Connecticut has been home, strangely enough, to several modernist architects. New Haven has seen it’s fair share of modernist structures over the years, but homes throughout Connecticut have also been built. None more famous than Phillip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan.

Phillip Johnson  was a part of the group that became known as the “Harvard 5″ who moved to New Canaan in the 1940’s and built modern contemporary homes. From purecontemporary.com:

Architecture that breaks the rules usually becomes one of two things: a focus of community disdain, or an acclaimed tourist attraction. Rarely does it become the rule. But when architecture’s greatest rule breakers Marcel Breuer and Philip Johnson met up with three other like-minded modernists, the teachings of the Harvard Graduate School of Design were flouted and the world was shown a new and different style of architecture.

Nestled in Connecticut, within commuting distance of New York City, lays the home of one of the most influential movements in modern architecture. Void of major highways, strip malls and chain restaurants, the town of New Canaan is filled with village homes, grand estates and picturesque lots with rambling stone walls and rolling hills.

It’s small and quaint, a vividly painted dream of the quintessential New England town. The train stops there – and nearly six decades ago architects Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Philip Johnson and Eliot Noyes stepped off.

There, they joined as the group that eventually became known as the “The Harvard Five” and freely interpreted and applied their educations. William D. Earls, author of The Harvard Five in New Canaan says, “The name Harvard Five is something of a catch phrase. They were all products of Harvard just as that school had undergone the transformation from the Beaux-arts style of teaching to the Bauhaus ideal. And like so many students, their efforts often diverged wildly from their teacher’s influence. But because of that they are not easy to encapsulate. There is no ‘New Canaan style,’ it’s deeper than that.”

So its rather encouraging to see that that tours of the glass house have been sold out for many months and that if you want to see it in 2009, better snap up those tickets. From the Connecticut Post:

 If you want to see the famous Philip Johnson

Glass House this year, forget about it — tour tickets have been sold out for months.
But, beginning Tuesday, you’ll be able to book a tour date and time for next year.
The non-profit National Trust for Historic Preservation, which owns the historic site, has announced that 2009 tour tickets will be available beginning Tuesday, beginning at 9 a.m.
Next year will be the third year for Glass House tours. Tickets are $30 for 90-minute tours and $45 for 2-hour tours. They will be available online at www.philipjohnsonglasshouse.org, or by calling 1 (866) 811-4111.
Cameras are only permitting on the 90-minute tour.
The Glass House was built in 1949. It was designed by Johnson as his own residence; he also lived in Manhattan.
The house is regarded as a masterpiece of both modern and minimalist design, and is a National Landmark. The only room not visible from the outside is the bathroom. There is a cleverly designed kitchen, and living, dining and sleeping areas. It’s one of several structures on the 47-acre estate, all built by Johnson from the 1940s through the 1990s. He died at 98 in 2005.

Which leads to a plug for Norwalk’s architectural tour of SoNo, this Saturday at 2 PM. Meet at the Switch Tower at the head of Washington Street.  It’s free too.