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.
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.”
Ever the bon vivant, Farnsworth’s eye for artistic talent lead her to Mies van der Rohe, and the architect to his first-ever American commission in Plano, Illinois in 1951. The house was first conceived as a one-room weekend retreat and nearly abandoned near the end of its construction owing to a row over cost overrides that resulted in litigation and a bit of a bad name for van der Rohe. The interiors were left nearly unfinished, the pair never spoke again. Farnsworth occupied the home for two decades before retiring to Italy in 1972. The house has served as a museum space since 2003.
“The Edith Farnsworth House has always been a place of barrier-breaking ideas, and its rededication carries that legacy forward in deeply meaningful ways,” said Katherine Malone-France, Chief Preservation Officer of the National Trust, in a statement. “Doing this not only acknowledges the important role of Edith Farnsworth, but it also demonstrates that historic sites can and must continue to evolve as they tell us the truth about ourselves and help us define a more just and equitable future.”
A rededication ceremony will be live-streamed from 2–4:00 pm CST on Wednesday, November 17th, which also marks Edith Farnsworth's birthday. A temporary exhibition of the house’s original furnishings will be on view until December 19th. More information can be found here.
11 Comments
Perhaps they should permanently reinstate the insect screens that Edith added on the porch to showcase her "contribution" to design.
“and a bit of a bad name for van der Rohe“. Ahhhh a world without google reviews . Someone should do a posthumous Google review article for dead famous architects based on what we know about their client relations
FLW wouldn't stand a chance.
Schulze, in the second edition of his book, spends the better part of a chapter detailing their musical, litigious affair.
Wasn't it already named after her?
Yes it was.
"When asked how she felt about the new honor, Edith Farnsworth was found to still be dead."
This house was a failure from the moment it was finished, yet it's hailed as a masterpiece of architecture, all because it's been declared one by many a modernist historian that no one questions. It should have its place in history, but not as a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship.
Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye is similar - a very short life span as an actual home for people. Cracks, leaks, and other examples of poor workmanship were immediately apparent after it was finished. Post WW II it was used by local farmers to store hay.
Why not? Because he got some of the details "wrong"? Seems like a pretty narrow definition of a masterpiece, no? My guess is you have an agenda just as much as the "modernist historians" you seem to deride.
^ All of these comments highlight the gulf between buildings and the discourse about them. They both tend to get swallowed up under the term "architecture," which gets confusing. And they're created (mostly) by people with entirely different educations and interests. (Of course, this is true of "music," "film," "art," and other endeavors that attract an entire corps of critics and observers.)
I think we'd all be happier if such a big deal hadn't been made about this little house. ("Oh, by the way, Mies also designed this glass house.")
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