Farnsworth House

Farnsworth House
Architect: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Location: Plano, Illinois
Year: 1951
Visited: June 2017
Why it matters: A glass-box minimalism landmark—equal parts architectural purity and personal controversy—set dramatically on the Fox River.
YouTube tour

Why It’s Iconic:
The Farnsworth House is modernism distilled: steel, glass, and nothing unnecessary. Designed by Mies van der Rohe for Dr. Edith Farnsworth, it’s a pristine study in proportion, openness, and restraint. But the beauty belies a famously fraught backstory—budget overruns, lawsuits, and a broken relationship between client and architect that turned bitter.

Functionally, it’s a tough house to love—no closets, no privacy, and frequent flooding from the nearby Fox River. But as an object? As a statement? It’s untouchable. Floating slightly above the ground, surrounded by nature, the house is serene and startling all at once.

Visiting in June, the surrounding green amplified the radical simplicity of the structure. There’s something meditative about it—almost sacred in its clarity. It’s a house you experience with quiet awe, even as you wonder how anyone could actually live there.

Jeb Score (Judging Every Building)
Design ★★★★★
Preservation ★★★★☆
Livability ★☆☆☆☆
Influence ★★★★★
Overall Iconicity ★★★★★