Farnsworth House Case Study: Plan, Steel Frame and the Flood Problem (Mies van der Rohe)

The Farnsworth House is a one-room weekend house of steel and glass that Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed for Dr Edith Farnsworth beside the Fox River in Plano, Illinois, completed in 1951. For a case study it teaches three things clearly: how a single service core can zone an open plan, how a steel frame can be reduced to eight columns and three floating planes, and what happens when a building is raised above the floods its designer knew about but not the ones that came later.

Our guide on how to document an architecture case study sets out the sheets a jury expects; this post follows that order.

Farnsworth House architect and client: the brief

Mies van der Rohe met Edith Farnsworth at the end of 1945, according to the National Historic Landmark nomination (2004). She raised the idea of a country retreat on a small property by the Fox River. Mies had emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1937 and since 1938 had headed the architecture department of the Armour Institute, later the Illinois Institute of Technology (NHL nomination).

The client is often left out of the story. Nora Wendl's history for the National Trust for Historic Preservation records that Farnsworth graduated from Northwestern University Medical School in 1938, one of five women in a class of 140, and became known for research on treating nephritis, a kidney disease. She wanted a weekend place to rest, entertain friends, write poetry and garden. The brief was small: one person, at weekends.

The design was complete by 1947, when a model was shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, but construction did not begin until September 1949, for financial reasons (NHL nomination). Eric Wills, writing in Architect magazine (2020), reports that Mies's first estimate was $40,000 and the final cost more than $74,000. By completion the relationship had broken down: Mies sued for unpaid fees in 1951 and Farnsworth counter-sued over cost overruns and faulty construction (NHL nomination). A special master found for Mies, and the case was settled for $2,500 (Wills); Wendl dates the settlement to 1955.

Farnsworth House site analysis

The house stands on the floodplain of the Fox River, which lies just to the south. The NHL nomination describes the long rectangle lying parallel to the river, with the stairs forming a cross axis that faces the water.

The river is the defining site condition. At a 2015 preservation symposium published by the National Park Service, the National Trust's architect Ashley Wilson said Mies set the finished floor 1 foot above the highest recorded flood of the time, and that the house now stands about 95 ft (29 m) from the river. The same talk describes a watershed of about 2,000 square miles (5,180 sq km) upstream and a water table 4 to 5 ft (1.2 to 1.5 m) below grade.

Mies made no provision for cars; Farnsworth later built a garage at the north end of the site, out of sight of the house (NHL nomination). The approach is on foot, across grass.

Farnsworth House concept and design ideas

The NHL nomination describes the house as three horizontal steel planes, the lower terrace, the floor and the roof, attached to slender steel columns. The floor and roof are welded to the columns rather than resting on top of them, so the planes appear to hover. Philip Johnson, in the 1947 MoMA catalogue quoted in the nomination, wrote that "the purity of the cage is undisturbed".

In plan the composition is two rectangles that slide past each other: the main house, and the lower terrace offset to the south-west. The nomination names the precedents as the Barcelona Pavilion of 1929 and the Tugendhat House of 1930, and an unbuilt rural house for the Resor family. Compare them in our Barcelona Pavilion case study, and see our Glass House case study for Philip Johnson's 1949 house, which the nomination says took the Farnsworth House as its inspiration.

Farnsworth House floor plan and zoning

The main slab is one long rectangle, 23.57 m x 8.74 m (77 ft 4⅛ in x 28 ft 8 in) on the Historic American Buildings Survey drawings (HABS IL-1105, measured in 2009). Its western bay is an open, roofed porch. The rest is enclosed in glass on all four sides.

Inside there are almost no walls. All the services are gathered into one rectangular core, set off-centre towards the north and east: two bathrooms, the mechanical space and, on its south face, the fireplace. A straight kitchen counter runs along the core's north side, facing the north glass. Except at the centre, the core's walls stop short of the ceiling, so the ceiling reads as one continuous plane (NHL nomination). A lower free-standing teak wardrobe screens the sleeping area at the east end.

The plan is zoned by objects, not rooms. HABS labels a dining area west of the core, an office area by the entrance, a living area south of the core facing the river, and a sleeping area to the east. The entrance is a pair of glazed doors from the porch.

For the measured plan, elevations, sections and details, use the eight HABS sheets linked above rather than redrawn versions online.

Farnsworth House section and structure

The frame is reduced to eight external steel columns, four on each long side. Werner Blaser, quoted in the NHL nomination, gives the column spacing as 6.60 m; the HABS plan dimensions the bays at about 22 ft (6.7 m), with the slabs cantilevering past the end columns. The lower terrace sits on six steel columns, two of which are also columns of the house (NHL nomination).

The house is raised 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) above the floodplain (NHL nomination). The HABS elevations put the main floor 2 ft 4 in above the lower terrace and the ceiling at 11 ft 9 in on the same datum, which gives a floor-to-ceiling height of about 2.87 m (9 ft 5 in); Blaser gives about 2.85 m. The HABS section shows the roof as a precast concrete channel slab, and a single central utility shaft dropping from the core to the ground. Apart from the columns, that shaft is the only thing that touches the earth.

Farnsworth House materials and construction

The NHL nomination counts three exterior materials: steel painted white, travertine, and glass. Inside there are three more: primavera wood veneer on the core and built-in cupboards, travertine floors, and white plaster ceilings. The HABS finish schedule adds detail a student can use:

• Floor: travertine slabs 2 ft 0 in x 2 ft 9 in (about 610 x 840 mm), 1¼ in (32 mm) thick, continuing from the terraces into the house.
• Glazing: original polished plate glass, with some panes replaced in tempered glass.
• Ceiling: suspended lath and plaster.
• Core: primavera veneer with demountable primavera panels.
• Wardrobe: teak veneer.
• Terraces: the HABS section shows crushed stone fill and drains under the open porch paving.

No bolts or brackets show at the welded joints. That finish depends on upkeep: the 1972 restoration had to replace a roof that had deteriorated considerably (NHL nomination).

Light, climate and services

With glass on every side, privacy depends on the site and on curtains. Ventilation was limited. The NHL nomination and the HABS east elevation show two small operable hopper panes on the east wall, and Wills reports that these were the only two operable windows, with no air conditioning at first.

Wills also records Farnsworth's complaints: a leaking roof, high heating bills through single glazing, windows that fogged in winter because no ducts ran along the glass, and a fireplace that drew properly only with its door open. She had screens fitted round the west porch soon after moving in; they were removed when Palumbo, who bought the house in 1972, had Mies's grandson Dirk Lohan restore it to its 1951 appearance and upgrade the climate control (NHL nomination). Wills notes that Palumbo added electric heat and air conditioning, and that the Trust's restoration includes repairing the radiant heating system.

Reception, problems and the Farnsworth House flooding

The house was argued over from the start. In April 1953 Elizabeth Gordon, writing in House Beautiful, used Farnsworth's dissatisfaction to attack European modernism in an article called "The Threat to the Next America" (NHL nomination). Farnsworth told the same magazine that in the glass house she felt "like a prowling animal, always on the alert" (quoted by Wills). The historian Franz Schulze, quoted in the nomination, called it "more nearly temple than dwelling". After a 2016 visit, the architect Jacques Herzog said the house could not be used except as a museum (quoted by Wills).

The bigger problem is water. Wills reports Mies answering early worries about floods by saying the house would show "that we can combat that". The record since:

• 1954: a flood damaged furniture and drapes (Wendl).
• 1996: the highest recorded flood; water stood more than 5 ft (1.5 m) inside the house (NPS talk). Windows were smashed and a Warhol print was carried away (Architect magazine, 2008; The Art Newspaper). The interior woodwork was restored afterwards (NHL nomination).
• 2008: after record rain on 13 and 14 September the river rose more than 14 ft (4.3 m) above normal and about 15 in (38 cm) of water entered the house (Architect magazine, 2008). The NPS talk says FEMA then classed the house as a repetitive loss property.
• May 2020: water covered the lower terrace and rose to within a foot of the living floor (The Art Newspaper).

Sources count the floods differently. Dezeen (2014) lists three floods in 18 years (1996, 1998 and 2008); Wills calls 2008 the last of four; the site's director told The Art Newspaper in 2020 that the house had been inundated seven times. The NHL nomination gives the cause: building in the surrounding area has raised flood levels in recent decades.

The Trust studied what to do. A feasibility study by Thornton Tomasetti looked at nine options, and the engineer Robert Silman developed three: raising the ground about 8½ ft (2.6 m), moving the house about 500 ft (152 m) back from the river, or a hydraulic lift in a pit under the house that would raise it about 9 ft (2.7 m) during a flood (NPS talk; The Art Newspaper gives 8 ft). A technical panel including Dirk Lohan called the lift "most promising", according to Dezeen (2014). In 2020 the house's director put the lift at a further $7 million to $9 million (The Art Newspaper). We could not find a dated public announcement that it has been built, so check the house's own site for the current position.

What designers in India can take from it

These are our reading of the case, not claims from the sources.

1. Set flood levels for the catchment you will have, not the one you have. Mies cleared the record by one foot, and development upstream overtook him. On any riverside, lakeside or low-lying plot in India, ask for the local flood record and then ask what is being built upstream. Add a margin, and keep panels, pumps and shafts above it, as the Farnsworth core does.
2. Use one core to zone a small plan. Putting bathrooms, kitchen, storage and services in one block frees the perimeter for living and light. It also stacks plumbing in one place, which suits compact 1BHK flats and studio homes.
3. A glass box needs climate design. Even under Illinois shade trees, a single-glazed room with two small opening panes fogged in winter and needed air conditioning later. In Indian heat, glass needs deep overhangs or shading, cross ventilation and, on west faces, very little exposure at all. Our guide to building materials by climate and region covers what suits each zone.
4. Write the cost and the contract down. An estimate of $40,000 became more than $74,000 and ended in court. A clear scope, staged estimates and an agreed fee basis protect both sides; see how to read an architect's fee proposal.

For a retreat or pavilion thesis, see our B.Arch thesis topics by typology.

Visiting the Edith Farnsworth House

The house is run by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is open for guided tours, which are booked through the Edith Farnsworth House site. The National Trust's page lists tours Wednesday to Sunday from April to November, with shorter winter hours, and gives the address as 14520 River Road, Plano. Check the official site for current dates, and for closures after high water.

FAQ

Who designed the Farnsworth House?

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed it for Dr Edith Farnsworth, a Chicago physician, as a weekend house on the Fox River in Plano, Illinois.

When was the Farnsworth House built?

Design began after Mies and Farnsworth met at the end of 1945 and was complete by 1947. Construction started in September 1949 and the house was completed in 1951, though some accounts date completion to 1950.

What materials is the Farnsworth House made of?

A welded steel frame painted white, floor-to-ceiling plate glass, and travertine floors and terraces. Inside, the core is veneered in primavera wood, the wardrobe in teak, and the ceiling is plaster.

What are the Farnsworth House dimensions?

The HABS measured drawings give the floor and roof slabs as 23.57 m x 8.74 m (77 ft 4⅛ in x 28 ft 8 in) and the lower terrace as 16.84 m x 6.90 m. The floor is 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) above the ground.

Why does the Farnsworth House flood?

It stands on the Fox River floodplain. Mies set the floor about a foot above the highest flood then recorded, but development in the catchment has since raised flood levels, and water has entered the house several times, worst in 1996.

Planning your own house or retreat? Find an architect on MOA.

Sources

• National Park Service: National Historic Landmark Nomination, Farnsworth House, prepared by Anthony Raynsford for the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, 2004 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Library of Congress: Historic American Buildings Survey, Edith Farnsworth House, HABS IL-1105, measured drawings, 2009 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• National Park Service: The Farnsworth House, talk by Ashley Wilson and Robert Silman, Mid-Century Modern Structures symposium, 2015 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: Edith Farnsworth House (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: What's in a Name? Becoming the Edith Farnsworth House, Nora Wendl, 16 Nov 2021 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Architect magazine: The Farnsworth House on Trial, Eric Wills, 6 May 2020 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Architect magazine: Farnsworth House Flooded, Braulio Agnese, 29 Sep 2008 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Dezeen: Hydraulic jacks could protect Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House from flood danger, Amy Frearson, 30 Apr 2014 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• The Art Newspaper: Flooding threatens Mies van der Rohe's minimalist Farnsworth House in Illinois, Nancy Kenney, 21 May 2020 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Edith Farnsworth House: official site, for tours (accessed 3 Nov 2026)