A New Flowering for Farnsworth House

Set your camera on the post for an ideal photo.

 

This past week I had the pleasure of walking the grounds of Farnsworth House in Plano, IL with its executive director and old friend, Scott Mehaffey. I'll be doing a landscape walk on Saturday, June 29th and I wanted to get a lay of the land. Scott and his team are doing a terrific job of creating new events and experiences so that many different audiences can experience this magical place.

It's an extraordinary site that has evolved and changed since Edith Farnsworth bought the land in the 1940s and Mies van de Rohe designed and finished the house in 1951. Edith was a doctor in Chicago who desired a rustic getaway where she could play her violin, compose poetry, entertain and basically get away from it all. When the house was built, the land was pretty much savannah - large trees carpeted with grasses and wildflowers. As parcels became available (from Colonel McCormick of Cantigny fame), Edith bought the hay fields next door until her holdings totaled about 60 acres.

To the left is an old hedgerow. You get an idea of how the creek floods.

In 1973, Lord Peter Palumbo took ownership. An ardent fan of Mies van de Rohe, Palumbo installed van de Rohe furniture and also commissioned Lanning Roper to create an English park-like landscape. He used the house as a place to entertain and celebrate the genius of van de Rohe. This is what remains today.

I love the 'corset' chairs of the dining set.

This side looks out to the river. The cabinetry is undercut to break up the wall and in turn acts as counters in the two bathrooms on either end.

The original kitchen with its single piece of stainless steel countertop.

 

Just in case you need to make a call when napping...

 

The biggest challenge of the site is flooding. Situated along the Fox River, the hydrology of the area has changed with increased traffic and building. The house has flooded repeatedly and there are plans to create a hydraulic system to lift it out of harm's way. The interesting part for the tree geek is the combination of native trees and ones planted by Roper and Palumbo. It's a diverse mix of species and some are not able to handle the high water or other areas have been left to their own devices. In many ways, it's landscape design archeology.

The river

Across a sweep of lawn, you can see how flat the bottomland is.

The site is very restful and I can see why Edith fell in love with the area. There are magnificent hackberries in all their warty bark glory. Their are two streams that add a musical gurgle to the slow glide of the river. Myriad wildflowers call it home. I'm eager to visit often and see the seasons unfold.

One of the babbling creeks