Farnsworth House makes Lemonade out of Lemons

Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, which I blogged about suffering flood damages, has re-opened to special guided tours on a limited basis.  These special tours will raise money for restoration and repairs and will focus on the extent of the damages caused by the flooding and the process of historic restoration.  More information can be found in this press release from the National Trust for Historic Preservation or at their blog, PreservationNation.

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Flood Damage at Farnsworth House

[Image courtesy of the National Trust for Historic Preservation via PreservationNation.]

Today I received an e-mail from The National Trust for Historic Preservation giving me an update on the condition of the Farnsworth House, a piece of seminal modern architecture by Mies van der Rohe. The flood waters have receded, but as you can see in the above photo, there is as expected water and mud damage. The glass windows/walls are intact, as are the travertine floors; the primavera wood panels from the living room were rescued, but much of the built in wood has suffered water damage. The extent of the restoration process is yet to be determined, but because of the large scale damage clean up operations in the area the process will be slow. The full story can be found at PreservationNation.

Donations are welcomed and greatly appreciated. If you want to help, visit Landmarks Illinois and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Farnsworth House is owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is managed by Landmarks Illinois.

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farnsworth house - flooded

[Image via 33 and a Third.]

Due to unusually heavy rains and flooding caused by the remnants of Ike and Lowell, Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House has 1 foot of standing water in it, according to the National Trust’s Blog PreservationNation. The house is built 5′ off of the ground, so that means there 6′ of flood water. Hopefully, when the water subsides, the damage will be able to be repaired. Donations can be sent here.

This should serve as a reminder to everyone that even though increased hurricane and tropical storm activity mainly affects the coasts, once these storms make in inland, they still drop a lot of water. As storms get stronger and more common there will be more flooding in the nation’s rivers and streams. We are all effected by global climate change.