Farnsworth After the Flood

After last month's floods, I wondered whether there was any hope of saving Mies van der Rohe's Modernist masterpiece, the Farnsworth House in Piano, Illinois. Mies van der Rohe set the glass-walled home on steel columns so that the Fox River could pass underneath, but the water rises higher now than it did 57 years ago. Every new flood sends recovery costs soaring.

The Farnsworth House is now offering special post-flood tours to help raise funds for restoration.

• Tuesday and Thursday Tours: Visit the house and take photos of the exterior. A docent will be on hand to answer questions. $20 donation.
• Wednesday Tours: Site director Whitney French will pause her restoration efforts to offer an extended tour and discuss the damages. You'll also get a first-time look at the Farnsworth interior without its famous teak wardrobe. $100 donation.
• Weekend Tours: A docent will offer an extended tour, discuss the history and impact of the floods, and explain restoration efforts. $50 donation.

Learn More:

• Farnsworth House Flood 2008: The Aftermath
• Farnsworth House Preservation Blog
• Farnsworth House Home Page

^{Photo: The Farnsworth House as it looked before September's floods. © Steve Estes}