The Edith Farnsworth House was conceived in 1945 as a country retreat for Dr. Edith Farnsworth and completed in 1951. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe placed the house beside the Fox River near Plano, Illinois. Its isolated setting allowed him to explore an unusually transparent enclosure with few internal divisions.
Three horizontal elements establish the composition: a lower terrace, the raised floor of the house and the roof. Slender steel columns support these planes, while continuous glazing leaves the landscape visible through the interior. The main floor stands five feet three inches above the ground. White structural members form a precise contrast with the irregular trunks of surrounding trees.
A model appeared at the Museum of Modern Art in 1947, before construction was finished. The completed building made structure itself a principal part of the architectural expression. Later restorations, including work in 1972 and after the 1996 flood, reflect the care required to preserve this seemingly simple house in its river landscape.
Glass House, New Canaan
