Philip Johnson's Glass House to open to public

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen
• Videos

By

NEW CANAAN, Conn. -- By design, Philip Johnson's iconic Glass House evokes openness and accessibility.

For decades, however, only the late architect's friends and guests could visit the famed 1949 home and explore the surrounding 47 acres of New England countryside.

That changed when by-invitation-only tours of the Glass House began this spring. The structure, deemed a harbinger of U.S. modernist design, opens to the public starting June 23.

The tours also include many of the property's 13 other structures -- several of which are architectural showpieces in their own right -- and acres of ponds, landscaped hills and walkways.

Most of the 2007 season tour tickets, ranging from $25 to $40, sold out right away, and potential visitors already are seeking spots for the 2008 season. The enthusiasm is considered a testament to the site's cultural importance and to Mr. Johnson, winner of his profession's top awards and designer of several of the most notable structures nationwide, including the AT&T Building in New York, the soaring glass Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif., and the 56-story pink granite Bank of America building in Houston.

Mr. Johnson won the prestigious Silver Medal from the Architectural League of New York for the Glass House, yet always considered the transparent cube much more than a professional triumph. It also was his muse, his showcase for art and the emotional refuge he shared with his longtime partner, art collector David Whitney.

Mr. Johnson died in the Glass House in January 2005 at age 98; the 66-year-old Mr. Whitney died five months later of cancer in New York. The National Trust for Historic Preservation acquired the property under a 1986 agreement with Mr. Johnson, and both men endowed money for its preservation and operation as a museum.

"This was really a canvas for innovation over Philip Johnson's and David Whitney's lifetimes," says Christy MacLear, the site's executive director. "It's a very significant site in and of itself, and also as an inspiration in their work."

The tours start at a new visitors center in downtown New Canaan, where a shuttle takes guests on a short ride to the property.

Mr. Johnson, a master of "the reveal" long before television makeover shows embraced the concept, lined his property's main walkway with white pines to obscure the view ahead. With a few steps around a curve, the full effect of "the reveal" strikes visitors with their first look at the Glass House.