Farnsworth House will be renamed the Edith Farnsworth House in order to better recognize the cultural and architectural contributions of its namesake, Dr. Edith Farnsworth.

The name change coincides with the trust’s “Where Women Made History” campaign, which now recognizes Farnsworth for her rightful place as a doyenne of American high culture.

Edith Farnsworth (left) and Beth Dunlap, 1951. Image © William Dunlap

According to a press release: “Ahead of her time in the post-World War II era, Edith Farnsworth lived an independent life of cultural and intellectual exploration and discovery. For decades, her story, as well as her pivotal role in the creation of this landmark, has not received the prominence it deserves.”

Image © Edith Farnsworth Papers, The Newberry Library

Ever the bon vivant, Farnsworth’s eye for artistic talent lead her to Mies van ...

Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal to star in a new movie about Mies van der Rohe and Edith Farnsworth

2017-02-06T13:23:00-05:00

The story of Mies van der Rohe and Edith Farnsworth—the namesake commissioner of the famous glass house—is rife with sex and scandal. According to the typical narrative, Farnsworth, a nephrologist of some acclaim, didn’t just want one of Mies’ buildings, but also the man himself. When things didn’t pan out that way, she took revenge by heading to the courts.

But, as a former Screen/Print revealed, that story isn’t just inaccurate—it’s laden with sexist assumptions. Namely, that a woman couldn’t simply be dissatisfied with an architectural “masterwork” because of its formal flaws. She had to be driven by “feminine” emotions.

Anyway, it’s still a good story. And now it’s heading to the silver screen. According to Showbiz 411, Jeff Bridges will be starring as the German architect and Maggie Gyllenhaal will play Farnsworth.

View from the Farnsworth House may soon be a lot drier

2015-06-19T20:13:00-04:00

"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."

All along, Mies van der Rohe's iconic design for the retreat of Dr. Edith Farnsworth was intended to withstand floodwaters, but in the past 19 years, the house has flooded 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.

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 – 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.

The Trust alone can't make the final call – Landmarks Illinois, a group of historic preservation advocates, ...