Mies in Chicago Guide
Use this first-ever guide to see Mies' buildings throughout the Chicago area, along with the apartment building he lived in and his gravesite. The guide includes directions to each building and tips on what to visit nearby, quotes from insiders, plus a description of each building and why it is important. The guide may be downloaded for use on a driving, walking or CTA tour.

The is a sample page of the Mies in Chicago Guide. The rest of the guide is available as just one of the many benefits of a Mies Society membership. Join today and receive all the benefits, including the Mies in Chicago Guide.

	How to visit: Travel west on I-290 to I-88. Proceed west on I-88 continuing past two toll islands to the Sugar Grove exit (West Rt. 56) - continue on Route 56 until the turn-off for IL-47/US-30/Sugar Grove. Travel south on Route 47. Turn right (west) onto Route 34. Travel to Ben Street (2nd stoplight in Plano) and turn left. Ben Street will turn into Fox River Drive outside of Plano. Turn left onto River Road and drive east to the Farnsworth House Visitor Center.		About the building. Two parallel planes held in suspension between the earth and sky by only eight steel columns. It seems simple, but Mies worked through 167 drawings to come to his final, fearless design. Like Einstein’s equation, its simplicity exudes an elegance attained through thorough resolution of detail. But, Mies did not create the Farnsworth House as an iconic glass box to be viewed from afar. Rather, he hoped to create a space through which life unfolds both independently and interdependently with nature. Edith Farnsworth, a brilliant doctor, first met Mies at a cocktail party in Chicago. Familiar with his work, she asked if he would design a small weekend retreat for her on the banks of the Fox River. Upon visiting the 64-acre site, largely within a flood plain, Mies perceived the true power already present within the natural landscape. Thus began his quest toward a transparent structure that would minimize the boundary between man and the natural world. With an open floor plan of only 2400 square feet, he created three distinct spatial interfaces: a transparent house, a covered terrace and an open deck. His budget was $40,000. Edith Farnsworth nurtured a sophisticated intellect and daring stance. Though charmed for sure by Mies’ quiet, bold genius, she was certainly aware of his minimal form and bravely gave him freedom to create--a visionary and rare move which allowed Mies’ own vision to grow. For some time, she and Mies enjoyed a deep friendship fused by common interest and parallel intellect, often spending days and evenings together both on and off site. But as time wore on and expenses skyrocketed, Edith’s patience and enthusiasm thinned. She sold the house in 1975 to a British Lord after living there periodically for several decades. In 2003, Landmarks Preservation of Illinois and the National Trust purchased the house for $6.7 million. Unfortunately, Edith never lived to know her house as one of the most widely acclaimed 20th-century structures. Why it’s important. The Farnsworth House truly broke ground. Radically minimalist, Werner Blaser says, "By reducing over and over again, until only the innermost structure of a building appears, Mies leads it back to the elements of pure beauty and spirit." What people say. "I can say that Mies, almost unconsciously, is still my conscience. Every project begins in an unbelievably confused and complex way; and it’s by working and working at it that I try to find that essence-that simplicity which is just the other face of complexity- as opposed to the simplistic which just omits complexity." Glenn Murcutt. 2002