The National Trust for Historic Preservation, joined by Landmarks Illinois and volunteer John Bryan, outbid other bidders at a 2003 auction in Plano, Illinois, to keep the Farnsworth House in place.
The 1,586‑square‑foot steel‑and‑glass retreat, completed in 1951, was built for Dr. Edith Farnsworth as a weekend escape; Mies van der Rohe positioned it five feet above the Fox River to fuse architecture with the natural landscape.
A legal battle erupted when construction costs ballooned from a projected $40,000 to $74,000; Mies filed a lien, Farnsworth countersued, and after a protracted case, the architect prevailed before settling.
When Lord Peter Palumbo listed the house for sale, Illinois officials initially offered to purchase it, but fiscal constraints forced them to withdraw, leaving the property up for auction. Potential buyers expressed interest in dismantling the structure, a prospect that would erode the design’s core principle of harmony with its setting.
With the National Trust’s urgent fundraising drive, the $7.5 million bid secured the house’s future, stopping its dismantling and allowing public tours from 2004 onward. The preservation effort underscores the fragile relationship between iconic modernist architecture and its intended environment.