Glass House (1949)
Location: New Canaan, Connecticut
Architect: Philip Johnson
The glass house designed by Philip Johnson has been called one of the world’s most beautiful and yet least functional homes. Johnson did not envision it as a place to live so much as a stage and a statement. The house is often cited as a model example of the International Style.
Johnson’s glass house is symmetrical and sits solidly on the ground. The quarter-inch thick glass walls are supported by black steel pillars. The interior space is divided by low walnut cabinets and a brick cylinder that contains the bathroom. The cylinder and the brick floors are a polished purple hue.
Philip Johnson used his house as a “viewing platform” to look out at the landscape. He often used the term “Glass House” to describe the entire 47-acre site. In addition to the Glass House, the site has ten buildings designed by Johnson at different periods of his career. It was Johnson’s private residence, and many of his Bauhaus furnishings remain there. In 1986, Johnson donated the Glass House to the National Trust, but continued to live there until his death in 2005.
