Farnsworth House Flood 2008: The Aftermath

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As was previously reported, the Farnsworth House Flooded Again, and it was only recently that the good people at the National Trust for Historic Preservation could assess the damage:

The flood waters started to recede yesterday morning, and unlike the flood of 1996 when the waters rose over 4′ into the house, it appears it was about 18″ above the floor level this time. Our very ingenious low-tech way of raising the furniture on plastic milk crates worked and not one of them was displaced.

No glass was broken and the travertine floors on the interior seem only mildly dirty. We still don’t know the full impact to the mechanical and electrical systems but are hopeful since most of the equipment is located more than 18″ above the floor. Several very large trees were literally uprooted and getting an arborist in to determine the safety of some of the other trees is a priority.

Also, they have video of the floodwaters, prior to entering the house:

Stay tuned to the Preservation Nation Blog for updates on the cleanup effort.