Built in 1948 and 1949 in New Canaan, Connecticut, the Glass House was architect Philip Johnson’s weekend retreat and became his best-known work and a defining American house of the modern movement. Its spare glass-and-steel design, open plan, and close relationship to the surrounding landscape made it an influential statement of transparency and modern living. Johnson lived there for 58 years, 45 with David Whitney, who helped shape the grounds and collection. The estate expanded into a larger composition of buildings and art, and after Johnson’s death in 2005 it passed into public stewardship, remaining a major site for studying modern architecture.

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