Historical society to offer tours of unique house in Aurora

The unique architecture of the so-called Round House in Aurora can be admired from the street as you drive by, but few have ever seen the inside. Not that people haven't tried.

The house was designed in 1949 by Bruce Goff for artist Ruth VanSickle Ford, and stories abound about the reaction of the local community when the house was first built.

Ford herself recounted how people would peer in the windows at the most inopportune moments, such as the day she stepped out from a bath only to find several ladies observing her through the glass.

She famously went to the front door and asked the ladies if they, too, would like a bath in her house.

Although taking a dip in the bathtub is not on the tour, the public will have a chance to see the interior of the home Sunday during a fundraiser for the Aurora Historical Society. Tours are scheduled for noon, 2 and 4 p.m. Tickets are $45 per person; $40 for historical society members. Refreshments on the lawn are included.

The house, still a private home, retains most of the original features, which Ford highly prized. Tour guides will be local architecture buffs as well as Nancy Smith Hopp, Ford's biographer, whose book “Warm Light, Cool Shadows” was released in 2011.

To purchase tickets, visit aurorahistory.net or call (630) 906-0650.

If you go

What: Tours of Aurora's Round House

Why: Proceeds benefit the Aurora Historical Society

When: Tours offered at noon, 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday, June 9

Where: 404 S. Edgelawn, Aurora

Cost: $45 each, $40 for Aurora Historical Society Members

Info: (630) 906-0650 or aurorahistory.net