Breathtaking Glass House Named as Connecticut’s Most Iconic Building

In 2020, we all had a lot of time on our hands.

Get our free mobile app

We all found the time to dig just a bit deeper into our interests and learned a lot about our world. It was indeed a wormhole year for everyone, including journalists. It was during the the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic when Stacker published a comprehensive look at some of the countries most iconic landmarks.

It did not make it onto my radar at the time but The FW just changed that and it allowed me to learn something about Connecticut, I hadn't known before. Their list chose one structure in each state and crowned it most iconic. The Nutmeg State winner is a world-famous home in New Canaan known simply as "The Glass House."

Constructed in 1949 by architect Philip Johnson, overlooking a pond in New Canaan, Connecticut, the Glass House lives up to its name: exterior walls of glass and no interior walls. It brought the International Style and its use of steel, glass and concrete to American houses. Today it is owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is part of a 49-acre campus with 14 other structures.

Phillip Johnson lived there from 1949 until his passing in 2005.

This is precisely the thing I love about living in CT. The state is loaded with breathtaking architecture and historic structures. Not only do we have beautiful places to visit but we typically preserve the things that should be, rather than tearing them down to make a buck.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation allows for tours of the Glass House. You need to make a reservation to see it. The tour season begins April 17th (2023) and ends in mid-December. Tickets for the tour packages are on-sale now through the Glass House website.

There are basic tours, extended tours and self guided tour tiers available. The website makes clear that booking reservations in advance is a great idea as the tours typically sellout. Tour prices can range from $25-$120 and weekend tickets are more expensive than weekday packages.

NOTE: All tours of the Glass House originate from the Visitor Center + Design Store at 199 Elm Street, New Canaan CT, 06840. Tours are rain or shine, umbrellas are encouraged and parking is not available at the glass house. Tourists will shuttle to the site from the visitor center. The Glass House is not the only structure to tour, you can explore the website for more information.

I wonder how many wealthy 1% types have tried to buy it since 2005?

Check out the Ethan, Lou & Large Dave Podcast on Apple and Spotify