Architecture

The Philip Johnson Glass House: An Architect in the Garden

The first authoritative book on the history of the Glass House property—Philip Johnson’s fifty-year project of iconic modernist design, encompassing the remarkable buildings, landscape, and follies. From its completion in 1949 to the present day, Philip Johnson’s Glass House has drawn cognoscenti and the curious from around the world to New Canaan, Connecticut, to experience what might be the most photographed modernist residence in America. The property—an architectural playground on forty-seven acres with eleven Johnsonian follies dating from 1949 to 1995—is an icon of twentieth-century architectural and landscape design. The book chronicles how Philip Johnson and David Whitney, the architect and the plantsman, lived on the property for decades and used the landscape as an ever-changing canvas for their designs—the result of a unique synthesis of influences and ideas from across history and geography. New research reveals Johnson’s and Whitney’s interaction with the landscape and the evolution of the site from a five-acre parcel to a world-renowned gentlemanly estate for modern times. The Philip Johnson Glass House—beautifully illustrated with vintage and commissioned photography—will be a must-have for connoisseurs of architecture, landscape design, photography, and social history.

About The Author

Maureen Cassidy-Geiger is an internationally recognized curator, scholar, and educator with expertise in European decorative arts, gardens, photography, and the history of architecture.

Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA FAAR, is president and CEO of the Cultural Landscape Foundation in Washington, D.C.

  • Publish Date: April 05, 2016
  • Format: Hardcover
  • Category: Architecture - Individual Architects & Firms - General
  • Publisher: Skira Rizzoli
  • Trim Size: 8 x 10
  • Pages: 224
  • US Price: $55.00
  • CDN Price: $55.00
  • ISBN: 978-0-8478-4836-2

Reviews

"Located in New Canaan, the Philip Johnson Glass House is one of the world's best and most recognizable modernist structures. Its evolution is one for the history books." 
-AT HOME MAGAZINE

"Philip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut might be one of modernism's best-loved structures, but few actually know the full story of how the complex landscape and building designs of this iconic complex came to be. Maureen Cassidy-Geiger's new tome, The Philip Johnson Glass House: Architect in the Garden, charts the evolution of the house's 47-acre grounds in captivating detail. . .  the multitude of design ideas on display at the Glass House is awe-inducing. And now, thanks to Cassidy-Geiger's comprehensive book, we can all come away from it with a greater understanding of a master at work." 
-WALLPAPER MAGAZINE
 
"What an elegant book Maureen Cassidy-Geiger has written and Skira Rizzoli Publications has produced . . . The experience of reading this book was deeply satisfying . . . it has always been my intention to visit the Glass House; Cassidy-Geiger's book spurred me to finally experience it in person."
-WELLESLEY MAGAZINE 

Author Bookshelf: Charles A. Birnbaum