Mies van der Rohe's famous Farnsworth House has officially been renamed the Edith Farnsworth House, in honour of the woman behind the project's commission. The Plano, Illinois home, one of the architect's most instantly recognisable projects and a key landmark in modernist architecture worldwide, is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. And while the design's renowned architect has been feted in all manner of ways, its visionary client, Edith Farnsworth, has so far taken a back seat.
This is set to change, as an official rededication ceremony on site this week recognised Dr Farnsworth – the client, benefactor and supporter of the arts who created this home for herself by appointing Ludwig Mies van der Rohe to work on the residential design, which was completed in 1951. Addressing the important role of the client in any architectural project, as well as the balance between Farnsworth and Mies van der Rohe's role in the particular commission, the renaming feels a key step in acknowledging Farnsworth's contribution.
‘We hope this seemingly simple act of inserting her first name has the larger effect of inserting her into the ongoing history of modern architecture,' says executive director of the Edith Farnsworth House, Scott Mehaffey.
‘Without Edith Farnsworth, Mies van der Rohe’s American career might have remained stalled and his stature been usurped by that of his contemporaries. Edith was fully aware that she was both a client and a patron, and she played an active role in the design of her house, which has become a celebrated milestone in the evolution of modernism.'
The rededication ceremony took place on 17 November 2021, the date of Edith Farnsworth's birthday. The event is accompanied by programming that reflects this and tells the story around the life of this inspired architecture enthusiast and client.
‘The Edith Farnsworth House has always been a place of barrier-breaking ideas, and its rededication carries that legacy forward in deeply meaningful ways,' says Katherine Malone-France, chief preservation officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. ‘Doing this not only acknowledges the important role of Edith Farnsworth, but it also demonstrates that historic sites can and must continue to evolve as they tell us the truth about ourselves and help us define a more just and equitable future.'
INFORMATION
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 showsThe Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to knowDesigning the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
Ukrainian Modernism: a timely but bittersweet survey of the country’s best modern buildingsNew book ‘Ukrainian Modernism’ captures the country's vanishing modernist architecture, besieged by bombs, big business and the desire for a break with the past
-
Los Angeles businesses regroup after the 2025 firesIn the third instalment of our Rebuilding LA series, we zoom in on Los Angeles businesses and the architecture and social fabric around them within the impacted Los Angeles neighbourhoods
-
‘Fall Guy’ director David Leitch takes us inside his breathtaking Los Angeles homeFor movie power couple David Leitch and Kelly McCormick, interior designer Vanessa Alexander crafts a home with the ultimate Hollywood ending
-
The Lighthouse draws on Bauhaus principles to create a new-era workspace campusThe Lighthouse, a Los Angeles office space by Warkentin Associates, brings together Bauhaus, brutalism and contemporary workspace design trends
-
This minimalist Wyoming retreat is the perfect place to unplugThis woodland home that espouses the virtues of simplicity, containing barely any furniture and having used only three materials in its construction
-
Croismare school, Jean Prouvé’s largest demountable structure, could be yoursJean Prouvé’s 1948 Croismare school, the largest demountable structure ever built by the self-taught architect, is up for sale
-
Jump on our tour of modernist architecture in Tashkent, UzbekistanThe legacy of modernist architecture in Uzbekistan and its capital, Tashkent, is explored through research, a new publication, and the country's upcoming pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025; here, we take a tour of its riches
-
We explore Franklin Israel’s lesser-known, progressive, deconstructivist architectureFranklin Israel, a progressive Californian architect whose life was cut short in 1996 at the age of 50, is celebrated in a new book that examines his work and legacy
