House tour spotlights New Canaan’s design treasures

The Warner House, a New Canaan property designed by John Johansen in 1956, will be the showpiece of the “Modern House Day Tour + Symposium” next month.

The neoclassical home will open its doors as part of the tour, as the New Canaan Historical Society again holds its signature event Oct. 5.

The tour, a tradition that got its start in 1949, will offer both the opportunity to visit historic properties and hear from experts in the field of Modern architecture and art.

“A Modern Mix: Art + Architecture” is the theme of the day, an event during which participants can take in-depth, guided tours of homes designed by not only Johnsen, who died in October of 2012, but also Ulrich Franzen, Gates and Ford, Alan Goldberg, Landis Gores, Bimel Kehm, Hugh Smallen and Edward Durell Stone.

The Warner House, also referred to as The Bridge House, was chosen in 1958 as one of the best contemporary homes by Architectural Record and is noteworthy for its living room, which spans the Mill River.

The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., starting with a continental breakfast followed by the 10 a.m. symposium at New Canaan Country School.

The event’s moderator will be John Arbuckle, New York/tristate board president of DOCOMOMO (Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement) and co-chairman of the AIA (American Institute of Architects) New York Chapter Historic Buildings Committee. Featured speakers will include photographers Michael Biondo and Robert Gregson and Mary Thorp, founder of The Harry Bertoia Research Project.

Following lunch, participants will board private vans to reach each site, escorted by an architect or historian of the Modern Movement. An evening cocktail reception at the historical society will cap the day.

Tickets are $275 and can be purchased at nchistory.org.

 

 

 

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