JOHNSON'S GLASS HOUSE OPENS FOR PUBLIC

The Associated Press
AP / Douglas Healey

NEW CANAAN, Conn.

By design, Philip Johnson’s iconic Glass House evokes openness and accessibility.

For decades, however, only the late architect’s friends and guests could visit the famed 1949 home and explore the surrounding 47 acres of New England countryside.

That changed when invitation-only tours of the Glass House began this spring, and the structure deemed a harbinger of U.S. modernist design opens to the public starting June 23.

The tours include many of the property’s 13 other structures — several of which are architectural showpieces in their own right — and acres of ponds, landscaped hills and walkways.

Most of this season’s tour tickets, ranging from $25 to $40, sold out right away, and potential visitors are already seeking spots for next year’s season. The enthusiasm is considered a testament to the site’s cultural importance and to Johnson, winner of his profession’s top awards and designer of several of the most notable structures nationwide, including the AT&T Building in New York, the soaring glass Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif., and the 56-story pink granite Bank of America building in Houston.

Johnson won the prestigious Silver Medal from the Architectural League of New York for the Glass House, yet always considered the transparent cube much more than a professional triumph. It was also his muse, showcase for art and the emotional refuge he shared with his longtime partner, art collector David Whitney.

Johnson died in the Glass House in January 2005 at age 98 while the 66-year-old Whitney died five months later of cancer in New York.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation acquired the property under a 1986 agreement with Johnson, and both men endowed money for its preservation and operation as a museum.

“This was really a canvas for innovation over Philip Johnson’s and David Whitney’s lifetimes,” said Christy MacLear, the site’s executive director. “It’s a very significant site in and of itself, and also as an inspiration in their work.”