Hill-Stead Guides visit The Glass House

On Monday, September 24, a group of Hill-Stead guides and staff met at The Glass House Visitor Center in the center of New Canaan, Connecticut to ride the van to the property for our 11am tour.

The van stopped just past the entrance gate so we could walk to The Glass House.

To our left we could see Philip Johnson's studio/library as we walked down the drive.

Some of the sculptures in the Sculpture Gallery had previously been displayed outdoors but were moved inside after exhibiting signs of weather-related damage.

The Sculpture Gallery ceiling is all skylights which cast interesting shadows on sunny days.  I am glad we visited on a cloudy day without the distraction of shadow patterns all over the space.

This view shows The rear of The Brick House on the left, The Glass House in the background, and the pool on the right.

Here's our group looking down at the pond.

Here's the bedroom from the outside, looking in.  There are several other buildings on the property where Philip Johnson and his partner David Whitney slept. While an interesting concept, I suspect The Glass House proved impractical for daily living.

 A good view of the Pavilion on the pond and the towering Lincoln Kerstein Tower looking west from  The Glass House.

This round “silo” in The Glass House has a fireplace on one side and the bathroom on the other.

 The kitchen is small and not good for serious cooking.

The bathroom is functional with a toilet, sink, and a shower

The dining room faces east.

The Nicolas Poussin painting is displayed in the seating area.  Philip was originally a History and Classics scholar before he became an architect.

 This is the iconic view of The Glass House but there is so much more to see on the property.  I am glad our group visited here. Philip Johnson's mother was a first cousin of Theodate Pope Riddle so this a connection to Hill-Stead.  Philip named one the buildings on the property “Popestead”!

Ellen and I even had some time to look around the charming center of New Canaan and our group had lunch together at La Pain Quotidien before heading home.  All in all it was a very enjoyable day,