World-class architecture dazzles in this otherwise suburban town.
On the one script , New Canaan suffer any expectations one might have upon entering the state of Connecticut : the sprawling manse , the farm - to - table restaurants , the comings and expiration of New York City financiers . But hidden beyond those well - keep lawn is an impressive accumulation of cut - edge mid - century modern computer architecture . And unlike McMansions , they ’re the sort of holding you may shamelessly ogle at , maybe even peek inside of , and — in one case — stop for a cup of Camellia sinensis .
These base are the bequest of a group of architects acknowledge as the Harvard Five , members of the Harvard Graduate School of Design who , energized by postwar optimism , flock to New Canaan in 1949 . John M. Johansen , Marcel Breuer , Landis Gores , Philip Johnson , and Eliot Noyes were all influenced by the head of the Harvard computer architecture programme , Walter Gropius . He launch the Bauhaus , a German school and eventual art movement that combine computer architecture , sculpture , and painting into one universal vision — In simple terminal figure , all those monotonic plane , overlapping build , and primary colors we tend to link up with New artistry .
“ There were at one time 120 mid - century modern houses in the relatively small town of New Canaan , ” says Nancy Geary , executive manager of theNew Canaan Museum and Historical Society . “ Unfortunately , many have been destroyed and only 80 + remain . ” So taking a drive through this Connecticut town mean savor in a seminal slice of graphics history . But New Canaan continues to give innovation , with new developments likeGrace Farms , the community of interests center designed in collaboration with Tokyo - free-base architectural business firm SANAA in 2015 .
Philip Johnson’s Glass House, New Canaan, Connecticut|Buyenlarge/Contributor/Archive Photos/Getty Images
If you ’re wonder why all this architectural wealth settle upon New Cannaan specifically , Geary has response . “ There were a figure of reason , ” she explains . “ Land was tatty . The topography was interesting and contributory to the type of architectural experiment that was pass . Once the Harvard Five settled , there was a community of like - disposed people . Zoning regulation were looser than other towns . And Connecticut did not have the requirement that an architect serve as an apprentice . ”
Perhaps it was the very conventionality of the town that spur avant - garde thought . Take Rick Moody ’s risqué 1994 novelThe Ice Storm , for instance . The story , set in New Canaan , explores all sort of bold report , like open mystery , sexplorations , and reckless escapism . The book was after accommodate into a movie directed by Ang Lee , starring Tobey Maguire and Elijah Wood , and even features a mid - century modern home as its background — If you do some research , you could still find it blot out in the woods .
The iconic New Canaan film and its greater architectural landscape demonstrate how an edgy undercurrent ripples through this Levitt - like town . To take a tone inside the properties currently lodge in by man , Geary indicate coming to the biennialModern House Day Tour and Symposiumon October 21 , 2023 , when secret homes are usable for pass turn . But for now , here are a handful of architectural wonder you ca n’t miss on your next stumble to New Canaan .
The River building|Photo by Cristian Salazar, courtesy of Grace Farms
The Glass House, Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson ’s Glass House , finish in 1949 , is undoubtedly the most famous work of mid - century modern computer architecture in New Canaan . “ It represents the optical fusion of early European Modernism with post - War American technology , ” says principal curator Hilary Lewis . “ It would draw major creative figures in art , architecture , design and performance to garner , make it a significant on-going salon during Philip Johnson ’s lifetime and that of David Whitney . ” Johnson design the social organisation as a pavilion for viewing the surrounding landscape , and in doing so introduce the International Style to residential American computer architecture , which nominate principles like volume of distance , rejection of decoration , and industrial material . German designer Mies van der Rohe’sBarcelona Pavilionserved as a major source of inspiration .
The Glass House house sits on a National Trust Historic Site alongside other galleries , installations , and studios — one of which is the Brick House , a solid rectangle that , in Johnson ’s word , pretend as a “ repoussoir ” to its undecided - space counterpart . It ’s a moral in dividing line you need to experience to understand , and luckily , the 49 - acre site is open to visitor : Choose from a number of tours , and be certain to check into out the foundation’sMark Mennin : Processi , a seasonal exposition of sculptural works make by the master rock sculpturer .
Noyes House, Eliot Noyes
Another example of the International Style , Eliot Noyes ’s former family home on Country Club Road is deserving a gander . This abode , fill in in 1954 , is celebrated for its New England - style Harlan Stone facades that provide a geomorphologic contrast with sleek glass walls . The complex is also unique for showcasing Noyes ’s strict organisational principles , which take storage area in the detachment of public and private spaces : One section contains sleeping accommodation , while another mansion bread and butter area , and the two are separated by an capable court . While the family is not currently capable to the public , it’sbeen exhibiteda number of times in late old age , and if you just ca n’t expect for the next time it opens up , delay outthis virtual tour .
Tirranna, Frank Lloyd Wright
What if we secernate you that Connecticut has its own version of Falling Waters , and it could be yours for the reasonable price of $ 8 million ? Frank Lloyd Wright ’s Tirranna , presently on the market , gets its name from the Australian Aboriginal Holy Scripture meaning “ running waters , ” whichArchitectural Digestreportsreferences the Noroton River that the house is built upon . While Wright overlap with the Harvard Five , his fashion is of a family all its own — specifically Prairie style , a type of home that ’s rooted in nature , favors the horizontal over the erect , and asWright sound out , is “ married to the dry land . ”
Tirranna , which is an example of Wright ’s touch semicircle bod , sit above a waterfall and is surround by 15 Acre of forested land . The attribute boast all kinds of unparalleled feature of speech , like a rotary pond , internal court , rooftop observatory , and nursery , to name a few . Wright lived in the home while working on the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City , and even used some of the museum ’s leftover glass to build up Tirranna ’s greenhouse . While we do n’t recommend pretending to be a potential vendee and pop in for an open sign , it ’s worth exploring the home ’s stunning fence environment .
Gores Pavilion, Landis Gores
“ Landis Gores , Johnson ’s supporter on the Glass House , designed the Gores Pavilion in Irwin Park , ” Geary aver . “ It is the only other mid - century forward-looking building open to the public . ” Gores built the social structure as a wintertime hostel slash summer pool house for John Irwin and Jane Watson ( the daughter of IBM ’s beginner ) in 1960 . grant to the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society , Gores included many nod to Frank Lloyd Wright through horizontal redwood boarding and a Prairie - style fireplace that runs trading floor to cap .
When the Irwin heir betray the house to the town of New Canaan , the pool was filled and the Ithiel Town planned to demolish the pavilion , but a small mathematical group of New Canaanites formed the Friends of the Gores Pavilion and saved it from destruction . Today , you may visit Gores ’s masterpiece at the Irwin ’s dimension , now refer to as Irwin Park , orschedule a spell by appointment . And if you ’re concerned in diving event further into Gores ’s work , you’re able to labor by the Landis Gores House , an experimental fusion of Wrightian and outside dash , on Cross Ridge Road .
Grace Farms, SANAA
TheGrace Farms Foundationcommunicates its five initiative — nature , artwork , justice , community , and faith — atop a SANAA - designed site sweep 80 acres . The serpentine - shape River building attest the Nipponese house ’s propensity for poriferous , undefendable architecture that is n’t exactly derivative of an existing model . “ Structurally , the building of transparent crank , concrete , sword , and wood work a undivided , curvilinear long roof , which seems to swim above the surface of the primer coat as it twists and turns across down the innate landscape , ” say Grace Farms Foundation father and CEO Sharon Prince . “ The River building actually becomes a part of the landscape and with a sense of awe and wonder , you are both drawn out into nature and are also touch base to masses along the River . ”
While Grace Farms certainly evokes the high-pitched - brow ambition of the Harvard Five , its difference rest in its accessibility . It ’s free to explore , open to all , and host to a slew of family - friendly public computer programing . explore the tranquil landscape is an adventure in its own right field , but you ’re likely to run into a nerveless event lease position the day you arrive . Thesummer calendaris filled with everything from community picnics and honey harvesting classes to tea degustation and jazz concerts . And if you ’re still on an architecture boot , look out for a belt down - up talk with Toshihiro Oki , formerly of SANAA , who often moderates conversations between leading architects and faculty member .
Flickr/n e o g e j o
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo by Pedro Guerrero
Photo by Sahar Coston Hardy, courtesy of Grace Farms
