Mackintosh’s Hill House Becomes an International Iconic House!
SPECIAL – Czech Classics
Record Number of Modern House Museums Newly Affiliated with Iconic Houses
Laichter House: The Story of Burnt Books and Broken Bricks
Iconic Houses Network Members' Meetup London, November 4
Remembering Irving J. Gill
Iconic Houses in the Media
Interview in Leading Catalan newspaper ARA
Bauhaus Villa in Berlin For Sale
Historical Exhibition, Marie-Laure de Noailles, Painter, Conversation
Our Badge of Honour
Istanbul’s Modernist Ataköy Housing Estate is At Risk
Early Furniture Designs by Le Corbusier on Permanent Display in Maison Blanche
Photo Report City Icons Amsterdam
Healing Through Architecture
Reopening An Iconic Modernist Landmark
City Icons Kick Off with Talk by Linda Vlassenrood
MORE MIES - Pure Architecture in Haus Lange Haus Esters
Through a Bauhaus Lens: Edith Tudor-Hart and Isokon
Modernism Week Lecture: 12 Years of Iconic Houses
Aluminaire House Grand Opening
Exhibition Icons of the Czech Avant-Garde
An Elementalist and Mediterranean Architecture
Icon for Sale - Loos Villa: Haus Horner
SPECIAL – Iconic Dreams Europe - Sleep in an Iconic House!
SPECIAL – Iconic Dreams North America - Sleep in an Iconic House!
SPECIAL – Dutch Delights!
SPECIAL - Vacances en France!
SPECIAL – German Greats!
SPECIAL - Casas Icónicas en España!
SPECIAL – Northern (High)Lights!
SPECIAL – Iconic Artist Residencies
SPECIAL – Iconic Collective Housing
SPECIAL – Women & Iconic Houses
Public Screenings and Private Streaming of Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House
Support the Frankfurt Declaration (on Housing)
Winy Wants a World Wonder
Welcome Atelier Volten!
Sleep in a Modernist Gem – Huis Billiet in Bruges
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - 100 Years Van Zessen House
Exclusive Tour and Film Screening Package
The Last House Designed by Adolf Loos Will Be Built in Prague
Icons of the Czech Avantgarde
Icon for Sale - Casa Legorreta
Rietveld Day: 200 Enthusiasts Explored 3 Utrecht Icons
Hurray! 10 Years Iconic Houses
7th International Iconic Houses Conference A Huge Success
Meet Conference Co-Chair Iveta Černá
Meet Conference Co-Chair Maria Szadkowska
Eighteen Iconic Houses Under One Roof
17 June - 'Pioneers-film' Screening Amersfoort
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Van Eesteren House Museum
Welcome Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky Zentrum in Vienna!
Welcome Vila Volman! Jewel of Czech Functionalism
Movie Night: Adolf Loos- Revolutionary Among Architects
'Inside Iconic Houses' Case Study House #26 Webcast in Webshop
Inside Iconic Houses at Taut’s Home in Berlin
Rediscovering Forgotten Loos Interiors in Pilsen
'Inside Iconic Houses' - Online Tour Program
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - The Diagoon House
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Rietveld Schröder House
Rietveld Houses Owners Association
Corberó Space: New Life for Hidden Jewel
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Pierre Cuypers' House and Workshops
Reeuwijk Celebrates Completion of Restoration Rietveld Homes!
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Van Doesburg Rinsema House
Welcome Rietveld's Van Daalen House!
Architect Harry Gessner Passed Away at 97
Watch Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House Now On Demand
Icon Saved: Dorchester Drive House
Welcome Umbrella House!
Iconic Houses in the Netherlands – Berlage’s Masterpiece
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Het Schip
Inside Iconic Houses - Tour of Maison Cazenave
Inside Iconic Houses Tours Vizcaya Museum & Gardens in Miami
Casa Masó Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary
Inside Iconic Houses tours Roland Reisley's Usonian Frank Lloyd Wright House
Rietveld’s Experimental Housing in Reeuwijk Saved
Serralves Villa after restoration
Portraits of the Architect - Interview with Gennaro Postiglione
Test Labs for New Ideas - Interview with Natascha Drabbe
Inside Iconic Houses - Isokon Building
Inside Iconic Houses - 16 December: Sunnylands with Janice Lyle
BCN-BXL Coderch-De Koninck - Beyond Time
New Chairman Architect Nanne de Ru on The Perfect Platform
Health and Home - Interview with Beatriz Colomina
A Life Less Ordinary – Interview with Valentijn Carbo
Invisible Women - Interview with Alice T. Friedman
Winy Maas on the Green Dip
Anita Blom on Experimental Housing of the 1970s
Women’s Worlds - Interview with Natalie Dubois
The Culture of Living - Interview with Robert von der Nahmer
Hetty Berens: A Fresh Take on Modernism
Niek Smit on Supporting Modern Heritage
Alice Roegholt on Amsterdam’s Working-Class Palaces
July is Iconic Houses Month
Hans van Heeswijk on The Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House
Wessel de Jonge on Dutch Icons at Risk
Save Maison Zilveli - Sign the Petition!
How a Building Tells a Story - Recorded Event
Toolkit for Owners of a Modern House
13 Aalto Sites Nominated for UNESCO World Heritage
Villa Beer At Risk - Sign the Petition!
Business Cards of Stone, Timber and Concrete in the Brussels Region 1830-1970
Exhibiting & Visiting Modernist Monuments
Fostering Well-Researched Responsible Design
ICONS AT RISK
Enjoy a virtual visit to the California House and a Q&A with architect Peter Gluck
Exhibition 'Modernism and Refuge'
A Hidden Gem of Postmodernism
New Centre for Historic Houses of India
An Online Chronicle of the Douglas House
Villa Henny, geometric style icon in The Netherlands
A Mendini temple in Amsterdam
IH-lectures USA & Canada Feb 2020 on Melnikov House
Sponsors and Friends
An Afternoon with the Glucks
Chandler McCoy on Making Modern Houses Sustainable
Catherine Croft: Getting Away from the Demolition Mentality in the UK
Patrick Weber on Discovering an Unknown Icon
Fiona Fisher on Iconic Interiors
Jocelyn Bouraly on Villa Cavrois
Mireia Massagué on finding success through a new kind of partnership
Danish Moderns – Looking Back at Our Mini-Seminar
Venturo house complements Exhibition Centre WeeGee’s offering
Lecture report: Remembering Richard Neutra
Hôtel Mezzara and the Guimard Museum project
We welcome 13 new members!
BREAKING NEWS: 8 Wright Sites Inscribed on Unesco World Heritage List!
LECTURE 29 August - Raymond Neutra: My Father and Frank Lloyd Wright
Iconic Reads
Iconic Houses End Year Message
City-ordered rebuild of landmark house stirs debate: Appropriate or overreach?
Kohlberg House Restoration in Progress
Planned Demolition of Rietveld Homes in Reeuwijk
Renovation Gili House in Crisis
An Iconic Saga
Restoring Eileen Gray’s Villa E-1027 and Clarifying the Controversies
Modernism on the East Coast
Iconic Houses in Latin America
Conference testimonials
House Tours May 2018
Expert Meetings
Natascha Drabbe - Iconic Houses: The Next Chapter
Terence Riley -KEYNOTE SPEAKER- on Philip Johnson
New era for Villa E-1027 and Cap Moderne
Hilary Lewis on Philip Johnson and his Glass House
John Arbuckle on Great House Tours
William D. Earls on the Harvard Five in New Canaan
Stover Jenkins on Working for Philip Johnson
Frederick Noyes on his Father’s House
Scott Fellows and Craig Bassam on their Passion for Preservation
Jorge Liernur -KEYNOTE SPEAKER- on Latin American Modernism(s)
Fabio Grementieri on Modernism in Argentina
Catalina Corcuera Cabezut on Casa Luis Barragán
Renato Anelli on Lina Bo Bardi’s Casa de Vidro
Tim McClimon on Corporate Preservation
Amanda Nelson on Building Donor Relationships
John Bacon on Planned Giving
Jean-Paul Warmoes on the Art of Fundraising in America
Chandler McCoy on Why Less is More
Katherine Malone-France on Moving with the Times
Anne Mette Rahbæk on Philanthropic Investments and Preservation
Peter McMahon on Saving Modern Houses on Cape Cod
Toshiko Kinoshita on Japanese Modern Heritage Houses
Roland Reisley on Life in a Frank Lloyd Wright House
5th Iconic Houses Conference May 2018
Kristin Stone, Pasadena Tour Company
Restoring the past: The Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Home Studio
Behind the Scenes: Hendrick de Keyser Association
Crosby Doe, Architecture for Sale
Latin America Special – Focus on Mexico
De Stijl in Drachten
Preserving the Nancarrow House-Studio
Meet the Friends - Nanne de Ru
Latin America Special – Focus on Brazil
Jan de Jong’s House is Latest Hendrick de Keyser Acquisition
Stay in a Belgian Modernist Masterpiece
In Berlin’s Modernist Network
Rietveld-Schröder House Celebrates De Stijl Anniversary
Meet Our New Foundation Board Members
Maintaining Aalto's Studio – Linoleum Conservation
Virtual Tour of a Papaverhof Home in 3D
Getty Grant for Villa E-1027
Plečnik House in Ljubljana
Iconic Dacha
Iconic Houses: A Bohemian Road Trip
Work in Progress: Capricho de Gaudí
11 Le Corbusier Homes now on Unesco World Heritage List
At home with Le Corbusier
Henry van de Velde’s Study in Haus Hohe Pappeln Restored
Lynda Waggoner reports
A Conference to Remember
4th International Iconic Houses Conference
Guest of Honor - Harry Gesner
Fallingwater: European Lecture Tour
Wright Plus 2016 Walk
Susan Macdonald, Getty Conservation Institute
John Mcllwee, Garcia House
Meet the Friends – Elisabeth Tostrup
Iconic Houses: The Story So Far
Willie van Burgsteden, designer Iconic Houses
Buff Kavelman, Philanthropic Advisor
Meet the Friends - Frederick Noyes
Sheridan Burke, GML Heritage
Meet the Friends - Raymond Neutra
Sidney Williams, Frey House
Franklin Vagnone and Deborah Ryan, Museum Anarchists
Meet the Friends - James Haefner
Toshiko Mori, architect
Malachi Connolly, Cape Cod Modern House Trust
Meet the Friends - Penny Sparke
Lucia Dewey Atwood, Eames House
Cory Buckner, Mutual Housing Site Office
Jeffrey Herr, Hollyhock House
Speaking Volumes: Building the Iconic Houses Library
Sarah Lorenzen, Neutra VDL Studio and Residences
Ted Bosley, Gamble House
Keeping It Modern - Getty Conservation Grants
Meet the Friends - Thomas Schönauer
Wim de Wit, Stanford University
Linda Dishman, Los Angeles Conservancy
Jesse Lattig, Pasadena Heritage
Join us in Los Angeles! Update
Work in Progress: Casa Vicens
Work in Progress: Van Wassenhove House
Work in Progress: Villa Cavrois
Work in Progress: The Pearlroth House
Conference calls!
Follow us!
Third Iconic Houses Conference a huge success
Conference House Tours Barcelona
Marta Lacambra, Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera
Natascha Drabbe, Iconic Houses Foundation
Special speaker Oscar Tusquets
Jordi Tresserras, UNESCO Network ‘Culture, tourism and development’
Christen Obel, Utzon Foundation
Elena Ruiz Sastre, Casa Broner
Fernando Alvarez Prozorovich, La Ricarda
Tim Benton, Professor of Art History (Emeritus)
Susana Landrove, Docomomo Spain
Rossend Casanova, Casa Bloc
Conference Program 25 November 2014
Jordi Falgàs, Casa Rafael Masó
Documentary La Ricarda
Marga Viza, Casa Míla/La Pedrera
Celeste Adams, Frank Lloyd Wright Trust
Conference 25 November 2014 at La Pedrera
Henry Urbach, The Glass House
Victoria & Albert Museum London November 12
Tommi Lindh, new director of the Alvar Aalto Foundation and Museum
Iveta Černá, Villa Tugendhat
Lynda Waggoner, Fallingwater
Kimberli Meyer, MAK Center
Rent a house designed by Gerrit Rietveld
Barragán House on Screen
Gesamtkunstwerk – An Icon on the Move
Triennale der Moderne 27 September - 13 October 2013
Prestigious Art Nouveau mansions in Brussels open
September 14 + 15: Heritage Days in Paris
June's New Arrivals: Museum Apartments
Iconic Houses is now on Twitter and Facebook
Corbu’s Cabanon: Reconstruction and Lecture
Projekt Mies In Krefeld: Life-sized model of the Krefeld Clubhouse
New arrivals: Spain special
MAMO: Le Corbu’s ‘Park in the Sky’ open 12 June
Taut's Home wins Europa Nostra Award
Annual Wright Architectural Housewalk: 18 May
Frank Lloyd Wright Homes on Screen
Message from the Editor
Neutra’s House on Screen
Michel Richard, Fondation Le Corbusier
Symposium The Public and the Modern House
Melnikov House on Screen
Iconic Houses in the media
Message from the Editor
Round Table Review
Eileen Gray House on Screen
Copy Culture
At Home in the 20th Century
New 20th century Iconic Houses website launches
Philippe Bélaval, Centre des monuments nationaux
Reopening An Iconic Modernist Landmark
The Glass House in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation®, completed restoration of the historic Brick House (1949) after a 15-year closure. The comprehensive $1.8 million plan, developed by Mark Stoner, AIA, Senior Director of Preservation Architecture | Graham Gund Architect, and executed by general contractor, Hobbs, Inc., celebrates an unveiling for the 75th anniversary of The Glass House.
NEW CANAAN, Conn. (May 10, 2024) - The Glass House, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, announces the completed restoration of the historic Brick House originally designed by Philip Johnson in 1949. The Brick House, constructed just months before The Glass House, was an integral part of the architect’s original plan for the site, offering two essential halves to a single composition. Closed to the public since 2008 due to ongoing damage from water infiltration, its closing left half of the property’s core architectural story untold. The National Trust has invested $1.8 million to restore, renovate and conserve the Brick House and its collections. The restoration of The Brick House, as part of this National Historic Landmark has been completed in time for the 75th anniversary of The Glass House.
Read more about this project in the New York Times Style Magazine: An Opaque Philip Johnson House Reopens After 15 Years by Suleman Anaya.
The Brick House, aka the ‘Guest House,’ is an essential foil to the glass pavilion it faces. Clad in iron spot brick laid in a Flemish bond pattern, the structures are linked by a grassy court, and offer a lesson in contrasts. The Brick House served as both a guest house and a retreat for Johnson and his partner David Whitney until their deaths in 2005. Given the vital role of the Brick House in the site’s composition and social history, it is one of the most important and central assets of the 49-acre historic site. Restoration of this building will significantly expand the site’s interpretation and programming, allowing it to engage new visitors, and preserve and advance understanding of 20th Century architecture and LGBTQ cultural heritage.
‘Today marks a milestone achievement in our mission to preserve and celebrate The Glass House property. I am delighted with the results of the Brick House restoration and congratulate the construction team, the conservators, and the artisans on such beautiful work. This iconic landmark, spanning architectural styles from the 1940s to the 1990s, now stands proudly open to the public, offering an immersive experience into our past which will inspire and inform our interpretive and education programs to come,’ says Kirsten Reoch, executive director of The Glass House.
Predicated on Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s idea for a ‘courthouse’ that surrounds a central court, Johnson’s home splits the two wings apart: one opaque and private, the other, transparent, and exposed. Although both structures are 56-feet long, the 860-square-foot rectangular Brick House is only half as deep as The Glass House. Their fundamental connection is underscored by the fact that the Brick House contains the mechanical equipment for both buildings and is connected by underground pipes and wiring necessary to support The Glass House itself. Philip Johnson spent his first night on the property in the Brick House.
As a guest house, the Brick House accommodated prominent overnight visitors, including Phyllis Lambert and Andy Warhol. But beginning in the 1950s, the house was used by Johnson and Whitney as a retreat from the exposure of The Glass House, affording Johnson the privacy to relax and the freedom to modify the interior décor in a way The Glass House rarely provided. Originally, the Brick House contained three rooms of equal size, each with a porthole window. In 1953, two of the rooms were combined into a single large bedroom. Adjacent to the bedroom is a reading room and bathroom, both of which were redecorated in the 1970s through 1990s. Unlike The Glass House, this structure was a creative canvas where Johnson could experiment with new styles and materials as he made successive changes over the decades.
Built at the base of a slope, the building had been susceptible to water infiltration since its conception. And, with failures of the flat roof and skylights, the building damage had been extensive. The interior had experienced deterioration of plaster, mold growth, and rusting mechanical systems. Beginning in 2022, Graham Gund Architect for the National Trust, Mark Stoner, AIA NCARB, utilized extensive conservation studies and surveys completed by Li/Saltzman Architects, PC in 2010 to develop a thorough architectural restoration and mechanical renovation plan for the Brick House. The scope included sustainable improvements to site drainage, exterior masonry and metal cleaning and restoration, replacement of the roof and skylights, restoration of interior plaster and finishes, restoration of the building’s three distinctive portal windows and entrance door, full replacement and upgrade of the mechanical and electrical systems serving both the Brick House and Glass House, and the conservation and reinstallation of artwork, furniture, and books.
‘For such a seemingly simple structure, the work required to preserve, protect, and restore the Brick House was extensive,’ says Stoner. He continued, ‘Damage caused by decades of water intrusion into the building from above and below took a serious toll on the building. And yet, now that the project is complete, most visitors will be completely unaware of the vast amount of exterior and interior restoration efforts that went into this project. This is a testament to the fantastic work of our construction team, our engineering consultants, and site staff that worked tirelessly to ensure the success of this project. I am extremely pleased that, finally, visitors can experience The Glass House site as Johnson intended it.’
The Brick House has now been restored to its design during Johnson’s lifetime as reflected in the documentary film Philip Johnson: Diary of an Eccentric Architect (1996). The bedroom interior is opulent and luxurious with low, sleek, white vaults based on the breakfast room of the Sir John Soane House in London (completed in 1824) and harbingers of the elements later found in Johnson’s design of the 1954-56 Congregation Kneses Tifereth Israel Synagogue in Port Chester, New York, and the 1964 New York State Theater (now David H. Koch Theater) at Lincoln Center. The walls are covered in Fortuny’s Piumette pink, aquamarine, and gold patterned cotton fabric. The Italian textile company generously donated replacement fabric for this restoration which matches the 1953 original, using the same methods and techniques devised by Mariano Fortuny over a century ago. The fabric is stretched on a series of wood frames, some fixed to the plaster walls and some sliding to reveal a dressing area, door or window. The floor features a new champagne-colored carpet donated by Edward Fields Carpet Makers, who supplied the original flooring to Mr. Johnson. The Clouds of Magellan, 1953, a sculpture by Ibram Lassaw, once more hangs prominently on the wall above the bed, where dimmer switches (a novelty in 1953) are placed to control indirect lighting, further enhancing the spare yet exotic sleeping area.
In the 10-foot, 8-inch tall, white corridor connecting the bedroom to the reading room and bathroom, a collection of etchings by Brice Marden, collected by Johnson and Whitney, are now re-installed after being in storage since 2009. They are illuminated by three round skylights that have been retrofitted with new UV filtering glass. The Reading Room has been restored to its 1980 and 1990s design with soft mint green walls and yellow linen curtains contrasting to a deep purple carpet custom made by Edward Fields Carpet Makers. Johnson and Whitney’s furniture has been reinstalled including two Feltri chairs (1986) by Gaetano Pesce. The curatorial team at The Glass House have chosen a selection of works from the Johnson and Whitney collection for display in the Reading Room which includes works by David Salle, Brice Marden and Vija Celmins. One wall of the room is dedicated to built-in shelving where Johnson’s personal library of almost 1,000 books on philosophy, history, art history and fiction is now re-shelved after cleaning and stabilization by J. Baldwin Conservation, LLC.
In addition to Mr. Stoner, the project design team includes Landtech (Civil Engineering), Altieri Sebor Wieber (MEP Engineering), and RSE Associates, Inc. (Structural Engineering). Hobbs, Inc., is the general contractor for the project. Replacement material was generously donated by Fortuny, Inc., Edward Fields Carpet Makers, and Cobble Court Interiors (Reading Room Curtain).
Approximately 13,000 people visit The Glass House each year, and reopening the Brick House is critical to providing visitors with a complete experience of The Glass House campus. This project was completed and unveiled on April 30, 2024 opening to the public on May 2nd. This year also marks the 75th anniversary of The Glass House and the Brick House, both completed in 1949. In celebration, The Glass House will host a series of special events, featuring notable artists and exhibitions.
Opening the Brick House provides new and exciting avenues for The Glass House site to expand its interpretation, continue to preserve and advance an understanding of LGBTQ heritage, and deepen its impact on new and diverse communities.
The Glass House, built between 1949 and 1995 by architect Philip Johnson, is a National Trust for Historic Preservation site in New Canaan, CT. The pastoral 49-acre landscape comprises fourteen structures, including The Glass House (1949), and features a permanent collection of 20th-century paintings and sculptures, along with temporary exhibitions. The campus serves as a catalyst for the preservation and interpretation of modern architecture, landscape, and art and a canvas for inspiration and experimentation. The tour season runs from mid-April through mid-December, and reservations are required.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded nonprofit organization that works to save America’s historic places to enrich our future, reimagining historic sites for the 21st century. The guiding principle of this initiative is that historic sites must be dynamic, relevant, and evolving to foster an understanding of history and culture that is critical, sensory, and layered.
Brick House Restoration Project Team
Design Team
Architect: Mark Stoner, AIA, Senior Director of Preservation Architecture | Graham Gund Architect
Civil Engineer: LANDTECH, Westport, CT
M/E/P Engineer: Altieri, LLC, Norwalk, CT
Preservation Consultant: Li/Saltzman Architects, PC
Structural Engineer: Liam O’Hanlon, PE, Principal, RSE Associates, Port Washington, NY
Construction Team
Carpets: Fabricated and donated by Edward Fields Carpet Makers, installed by Tai Ping Carpets
Concrete: B&M Concrete, Inc.
Curtains: Cobble Court Interiors, Inc., including fabric donation
Demolition: Concrete Cutting Co.
Electrical: Chestnut Electric Corp.
Exterior Caulking: A&J Caulking Company, Inc.
Fabric Panels: Fabricated and donated by Fortuny, Inc. and installed by Jouffre
Finish Carpentry and Windows: High Edge Construction, LLC
Framing Carpentry: JF Carpentry Services, Inc.
General Contractor: Hobbs, Inc.
HVAC: Encon Heating & AC
Marble & Granite Restoration: Merolle Brothers Tile & Marble, Inc.
Masonry: Cobuzzi Masonry and Nature’s Way Landscape
Paint: Donald Kaufman Color, The Color Factory
Painting and Plaster: Polart Group, Inc.
Plumbing: Rudolph Biagi & Sons
Roofing and Skylights: Landmark Exteriors, Inc.
Site Work: Amaxx, Inc.
Steel: Artistic Iron Works, LLC
Waterproofing: Dri-Tec Waterproofing
Window UV Filters: Millard Enterprises
Art and Object Conservation Team
Art Handling: SRI Fine Art Services
Book Conservation: Jean Baldwin, Conservator, J. Baldwin Conservation,
Furniture Conservation: Roger Griffith, Conservator, Two Sticks, Inc
Marian Carpenter, John & Neville Bryan Senior Director of Museum Collections
Photos by Michael Biondo
Posted June 12, 2024