Philip Johnson Glass House Ceiling Replacement, 20C New Canaan property, Modern Connecticut Home, America
Glass House Ceiling Replacement News
20th Century American Property: Modern Connecticut Architecture – home design by Philip Johnson Architect
Apr 10, 2018
The Replacement of the Glass House Ceiling 2017 – 2018
The Glass House will re-open in May 2018 with a new ceiling, funded in part by Bank of America and the State of Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD)
Philip Johnson Glass House Ceiling Replacement News
NEW CANAAN, Conn. (April 10th, 2018) – The Glass House continues their ongoing commitment to architecture and the arts with the replacement of the entire ceiling of the iconic structure. The Glass House, completed in 1949, is one of 14 structures on the 49-acre site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Photos by Michael Biondo:
In recent years, the ceiling of the Glass House was sagging in several areas. In 2015, the ceiling was stabilized where the decoupling from its support was most significant while a study was performed to identify the optimal repair process.
Upon visual inspection, the system attaching the ceiling to the roof timbers was noted to be poorly constructed. Almost half of the ceiling was compromised. The 1,800 square foot plaster ceiling was applied in a three-coat plaster system on lath with the top coat being a self-colored plaster mixed with asbestos with a texture to appear like exterior stucco.
The presence of asbestos in the ceiling plaster also contributed to the need for complete repair and remediation. In addition, the system attaching the ceiling to the roof timbers was noted to be inadequate for the weight of the ceiling. The damaged ceiling also prevented the opening of two of the four doors in the Glass House, hampering the functionality originally designed by Philip Johnson.
Glass House Ceiling Replacement
Photos below: Simon Garcia | arqfoto.com
The Glass House ceiling replacement was partially funded through grants from the Bank of America 2016 Art Conservation Project and the Good to Great Program grant from the State of Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).
“We’re proud to help preserve this culturally significant and unique piece of history so that visitors can continue to experience the Glass House firsthand,” said Bill Tommins, Southern Connecticut Market President, Bank of America. “We believe the arts matter, as they inspire, educate and enrich the communities we serve, while connecting individuals to each other on a deeper level.”
The scope of the project includes the replacement of the entire plaster ceiling, metal lath, and fasteners. The ceiling replacement began on December 1, 2017 and will take approximately three months to complete. The project team includes EverGreene Architectural Arts, Silman Structural Engineers, Glass House staff and Ashley Wilson AIA, ASID, Graham Gund Architect of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“Good to Great assists thoughtful local leaders to move forward with projects that transform the experiences of their visitors and underscore the importance of arts and culture to the state’s future. As Christopher Hawthorne said in a 2012 essay, ‘In the late 1940s architect Philip Johnson distilled the principles of modernism into a residence of radical simplicity.’ How fortunate are we to have this iconic structure right here in Connecticut,” said Kristina Newman-Scott, Executive Director, Connecticut Office of the Arts & State Historic Preservation Officer (Director of Culture) DECD.
“The Glass House is an international icon of modern architecture where visitors come to study and celebrate architecture, art, design and landscape architecture,” said Glass House Executive Director, Gregory Sages. “The replaced ceiling will allow visitors to experience Johnson’s intended design and functionality of the house and the objects contained inside.”
About the Bank of America Art Conservation Project
This grant is a unique program that provides grants to nonprofit museums throughout the world to conserve historically or culturally significant works of art that are in danger of deterioration. Since the program’s launch in 2010, Bank of America has provided grants for more than 120 projects in 30 countries.
A selection of the historically and culturally significant works in danger of deterioration that will benefit from the 2017 Art Conservations Projects grants include “The Assumption of the Virgin” (1577-1579) by El Greco at The Art Institute of Chicago, “Untitled (Three Dancing Figures, version C),” a 1989 outdoor sculpture by Keith Haring in Des Moines, Iowa, The Farnese Sarcophagus (circa 225 C.E.), a 7,500-pound Roman Severan period piece at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, 21 works by Romare Bearden and other African American artists at The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York and “Femmes à leur toilette” (1937-1938) by Pablo Ruiz Picasso at Musée National Picasso in Paris.
About the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD)
The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development is the state’s lead agency responsible for strengthening Connecticut’s competitive position in the rapidly-changing knowledge-based global economy. The agency takes a comprehensive approach to economic development that incorporates community development, transportation, education and arts and culture.
The Good to Great Grant Program, administered by the DECD’s offices of Arts and Historic Preservation, is a pilot program funded through Public Act 14-98 and provides grants to not-for-profit organizations that sponsor cultural and historic sites in Connecticut. Good to Great was created in 2014 to fund improvements that will significantly enhance cultural and historic sites and the way people enjoy them. Specifically, the program will target smaller and mid-sized cultural organizations that have received limited state funding in the past.
About the Glass House
The Glass House, built between 1949 and 1995 by architect Philip Johnson, is a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation located 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 painting and sculpture, 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, honoring the legacy of Philip Johnson (1906 -2005) and his partner, David Whitney (1939 -2005). The tour season runs from May through November and advance 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 in order to foster an understanding of history and culture that is critical, sensory, and layered.
Philip Johnson Glass House Ceiling Replacement
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Visitor Information:
The Glass House Visitor Center and Design Store
199 Elm Street, New Canaan, CT 06840
203.594.9884
Open Thursday – Monday, May 1 – November 30, 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
Tickets start at $25, including a tour of the site.
www.theglasshouse.org
The Glass House, 199 Elm Street, New Canaan, CT 06840t, USA
Glass House News
Glass House Archive
Philip Johnson Glass House, New Canaan, Connecticut, USA – news
photograph courtesy The National Trust for Historic Preservation
Philip Johnson Glass House
The Glass House was built between 1949 and 1995 by architect Philip Johnson, the Glass House is a National Trust Historic Site located 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 painting and sculpture, along with temporary exhibitions. The tour season runs from May through November and advance reservations are required. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit www.theglasshouse.org
Philip Johnson, Hilary Lewis and John O’Connor at Library by Nora Feller:
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places to enrich our future. www.savingplaces.org
Photographs: Simon Garcia | arqfoto.com
Johnson House, New Canaan, Connecticut, USA
Date built: 1949
Design: Architect Philip Johnson
The Glass House was completed in 1949. It is a National Trust Historic Site on a 49-acre campus.
Inspired by architect Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House (Plano, IL, 1951), its exterior walls are made of glass, a radical departure from houses of the time.
photo : Sandra Hamburg
The Glass House
The Glass House, a National Trust Historic Site, offers its 49-acre campus as a catalyst for the preservation and interpretation of modern architecture, landscape, and art, and as a canvas for inspiration and experimentation honoring the legacy of Philip Johnson (1906-2005) and David Whitney (1939-2005).
Philip Johnson and David Whitney with fresh flowers at The Glass House, 2003, New Canaan, Connecticut, USA:
photograph : Todd Eberle
The National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance, and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history-and important moments of everyday life-took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development, and promote environmental sustainability.
With headquarters in Washington, DC, nine regional and field offices, 29 historic sites, and partner organizations in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy, and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history, and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories.
preservationnation.org
To learn more about the Philip Johnson Glass House visit philipjohnsonglasshouse.org
Philip Johnson Glass House information from National Trust for Historic Preservation / Philip Johnson Glass House, 270812
Johnson House, New Canaan
Date built: 1949
Architect: Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson Glass House architect : Philip Johnson
Location: 199 Elm Street, New Canaan, CT 06840, USA
Another famous Modern American House on e-architect:
Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois, USA
Architect: Mies van der Rohe
Farnsworth House
Connecticut Buildings
Morse and Ezra Stiles Colleges, Yale, New Haven
Renovation + new-build in 2011: KieranTimberlake
Morse and Ezra Stiles Colleges
Yale Arts Complex – Paul Rudolph Hall renovation
Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects
Paul Rudolph Hall
Yale University Art Gallery
Louis Kahn / Polshek Partnership Architects, LLP
Modern Connecticut Building : Yale
School of Architecture in Connecticut
Yale School of Architecture Events
Another Modern American house on e-architect:
Miller House, Columbus, Indiana
Eero Saarinen
Miller House
Modern American Residence : Zimmerman House, Manchester, New Hampshire, north east USA
Comments / photos for the Philip Johnson Glass House Ceiling Replacement – 20th Century Connecticut Architecture in , New Canaan , CT, USa, page welcome.
Website: Philip Johnson Glass House
