Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, one of the American icons of residential Modern architecture, is now in imminent danger of being sold and moved. The current owner has arranged to sell the house at auction December 12, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation reports that at least one potential buyer wants to move it to another state, forever separating the home from its proper setting. The National Trust and the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois (LPCI) have launched an emergency campaign to raise the money to purchase the Farnsworth House to ensure the home's preservation on its original site and maintain public access to this world-class monument. Please be part of the solution!

Mies designed the house in 1951 as a weekend retreat 60 miles southwest of Chicago for the late Dr. Edith Farnsworth. One of only three homes designed by Mies in the U.S., this pure glass-walled rectangle, perched serenely on its steel columns next to the Fox River, invites views on all sides.

Richard Moe and David Bahlman, presidents of the Trust and LPCI, respectively, explained that it would be a disaster if the Farnsworth House were moved. “It’s not hard to envision someone wanting to take this masterpiece from its countryside setting to a theme park or a private sculpture garden,” they said in their statement. “In fact, a few years ago an individual proposed moving it to Wisconsin. A house of this significance deserves to be protected forever and made available to the public, particularly to architects and students of architecture.”

The house is to be auctioned by Sotheby’s, which estimates it will bring $4.5 million–6 million. Each organization will put forward $1 million to seed the fund. If they are successful, the National Trust and Landmarks Preservation Council will ensure the home’s preservation on its original site and maintain public access to this world-class architectural monument as a museum.

You can help—as an individual architect or a firm. Many businesses have pledged matching funds. Invest in the profession and its future by preserving the best of its past. Make a tax-deductible gift to the Campaign for Farnsworth today!

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