Modern House Day Tour + Symposium

Modern House Day Tour + Symposium Features John Johansen’s Warner House

The Neo-Classical Home Opens Its Doors on the One-Year Anniversary of Johansen’s Death

The New Canaan Historical Society (NCHS) announces the return of its signature event, Modern House Day Tour + Symposium, on Saturday, October 5. The New Canaan, Connecticut tradition dates to 1949 when the inaugural event 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.

This year’s theme, entitled A Modern Mix: Art + Architecture, celebrates Art in the Modern home. Guests will enjoy in-depth guided tours of homes designed by Ulrich Franzen, Gates and Ford, Alan Goldberg, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Bimel Kehm, Hugh Smallen and Edward Durell Stone.

This year’s event offers the rare opportunity to view John Johansen’s Warner House (1956). Selected in 1958 as one of the best contemporary homes by Architectural Record, the home (also referred to as the Bridge House) is a Neo-Palladian structure whose living room spans the Mill River that flows beneath it.

“Of my designs, the Warner House most elegantly interpreted the Palladian ideal: the central pavilion was the bridge that spanned the stream, its three bays covered by arched vaults. Flanking this bridge were secondary pavilions rendered in pink stucco decoratively embossed with my designs. Gold leaf was used in the arches and on the living room ceiling, and on the exterior spurting off rainwater to the stream below were eight gilded gargoyles designed by the sculptor Robert Engman,” stated Johansen.

Until his death in October 2012, Johansen was the last living member of the Harvard Five – a renowned group of architects including Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, Eliot Noyes and Philip Johnson, who settled in New Canaan just after World War II.

On October 5, Modern House Day Tour + Symposium will be held from 8:30am to 7:00pm opening with a continental breakfast and Symposium at New Canaan Country School (NCCS). The NCCS campus features buildings created by Modern architects including 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 begins at 10:00am and will be moderated by John Arbuckle, DOCOMOMO (Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement) New York/Tri-State board president and co-chairman of the AIA (American Institute of Architects) New York Chapter Historic Buildings Committee. 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.

Symposium featured speakers include:

Michael Biondo, Photographer

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

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

A Bertoia expert and aficionado, Mary Thorp is cataloguing Bertoia’s work, organizing exhibitions, and lecturing on his work at auction houses, museums, and universities.

Following the Symposium, guests will enjoy lunch on the NCCS campus. The House tours will follow lunch and guests will be transported to each location via private tour vans, escorted by an architect or historian of the Modern Movement. The day will close with an evening cocktail reception hosted at the New Canaan Historical Society.

Event tickets cost $275 including breakfast, symposium, lunch, tour, cocktail reception and transportation and can be purchased online at nchistory.org. Modern House Day Tour + Symposium 2013 is generously sponsored by William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty and Gina Federico Graphic Design. Event proceeds benefit the New Canaan Historical Society preservation program.