Philip Johnson’s Glass House, built atop a dramatic hill on a rolling 47-acre estate in New Canaan, Connecticut, is a piece of architecture famous the world over not for what it includes, but for what it leaves out. The dwelling’s transparency and ruthless economy are meant to challenge nearly every conventional definition of domesticity.
The residence Johnson built for himself in 1949 suggests a life pared down to Platonic essentials—and triumphantly ready for fishbowl scrutiny. There is something intimidating to people about the restraint such an existence would demand, as if the house itself were silently judging our own messy choices. Still, the appeal of all that self-control, that rigor, is practically narcotic. Why notbanish every bit of clutter? For many of us, Johnson’s masterwork is a powerful fantasy.
Inspired by Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House, the Glass House by Philip Johnson, with its perfect proportions and its simplicity, is considered one of the first most brilliant works of modern architecture. Johnson built the 47-acre estate for himself in New Canaan, Connecticut. The house was the first of fourteen structures that the architect built on the property over a span of fifty years.
The Glass House, built between 1949 and 1995 by architect Philip Johnson, is a National Trust Historic Site located in New Canaan, Connecticut. The pastoral 49-acre landscape comprises fourteen structures, including the Glass House (1949), and features a permanent collection of 20th-century painting and sculpture, along with temporary exhibitions.
This tour includes several buildings and includes heavy walking.
Date
September 16, 2017
Two Tour Times/Groups - tour is 2.5 hours long RAIN OR SHINE
11:00 am/11:20am
1:00 pm/1:20pm
Location
The Glass House Group Tours
199 Elm Street, New Canaan, CT 06840
A bus will bring you to The Glass House
Price
$85.00 per person (open to all)
AIA Credits
2.5 AIA/HSW, PDH
$ 15.00 fee for any cancellations within 72 hours of event.