The Ben Rose House is a private residence designed by

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

architect A. James Speyer, a student of

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ( ; ; born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies; March 27, 1886August 17, 1969) was a German-American architect. He was commonly referred to as Mies, his surname. Along with Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Ll ...

and built in the Chicago suburb of

Highland Park, Illinois Highland Park is a suburban city located in the southeastern part of Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 30,176. Highland Park is one of several municipalities located ...

in 1953.

History and description

The property sits "surrounded by trees in a ravine" and "was held up as a model for steel home craftsmanship." Textile artist Ben Rose and his wife, Francis, moved into the property the same year. An adjoining pavilion meant to showcase the Roses' collection of exotic

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

s was added by David Haid, Speyer's student, in 1974. The house was designated an official local landmark in 1987. The two buildings are steel framed, rectangular, glass-and-wood boxes, and similar to Mies' iconic

Farnsworth House The Edith Farnsworth House, formerly the Farnsworth House, is a historical house designed and constructed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe between 1945 and 1951. The house was constructed as a one-room weekend retreat in a rural setting in Plano, Il ...

, are both lifted off the ground on pylons. The house was featured in the 1986 film ''

Ferris Bueller's Day Off ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes and co-produced by Tom Jacobson. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck with supporting roles by Jennifer Gr ...

'' after being selected by filmmaker John Hughes via studio executive

Ned Tanen Ned Stone Tanen (c. September 20, 1931 – January 5, 2009) was an American film studio executive. The films he produced were some of the most popular films of the 1970s and 1980s, including the 2 key Brat Pack films ''The Breakfast Club'' and ...

, a

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car ...

collector and an acquaintance of Rose. The Ben Rose House was priced at $2.3 million in 2009, but most of the serious inquires came from buyers looking to tear the residence down. It was briefly listed on preservation group Landmark Illinois' list of endangered buildings. It was finally purchased for $1.06 million in 2014. In 2017, the new owners renovated the property, according to ''

DNAinfo ''DNAinfo'' was an online newspaper that focused on neighborhood news in New York City and Chicago. It was closed down by CEO and owner Joe Ricketts in November 2017 after writers in its New York branch voted to unionize, a move to which Rickett ...

'', "digging a 15-foot trench under the house that will become a two-car garage, children's play area, storage space and laundry room. However, its submerged configuration will keep it almost completely hidden" and the adjacent pavilion will be utilized as a guest house or for additional space.

Gallery

File:ben-rose-house.jpg File:Ben Rose House interior.jpg File:Ben Rose Pavillion.jpg File:The garage from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".jpg

References

{{Highland Park, Illinois Highland Park, Illinois Houses completed in 1953 Houses in Lake County, Illinois Modernist architecture in Illinois

History and description

Gallery

See also

References