My apologies for such an ugly blog . . . I haven't been on Blogger in many months, and I see now that our formerly handsome layout has been corrupted somehow. Well the words are there, the links all work – I'm just sorry it's so awful looking! I will fix it when I find the time.
Thanks for reading our Modern notes!
25 September 2013
Modern House Day 2013 is here!
The New Canaan Historical Society is holding another Modern House Day Tour + Symposium, on Saturday, October 5, offering the chance to have an in-depth guided tour of some of the town’s finest examples of modern architecture and to mingle with their owners, designers and architects.
The first MHD in 1949 attracted more than 3,000 people. In 2004, the NCHS revived the tradition and added a symposium that offers the opportunity to hear from experts in the field of Modern architecture and art. Subsequent MHDs in 2007, '09, '11 were all sold-out events. This year’s theme, entitled A Modern Mix: Art + Architecture, celebrates Art in the Modern home.
The MHD opens at 8:30am with check in and a continental breakfast at New Canaan Country School (NCCS), whose campus features buildings by Modern architects: The Arthur K. Watson gymnasium (1974), the Henry Welles Building (1968) and the original Stevens Building (1978), all designed by Gary Lindstrom, as well as the Middle School and Science Buildings (1961) which were designed by Landis Gores. The Symposium is held in the lovely new auditorium (which was the creaky old gym when I was a student there in the '60s). At this time, there will be books on architecture available for purchase, and you will be free to walk the campus.
The Symposium begins at 10am and will be moderated by John Arbuckle, DOCOMOMO New York/Tri-State board president, co-chairman of the AIA New York Chapter Historic Buildings Committee, and President of Arbuckle Architecture Tours, LLC. John formerly served as Director of Business Development at Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects and as an Associate at Beckhard Richlan Szerbaty & Associates, a successor to the office of Marcel Breuer.
The Symposium speakers are:
Michael Biondo, Photographer – "Translating Architecture"
For 25 years, Michael has traveled the world photographing architecture and fashion for leading publications. His most recent photographs are featured in Allan Greenberg’s upcoming monograph. He is currently working on a book about New Canaan’s mid-century modern houses.
Robert Gregson, Photographer – "Art in Architecture"
Bob Gregson is an artist who uses architecture as an element in his playful installations and projects. His work encourages interaction and participation – and his love of architecture is expressed in his photographs.
Mary Thorp, Founder of The Harry Bertoia Research Project – "Bertoia: An Architect’s Friend"
A Bertoia expert and aficionado, Mary Thorp is cataloguing Harry Bertoia’s work, organizing exhibitions, and lecturing on his work at auction houses, museums, and universities.
Lunch at NCCS follows the Symposium. After lunch, event-goers will be transported to each location on the tour via small private tour vans, escorted by an architect or historian of the Modern Movement (or maybe by me – neither a historian nor an architect, but I know my way around!).
OK... ok... okay.... I will put you out of your misery. HERE ARE THE ARCHITECTS of the HOUSES ON THE TOUR:
Ulrich Franzen, Gates and Ford, Alan Goldberg, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Bimel Kehm, Hugh Smallen and Edward Durell Stone. I am not at liberty to divulge which actual houses are on the tour because the New Canaan Historical Society is scrupulously honorable about protecting the privacy of the homeowners who have generously opened their for the tour, but I can assure you they are winners.
Each house will have an architect present to point out things of particular interest and to answer questions. In one or 2 cases the actual architect of recent renovations of a particular house will be present at the MHD, if not at the house itself. How great is that?
The day will close with really nice evening cocktail reception at the New Canaan Historical Society. This is really a full day, and, I think, well worth the $275 ticket price. Please call the New Canaan Historical Society to reserve your spot at 203 966 1776, or register online here.
WHOOOO – HOOOOO! Another fantastic day of getting a big, heathy dose of Modern architecture, right at the source! Thank you, New Canaan Historical Society for keeping it fresh!
12 June 2013
A Fire Island story
Never having set foot on Fire Island, though we don't live very far away, I enjoyed reading about that unique place and the Architect Horace Gifford in this story on the Metropolis Blog. This story was in the New York Times on May 22 as well, and both stories help to introduce Christopher Rawlins' new book, Fire Island Modernist: Horace Gifford and the Architecture of Seduction. – GF
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| Burge Pavilion, Fire Island Pines, N.Y., 1965, ©Horace Gifford |
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| Kauth House, Fair Harbor, N.Y., 1964, ©Michael Weber |
07 March 2013
Go Mod hunting this Saturday – but hurry to get your ticket!
Only a few more hours left to sign up for the Open House New York and DoCoMoMo US 2nd Annual Modern Architecture & Design Scavenger Hunt! Spend this Saturday, 9 March 2013, exploring New York City and take photographs of the best
examples of modern architecture and design in New York for a chance to
win prizes. Scavenger Hunt is March 9, from 11am – 5pm and the closing reception is 5 – 7pm. Tickets are $30. Learn more here.
And the 11th Annual OHNY Weekend is coming up. Read more about this fun coupla days here.
And the 11th Annual OHNY Weekend is coming up. Read more about this fun coupla days here.
27 October 2012
John Johansen
John Johansen, one of the last of the architects from the High Modern era, as he called it, died on Friday. We had occasion to hear him and to encounter him several times at the New Canaan Historical Society's Modern House Days.
In 2007 he and Jens Risom, the furniture designer and a New Canaan resident, both spoke at the Modern House Day symposium. They were both 91 at the time.
Jens, who during his talk asserted that "arcitecture
is the most beautiful of all the arts," referred to Johansen as Jo.
"I’m one month older
than Jo," he said. "We meet each other and say, 'My God! Are you still alive?' "
I've compiled links to posts from our blog about Johansen and his houses:
A Visit to Johansen's Bridge House, June 11, 2008
This House Has Been Demolished: The Harvard Five in New Canaan, January 8, 2008
Johansen's Pyramid House, April 14, 2011
Five Moderns, May 4, 2009
Three Modernists at Modern House Day, November 6, 2007
The Glass House [with an account of a Johansen talk at the 2004 New Canaan Modern House Day), January 26, 2005
Here's his obituary, from the Times.
Here are some notes I found in my journal, made around the time of the November 2007 Modern House Day, which is always preceded by a Friday evening cocktail party, where we chatted with Jens Risom:
"Johansen was also at the cocktail party, although I didn’t talk to him – couldn’t think of anything to say in particular. He has a thinning mane of white hair swept back and a well-trimmed white beard. He said that gropius was the apollian figure in modern architecture, while he learned more from breuer at drinking parties, so breuer was the "bacchalonian" figure. When he came of age the Ecole des Beaux Arts was fading away, no longer able to deal with the problems of the modern world, no longer had the spirit to stir men’s blood. At Harvard there was a fierce and joyous spirit, where they taught principles but not styles, a new way of thinking, a new way of feeling, a new way of design, and a new way of living. In new canaan they imparted this to a few of our first clients. Noyes was first – he represented the box. Breuer learned from breuer [sic – I don't know if that's a typo or if it's what Johansen said], Johnson learned from mies, Gores learned from Wright – his beautiful, beautiful house of his own still stands. Johansen found his way out of the box through symbolism, biomorphism, historicism and high technology. During early modern house days the houses weren’t finished and some leaked. They’d open up their own houses and exchange furniture with each other – for example, a Corbusier chair shown in a slide – to give interior respectability. He showed a slide of one of his structures and said that when two people passing by stopped to look at it, one asked what is it. The other said, I don’t know but let’s buy it and turn it into a house. johansen built 27 houses, 8 of which have been lost, as he put it. The reward is in the doing, the product doesn’t matter, I won already for having created it. And finally, a more forceful reference – forgive them, for they know not what they do." -- TA
"Johansen was also at the cocktail party, although I didn’t talk to him – couldn’t think of anything to say in particular. He has a thinning mane of white hair swept back and a well-trimmed white beard. He said that gropius was the apollian figure in modern architecture, while he learned more from breuer at drinking parties, so breuer was the "bacchalonian" figure. When he came of age the Ecole des Beaux Arts was fading away, no longer able to deal with the problems of the modern world, no longer had the spirit to stir men’s blood. At Harvard there was a fierce and joyous spirit, where they taught principles but not styles, a new way of thinking, a new way of feeling, a new way of design, and a new way of living. In new canaan they imparted this to a few of our first clients. Noyes was first – he represented the box. Breuer learned from breuer [sic – I don't know if that's a typo or if it's what Johansen said], Johnson learned from mies, Gores learned from Wright – his beautiful, beautiful house of his own still stands. Johansen found his way out of the box through symbolism, biomorphism, historicism and high technology. During early modern house days the houses weren’t finished and some leaked. They’d open up their own houses and exchange furniture with each other – for example, a Corbusier chair shown in a slide – to give interior respectability. He showed a slide of one of his structures and said that when two people passing by stopped to look at it, one asked what is it. The other said, I don’t know but let’s buy it and turn it into a house. johansen built 27 houses, 8 of which have been lost, as he put it. The reward is in the doing, the product doesn’t matter, I won already for having created it. And finally, a more forceful reference – forgive them, for they know not what they do." -- TA
02 October 2012
Lithe and lovely-sounding glass structure proposed in New Canaan
This is the first project in the U.S. for the Japanese architectural firm, SANAA. The steel, glass, concrete and wood structure, dubbed "The River", meanders through about an acre of the 75-acre property, which was formerly approved for a 10-lot subdivision, and is projected to cost around 50 to 60 million dollars. See more information on the architects and their vision for this structure here, and read the press release that describes the building.
There are many large paddocks and traditional style horse barns on the property, now called Grace Farms, and while the land will be conserved in perpetuity as open space, "The River" will include a sanctuary where services will be held, a library, areas for children, a gymnasium, dining room, and meeting space, and will be "a spiritual and community center for the benefit of New Canaan, the greater community and Grace Church".
I must say, I think it's fantastic that included on the Grace Farms Project Team are a Meadow Consultant and a Conservation Planning & Herpetologist, who happens to be an old acquaintance of ours, Dr. Michael Klemens.
The project is in review by New Canaan's Planning and Zoning. I will keep an eye on this exciting-looking new 'Glass House' of New Canaan! – GF
20 August 2012
I have a new swoon...
I'm loving the work of McClean Quinlan Architects. These examples stood out because stonework like this
gets me every time, especially when paired with unadorned glass
and other smooth, serene materials. How about that glass entry? Their city house renovations are very handsome, too. – GF
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