Riverside resident Michelangelo Sabatino has a deep interest in Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the famed architect who shaped Chicago’s skyline. His new book, The Edith Farnsworth House: Architecture, Preservation, Culture, examines the work of the German-born architect through the lens of the modern home he designed in Plano, Illinois (1945-1951) for Edith Farnsworth, a physician. The book also shines a light on the collective effort that led to the purchase of the Farnsworth House and its opening to the public.
The book’s recent publication coincides with the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Edith Farnsworth House to the public in 2004.
Sabatino, a professor of architectural history and preservation at the College of Architecture of the Illinois Institute of Technology, previously partnered with historian and preservationist Susan S. Benjamin to pen Modern in the Middle: Chicago Houses 1929-1975.
That book looked at residential architecture in Chicago and its suburbs. The houses featured in the book showed the degree to which both Mies and Frank Lloyd Wright inspired Chicago-based architects. With his latest book, Sabatino said he hopes to encourage design, architecture, and nature enthusiasts to venture outside of Chicagoland and take a field trip to Plano, Illinois.
He said that he knows many architectural enthusiasts who travel outside the country to see sights, but tell themselves they can always get to a more local destination like the Farnsworth House at another time.
“The message to Chicagoans is to go visit, or revisit in different seasons, the nationally landmarked architecture in your own backyard,” he said.
Sabatino lamented the fact that more people seem to be familiar with the Farnsworth House through photographs than by having actually visited.
“By relying only on photographs, you cannot directly experience the beauty and complexity of the Fox River Valley site,” he said.
While visiting the home in person, he said, people can grasp the relationship of the groundbreaking floating glass and steel building to a site that is prone to flooding. Much is gained by leisurely taking in the house, with the help of knowledgeable docents. on its 60-acre site flanked by the Fox River and traversed in part by the Rob Roy Creek.
Mies van der Rohe met Edith Farnsworth at a dinner party in 1945 in Chicago and was soon employed in the design of a weekend house for the unconventional doctor whose interests included photography, poetry, and music. The design and building process was anything but straightforward and took six years.
Today, the one room, 1,586-square-foot building is celebrated as an important example of International Style modern architecture. The home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Although the initial purchase for nearly $7.5 million was made possible thanks to Landmarks Illinois, National Trust for Historic Places and Friends of the Farnsworth, the home is now owned and operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Sabatino pointed out that the house was renamed the Edith Farnsworth House in 2021 to reemphasize the role Farnsworth played in its realization. “Over time, her name had been disassociated with the house. It became all about Mies,” he said.
One of the things Sabatino is most proud of about the book is the inclusion of three chapters concerning the house from Farnsworth’s unpublished memoir.
“After all the controversy and gossip concerning the client/architect relationship it’s a really great opportunity to read directly her side of the story.”
A distinguished nephrologist, who in 1938 was the third woman to graduate from Northwestern University’s Medical School, Farnsworth was a pioneer in her own right.
While acknowledging the importance of Farnsworth in the creation of the home, Sabatino added: “I learned through the process that you cannot write a book about an important house like this one and just cover one of its lives.”
To that end, the book is divided into three parts concerning the three distinct owners: Farnsworth and Mies van der Rohe; subsequent owner, British developer and philanthropist Lord Peter Palumbo, who occupied the home from 1972 to 2003; and the stewardship of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Landmarks Illinois.
Sabatino encourages Chicagoans to celebrate the anniversary of the opening of the house by taking a “staycation” and driving the 60-mile trip to visit or revisit one of Chicago’s most iconic national landmarks.
Planning a trip
The Edith Farnsworth House is located about 60 miles south of Chicago in Plano, Illinois. The home and its grounds are open for tours Wednesdays through Sundays. Tickets are required. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: https://edithfarnsworthhouse.org/tours/
Interested readers can support the EFH by purchasing a copy of Sabatino’s book directly from their visitor center shop: https://farnsworth-house.myshopify.com
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