March 27th marks the 133rd birth date of one of the founders of modern architecture, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Mies van der Rohe became internationally renowned with his design of steel skyscrapers entirely sheathed in glass, and his glass-and-steel skyscrapers (330 North Wabash-Chicago, IL). His buildings symbolized corporate power in the skyscraper era. Not limited to just financial towers, Mies also designed homes (the Farnsworth House- Plano, IL) , campuses (the Illinois Institute of Technology-Chicago, IL), federal buildings (the Dirksen Federal Building, the Kluczynski Federal Building) and apartment buildings (the Lake Shore Drive Apartments-Chicago, IL). All of which are staples of the Chicago Architecture Center Tours. To find out more about Mies, checkout the book Mies by Detlef Mertins, watch Regular Or Super: Views On Mies Van Der Rohe- documentary on Hoopla, or click on anyone of the links below.
Chicago Tours with Geoffrey Baer- Architects: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Chicago Architecture Docent Training including Course Readings
Mies van der Rohe Society at Illinois Institute of Technology
Upcoming Farnsworth House movie starring Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) and Maggie Gyllenhall