Philip Johnson‘s Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut, designed by Johnson and enjoyed with curator David Whitney, reflects much more than its transparent facade suggests. The estate evolved into an expansive architectural playground over 49 acres, comprising 14 structures, including the Brick House, Library, Calluna Farms, and Grainger. Though the Glass House is iconic, it was only one part of Johnson’s deconstructed home, serving more as a living space for work and entertaining than a full-time residence.
Philip Johnson and his partner, art curator David Whitney, are famously associated with the Glass House, but their weekends weren’t solely spent in its transparent walls.
When Life magazine featured Johnson’s Glass House in 1949, soon after its completion, it sparked discussions about the future of the International Style among architects and designers. While many debated its aesthetic and architectural significance, most probably wondered: How could someone live in such a clear, transparent structure without walls or privacy?
Despite the enduring image of Johnson as the iconic figure in spectacles living out his days in a 1,800 ft² transparent box surrounded by greenery he called “expense wallpaper,” the reality was more complex. Johnson never fully lived in the Glass House in a conventional sense.
The Glass House served as the focal point of a much larger estate that eventually grew into an architectural playground, featuring 14 structures on 49 acres. Johnson and Whitney, who met in 1960 and became lifelong companies, spent weekends there, far from their busy New York City lives.
Among the structures was the bunker-like Brick House, where Johnson often slept. he worked in the small, turreted postmodern Library, surrounded by architecture books. The estate also included Calluna Farms, a 1905 shingled farmhouse, and a subterranean art gallery. When the Glass House estate reopens for public tours in May, two additional buildings, Calluna Farms and Grainger, an 18th-century timber-frame house, will be accessible for the first time, offering a fuller glimpse of life at the property.
The Glass House and the Brick House were completed in 1949, standing 50 feet apart and separated by grassy courtyard. While the Glass House, with its open-plan design, drew public attention, Johnson always knew it was impractical to live entirely in such an exposed space. The Brick House, with its solid walls and porthole windows, provided privacy and eventually became his refuge.
Over time, the property grew to include additional small houses for various activities and moods, alongside architectural “follies,” a concept Johnson had envisioned early on. He referred to the estate as “a diary of an eccentric architect” and often pain homage to influential figures, such as naming the Lincoln Kirstein Tower, a 30-foot-high concrete folly, after the dance impresario.
In contrast to their fast-paced Manhattan life, weekend in New Canaan were marked by a minimalist, almost luxurious form of “camping.” Some of the structures, like the Library and Grainger, lacked basic amenities like bathrooms. Johnson was unconcerned by the house’s flaws, including leaks, a problem common to flat roofs. Johnson, in a light-hearted exchange with Frank Lloyd Wright, once joked that while Wright’s house required two buckets to catch leaks, his needed four.
Though the Glass House contained designated areas for living, dining, and sleeping, divided by low cabinetry and a brick cylinder housing the bathroom and chimney, it primarily functioned as a gathering and entertaining space. The home was famously free of clutter. According to the painter Jasper Johns, a friend of the couple, “One was always aware of their ruthless elegance.”
The Brick House, initially intended as a guest house was later transformed into a personal retreat for Johnson. The cocoon-like master bedroom, with a vaulted ceiling and plush furnishings, marked his first departure from modernism. Some have interpreted the Brick House’s interior as an expression of camp and its exterior as a metaphor for Johnson’s private life.
The landscape around the Glass House played a vital role in Johnson’s vision. He carefully sculpted the grounds, removing trees to create specific views. The house contained only two art pieces: an Elie Nadelman sculpture and a 17th-century landscape painting by a follower of Nicolas Poussin, both of which held significant personal meaning for Johnson.
While the Glass House appeared sparse and minimal, life there still required sustenance. Whitney, an accomplished chef, often cooked in the modest Glass House kitchen. Their domestic life expanded when Johnson bought Calluna Farms for Whitney in 1981. Whitney redesigned the farmhouse, reducing the number of bedrooms and simplifying its layout. The kitchen was modest, but Whitney’s culinary expertise shone through his use of copper cookware and numerous cookbooks. He was known for his annual fish chowder luncheon held when his garden of peonies and irises bloomed.
By the 1980s, the couples had settled into a comfortable routine. Whitney, along with their dogs Alice and James, would start the day by gardening, while Johnson worked either in the Glass House or the Library. They used Post-it notes to communicate, leaving affectionate messages throughout the day. Their afternoons were often spent in New Canaan or reading and playing cards in the Glass House.
Grainger, purchased by Whitney in 1990, became their private retreat. Whitney stripped it down to its original 18th-century design, incorporating modern touches like a Michael Heizer-designed window and an early flat-screen TV. Despite its lack of amenities, it served as their entertainment space, where they watched classic films and worked on custom-made wooden puzzles.
The couple’s deep connection to art led Johnson to design additional spaces on the property, including the Painting Gallery in 1965 and the Sculpture Gallery in 1970. These subterranean spaces housed works by artists such as Jasper Johns, frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol, many of whom were close friends of the couple.
Despite Johnson’s substantial portfolio of influential buildings, he never considered himself a master architect. This self-assessment aligns with critics who highlight the Glass House’s similarities to Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, a work Johnson openly acknowledged as inspiration. Rather that adhering to a singular, recognizable style, Johnson valued diversity in his designs, avoiding repetition. He believed that creating the same building over and over would be dull, underscoring his commitment to variety in architecture.
The Glass House compound, which Johnson insisted be named in reference to the entire estate, is widely regarded as a testament to his inventive approach to architecture. Acting as a living museum of American architectural style, it showcases Johnson’s role as a curator of artistic collaboration. His ability to connect artist, builders, and patrons left an indelible mark on 20th-century architecture, intertwining art, structure, and the individuals who commissioned such visionary works.
Although Johnson and David Whitney did not exclusively reside in the Glass House, their time there greatly influenced their lives. The estate, eventually donated to the National Trust, has become a symbol of Johnson’s legacy. After his passing, personal items like his signature glasses, found in a drawer at Calluna Farms, remain as poignant reminders of his lasting impact on architecture and design.
Gallery
