Glass House, Modernist house museum in New Canaan, United States.
Glass House is a modernist residence in New Canaan, United States, now serving as a historic house museum. Black steel columns support the fully glazed exterior walls, while a freestanding brick cylinder encloses the bathroom and fireplace within an otherwise open floor plan.
Philip Johnson designed and constructed this residence in 1949 as his own home on a property outside the town. The structure emerged after years of studying European architecture and went on to influence decades of American building design.
The name derives from the fully transparent glass walls that make the building appear like a pavilion set in the landscape. Visitors walking through the space notice how the view shifts with every step, dissolving the boundary between living area and nature.
The site sits on an extensive private estate accessible only during guided tours. Comfortable shoes work well since guests explore both interior spaces and outdoor paths connecting several pavilions across the grounds.
The architect lived in this house until his death in 2005 and used the grounds simultaneously as a laboratory for new designs. Additional buildings arose over the decades on the same property, forming together a collection of experimental architecture.
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