Bruce Goff: Sam and Ruth Van Sickle Ford House

Located about an hour from downtown Chicago, the Sam and Ruth Van Sickle Ford House—commonly known as the Ford House—is a unique residence among a suburban residential neighborhood a couple of miles west of downtown Aurora, Illinois.

Entering the 1950 Ford House is entering a rich, complex, and welcoming space. A series of circular forms and unusual materials come together in a clear and disciplined way. You instantly feel at home, ready to enjoy one of its multiple spatial conditions: the spacious area along the exterior coal wall, the sunken covered area of the kitchen that continues outside under the steel ribs, the mezzanine level above that continues as an outdoor terrace, and the intimate bedrooms flanking either side of the central space. While extremely photogenic, it is a real challenge to capture what it feels like to be in this house through photographs or drawings. Each documents aspects of the house, however, that benefit from cross-referencing each other. Undoubtedly, being in the Ford House while listening to the owner’s insightful experience of living there for over three decades makes the experience complete.