glass house

starting june 21st people can start visiting the glass house made by philip johnson 58 years ago.

for those who like fame and celebrities, there is a whole article in nytimes with more photos and sayings of influential men plus [some] women related to the house. thanks to my thoughtful colleague i can always have access to the most interesting articles of the newspaper without having to go through it!
although bee-zee has devoted an enormous amount of space and time to post about the farnsworth house [which was the house that philip johnson first admired and then copied] and although bee-zee is very sensitive regarding originality and invention and although bee-zee does not like andy warhol [1964]... is still posting this photo that can capture part of the mood and atmosphere of those days.
"In the 60s, Mr. Johnson threw a big party for Merce Cunningham. It was at the time of all the massive publicity for Andy Warhol. I think MoMA had just bought the soup can.

I was standing with a double scotch, hoping for the best. It was spring and twilighty. All these people milling around, very glamorous. I said: “Mr. Johnson, look over there. There’s a white-haired man coming in.” I thought it was an old guy. Philip said, “It’s Andy.” Everyone went over to say hello, except me. I didn’t know who he was.

It was John Cage music and Merce Cunningham’s dancers — beautiful dancers. Cage’s music had something to do with doors slamming and whistles going off. Then great balloons — some big and black, some small and red and yellow. It was very strange. I thought to myself: “Here we are in 1967, standing next to a glass house listening to doors slam and whistles going off. This is out of this world.” It was so out of context for suburbia in the 60s. You were talking about car pools and how not to have babies.

We left shortly thereafter. My then-husband thought the whole thing was humbug."
ms smithers, probably ex-wife of ruth smithers, a longtime new canaan resident.

phillip johnson's companion, mr david whitney: