Today was spent speaking to conservators and debating various approaches to solving a variety of issues at the house. I continually receive many emails from the legion of fans who admire the house and your well wishes are greatly appreciated.
I’ve included a few photos today of the anomalies of destruction, the odditie
s of the effects of water on various pieces and some of the innards of the wall 
construction (if you’ve purchased a GA Details book from our gift shop, you can identify this piece of steel inside the wing wall).
It seems that with every disaster there are poignant signs that remind us of the immediacy of the situation. Our closed sign was scrawled on the back of a poster we carry in our giftshop, the Farnsworth House in its beautiful fall splendor can be seen on the opposite side. A new sign 
is soon to go up and this one will retire to the archives of the Farnsworth House and catalogued as the 2008 "Closed due to Flood" sign. Maybe one day it will be featured in a museum exhibition?
We will soon be able to quantify the damage. But regardless, we need your help. Many have already provided generous donation and we hope others will do the same. Simply go to http://www.farnsworthhouse.org/ and click the donate button.
Thanks again to everyone for all of your support and your kind thoughts.
Whitney FrenchSite Manager for the Farnsworth House operator - Landmarks Illinois
Help Save the Farnsworth House by Donating Today - http://www.FarnsworthHouse.org
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3 comments:
I am reading your blog with great interest, as I am in the midst of planning a field trip to Chicago for Craft and Design students from Sheridan College just outside Toronto. We had planned to make a trip to the Farnsworth House a key element of our tour, and we were devastated to see the flood photos. I recently visited the recreation of the Barcelona Pavilion, and was keen on seeing elements of van der Rohe's original construction. Preserving our modernist heritage is of key concern, and I wish you the best for your restoration efforts; they will be difficult but immensely rewarding.
Cheers;
Peter Fleming
Studio Head, Furniture
Sheridan Craft and Design Program
I salute the NTHP (National Trust of Historic Preservation) for taking good care of this historic landmark since 2004. Let's help them and make this restoration possible for the masterpiece of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. This will be a difficult project, but, preserving this piece of history will be truly rewarding.
Diane Blackburn
I still get upset whenever I read this sad news. The Farnsworth House is just an epic piece of architecture! The work of art basically addresses the relationship between an individual and his society. Who would’ve expected it to be brought down by just one flood? I hope and pray for the success of its restoration project.
- Carlene Maysonet
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