Kids Can Build LEGO City, Learn about Farnsworth House at IIT on July 23

Chicago, IL — July 8, 2011 —

The Mies van der Rohe Society at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) invites children and families to build a city of LEGOs within S.R. Crown Hall, the masterpiece of legendary modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The event will be held at IIT's main campus from 11 am - 4 pm on Saturday, July 23. This event is free of charge, but advance registration is required at miessociety.org by July 20. The projects created by pint-sized architects and their adult helpers will be displayed in Crown Hall on Sunday, July 24.

Special guest Adam Reed Tucker of Brickstructures, Inc., who works in collaboration with The LEGO Group to design and distribute the LEGO Architecture line, will join the festivities to build a LEGO model of Mies's Farnsworth House and discuss his work designing LEGO structures. A LEGO Certified Professional, Tucker designs and constructs models, skyscrapers and other architectural structures and works to develop programs to bring a greater understanding and appreciation of architecture, engineering, and design to the public. Through his work, he strives to promote the brick as a medium and not just as a traditional toy. Tucker's designs were exhibited at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry last year.

Staff and volunteers from the world-famous Farnsworth House, designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1951 and located near Plano, Illinois, will be on hand with information pertaining to the house. They will offer half-off admission coupons and engage guests in conversations about all things Mies and Farnsworth House.

This unique event provides entertainment for children, families, architecture lovers, LEGO enthusiasts, and, of course, fans of Mies van der Rohe. Visit miessociety.org to register by July 20.

One of the most influential architects of the 20th century and director of the College of Architecture at IIT for 20 years, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe expressed his modernist vision in the IIT campus, which he designed in the 1940s and 1950s. Mies elevated Chicago’s skyline and changed the world of architecture and living. His influence reaches every skyline in the world. IIT's S. R. Crown Hall is considered one of Mies' greatest masterworks and is a National Historic Landmark. IIT's Mies van der Rohe Society restores his masterworks on campus, enhances the buildings to serve educational needs, and reinforces Chicago's international reputation for architectural distinction. The Mies Society is a membership organization whose fundraising has supported the award-winning restoration of S. R. Crown Hall, Wishnick Hall, and currently, Carr Memorial Chapel, Mies’s only religious building. Visit miessociety.org.

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,700 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT's interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit www.iit.edu.