Sanford Farness House, 730 Grove St. (1964)

Sanford S. Farness (1917–2006) was Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, 1962–1981.

Born in DeForest, Wisconsin, Farness served as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps during World War Two, flying as both a pilot and an advanced training instructor. After the war, he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in city and regional planning from Harvard University. He then served on the planning commissions of Alameda County in Oakland, California (1950–54); Washtenaw County in Ann Arbor (1954–57); Tri-County Regional in Lansing (1957–60); and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (1961–62), where he was its first director. As one former student recalled, in an era when urban planning faced deep and often competing pressures, Farness consistently aimed for what was best for communities rather than what was politically expedient.¹

Farness commissioned architect Robert Pond to design this house in 1964. Pond (born 1926) studied under Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin 1950–54, and adapted some of Wright’s principles into this house’s distinctive architectural style. He later was Associate University Architect at Indiana University, where designed several campus buildings.

Although the East Lansing Historic Commission considered this a Significant Structure, the state historical commission does not—in 2024 it denied an application by its current owner for a Michigan Historical Marker, stating “Pond did not have much of a career in Michigan and this house is not recognized as an outstanding example of his work.”²

1. LSJ, 12 Nov 2006, p. 23. ↩︎
2. Michigan Historical Commission, Meeting Minutes, 22 Aug 2024, p. 7. ↩︎