The Farnsworth House is one of the greatest houses of the twentieth century. Designed for Dr Edith Farnsworth by Mies van der Rohe, it is composed of steel, glass, wood and stone. Here, in this weekend retreat set on the banks of the Fox River in gentle farmland, the great modernist Mies van der Rohe turns to the ancient shelter materials of stone and wood, and places them in perfect harmony with the materials of the new urban city: steel and glass. It's almost ironic that such a tiny unique country home becomes the model for the steel and glass architecture that composes great modern cities, from Chicago to Tokyo to Berlin. When a visitor happens upon the Farnsworth House, Mies van der Rohe's stunning architecture creation sits passively alongside the flowing river. The Farnsworth House is truly meant to be discovered, and one of the memorable ways to do that is on a unique private tour with Off the Map Chicago Tours. On this unique tour, with just you and your guests, you will experience every inch of the Farnsworth House's stunning architecture in complete privacy, with no other visitors. Experience Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House, one of the greatest examples of architecture--in Chicago and the world--on a unique private tour with Off the Map Chicago Tours.

Mies van der Rohe was one of the greatest architects of the twentieth century. The son of a stone mason, Mies van der Rohe achieved early prominence in his native Germany after working in the Berlin office of Peter Behrens. It was there that a young Mies van der Rohe saw the Wasmuth Portfolio containing the early Prairie work of Chicago architecture genius Frank Lloyd Wright. Among the drawings Mies was astonished by was the rendering of the Robie House. Mies van der Rohe continued his modern design work at the newly-formed Bauhaus, of which he later became director. But as the Nazis gained power, the stunningly modern work of the Bauhaus was deemed 'degenerate,' and with many colleagues, Mies van der Rohe was forced to flee Germany. At the invitation of the Armour Institute, Mies van der Rohe came to Chicago in 1938 and became the head of what was renamed the Illinois Institute of Technology, or IIT. In Chicago, Mies became the leader of the modern movement, creating some of the earliest--and still renowned--steel and glass skyscrapers, most notably 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments, a unique example of Chicago architecture. At the same time these Chicago skyscrapers were being built, Mies van der Rohe was designing and building the Farnsworth House, a stunning weekend house in farm country west of Chicago. The Farnsworth House is still considered one of the greatest examples of modern architecture in the world. Mies van der Rohe continued his architectural practice in Chicago, designing great examples of modern architecture all over the world. Mies van der Rohe died in Chicago in 1969, and is buried in Graceland Cemetery on Chicago's north side. You can visit the Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe on a unique private tour with Off the Map Chicago Tours. On this unique tour, with just you and your guests, you will experience every inch of the Farnsworth House's stunning architecture in complete privacy, with no other visitors.

Did you know that Mies van der Rohe actually sued Dr Edith Farnsworth because she refused to pay him when her amazing weekend house was completed? And that, despite its international fame as one of the greatest buildings of our time, she never felt comfortable living there?