Brownson-Baumann House Under Consideration For Historic Designation
GENEVA, IL — The Brownson-Baumann House has been unanimously green-lit by the Geneva Historic Preservation Commission to move forth to the City Council for a decision on its historic designation.
From the street, the steel and glass house is hidden beneath a canopy of trees. But past the fence, the house sits on a 1.06-acre lot and stands as "one of the few remaining examples of mid-century modern architecture" in Geneva, the Historic Preservation Commission argued in a document.
Commissioners met Tuesday and voted to recommend the property at 949 S. Batavia Ave. for historic landmark designation. Owner Charles Baumann, whose father bought the house in 1966 from architect Jacques Brownson, applied for the status.
Construction on the house, also called the "Geneva House" or "Glass House," began in 1949 and was completed three years later. Half of its namesake, Aurora-born Jacques Brownson, studied architecture under Mies van der Rohe at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
The residence is a survivor of the once-popular architecture movement that favored simplicity, functionality and seamless integration with the natural environment. The house, of "curtain wall" construction, is considered similar in style to the famed Edith Farnsworth House in Plano.
"Both exploit their wooded sites to enhance the visual impact of their pristine steel and glass designs," reads an HPC document.
One of two smaller buildings on the lot, specifically the garage that was repurposed by Brownson into a guest house, is also deemed historically significant, but detailed historical documentation is "somewhat limited," commissioners said.
The project will go before the City Council on Nov. 4, when alderpeople will decide its status.
