• Mrs. Farnsworth was very upset when the county built a highway and a bridge next to her house. It spoiled the view.
• Mrs. Farnsworth used to step out on her porch in her bathrobe and yell at the starry-eyed Architecture students trespassing in her yard.
• Mies saved a beautiful tree on the site and placed the house next to it. It shades the house and looks lovely. The tree is dying now, and “they” are struggling with what the appropriate preservation approach should be. Cut it down? Put in a new tree? Add a big fake tree sculpture thing?
• You have to take off your shoes and put on special socks to enter the house. The socks are neatly stacked in a custom made wicker basket on the porch. You have your choice of black or white socks. You take the socks off when you get out and drop them in a stainless steel can that’s labeled: “dirty socks”.
• The tour guide won’t let you take pictures inside the house. Maybe the flash bulbs hurt the houses delicate surfaces. Maybe the marble is light sensitive.
• The river level rises a lot and tends to flood its banks. That tends to mess things up in the house. The last time the house flooded, one of the large glass panes broke. “They” replaced it with new glass. The code inspector made them use tempered glass for this. That way, if you crash through it, you won’t be cut to shreds. Of course, if you crash through any of the other panes, you’ll probably die… If you look at the new glass at an angle you can tell that it is not as “clear” as the original glass. A shame really.
• All the steel in the house is welded. There are no bolts. All the weld joints have been perfectly ground smooth. The tops of the columns are held down a few inches from the tops of the beams.
• The original porch was screened. It didn’t age well. “They” took it down. It looks pretty nice without it.
• Everything is on a grid. Just try to get off it, I dare you.
• The house was a little over budget. Ok, a lot over budget. Ok, the client never spoke to Mies again after the construction. I think he sued her for non-payment and then she sued him back.
• The house appears to float on 12 steel columns. But, if you peek under it, you’ll see a 2’ pipe. That’s where all the plumbing and electrical come into the building. The pipe is painted dark brown, so it fades into the shadows. One second thought, don’t tell anyone I told you that. The house really floats on 12 columns. It’s awesome. Don’t look under it.
• The floors are travertine marble in perfect 24” squares. Mies didn’t trust the stone masons to properly place the marble. So, he showed up at the jobsite. Perched himself in a chair (I assume it was a Barcelona chair). He drank martinis and smoked his cigars while the Masons brought the individual stones to him to inspect. He then told the masons where to place each stone, and which way to turn each stone. I’m guessing the Masons loved this.
• The house is tiny. It has 2 baths and 0 bedrooms. There’s a dresser that Mrs. Farnsworth used to separate the living area from the sleeping area. “They” moved it because it was blocking the “flow” of the space. (well, actually, it kind of was)

So, after spending a lovely afternoon, I think I can safely say: The Farnsworth house is spectacular, it is beautifully sited, The views of the river are amazing, I love the tree that Mies saved, The detailing is breathtaking, and most importantly,

Mies Van Der Rohe was a big jerk.

Jody { coffee with an architect }