Farnsworth House: 2008 Flood

Farnsworth House to be Managed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation

National Trust for Historic Preservation
Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:39:50 +0000

Statement from Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

The Farnsworth House, Plano, IL

On January 1, 2010, the National Trust for Historic Preservation will assume the management of the Farnsworth House, an international icon of Modern architecture located in Plano, Illinois.  While the National Trust has owned the site for the past six years, Landmarks Illinois has managed and operated it.  The National Trust is very proud of the Farnsworth House and the work that both organizations have put into the site, and we are determined to do right by it.  We expect a very smooth transition for the site, including no change in visiting opportunities, as the National Trust and Landmarks Illinois have been terrific partners for many years, well before our collaboration on the Farnsworth House.  Finally, we are delighted that Whitney French will continue as the Site Director by joining our staff and providing us with her experience and knowledge of this unique place.

We look forward to this opportunity because it will strengthen our newly created  Modernism + Recent Past program, which focuses on the significant architecture of the mid-20th century, as well as those places of social, economic, and cultural importance.  Furthermore, it allows even closer collaboration with the Farnsworth House’s “sister” property, the Philip Johnson Glass House (another Modernist site owned and operated by the National Trust).  Philip Johnson was inspired in his design of the Glass House by plans Mies van der Rohe developed for the Farnsworth House.

Read the full statement on PreservationNation.org.

Learn more:

• The Farnsworth House
• The Farnsworth House on PreservationNation.org
• National Trust to take over Farnsworth House: Landmarks Illinois has been operating at a deficit (Chicago Tribune)

Farnsworth House Offering Restoration Tours to Raise Funds

Sarah Heffern
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:43:18 +0000

Less than one month ago, the Farnsworth House, a National Trust Historic Site and icon of modernist architecture, was flooded in the by tropical storm Lowell and the aftermath of hurricane Ike. The house was closed to the public in the immediate aftermath, but is now opening on a limited schedule to help raise funds to repair the damage from the floods. These tours provide a rare chance to experience the restoration first-hand.

Detailed information on the tours — as well as an opportunity to contribute — are available at www.farnsworthhouse.org. And, In the event that you can’t make it to Illinois for a tour, the staff of the  Farnsworth House have started a blog to share the progress of the restoration.

Flood Waters Have Receded at World-Famous Farnsworth House

Barbara Campagna
Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:13:33 +0000

After two days, staff and volunteers at Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois can finally reach it without a boat, albeit waders!

View into the Farnsworth House through the front door after the waters receded.

The flood waters started to recede yesterday morning, and unlike the flood of 1996 when the waters rose over 4’ into the house, it appears it was about 18” above the floor level this time. Our very ingenious low-tech way of raising the furniture on plastic milk crates worked and not one of them was displaced.

With that said, we are trying to evaluate the impact to the building and it will be some time before the full impact to the historic site and landscape can be fully understood. The existing primavera wood wardrobe does have water damage along the bottom which will be evaluated by a conservator, as do the other fixed-in-place wood panels. The famous primavera wood panels in the living room were demounted and safely stored on top of the “core”.

No glass was broken and the travertine floors on the interior seem only mildly dirty. We still don’t know the full impact to the mechanical and electrical systems but are hopeful since most of the equipment is located more than 18” above the floor. Several very large trees were literally uprooted and getting an arborist in to determine the safety of some of the other trees is a priority.

Because there is massive disaster recovery occurring all over the country right now, getting the insurance

The Farnsworth House as the waters recede.

adjusters to the house may take a week or more. In the mean time, our dedicated Director, Whitney French, and her staff and volunteers will be working with engineers, restoration recovery companies and conservators to make the most informed restoration decisions. As a result, the site is closed for tours for the remainder of 2008. While we understand that people who have planned trips in advance and purchased tickets are very disappointed that their tours have been cancelled, please understand that this is necessary, not only to facilitate the physical recovery of the building and landscape, but to ensure the life safety of our staff and visitors. Any questions, please feel free to email me at Barbara_campagna@nthp.org .