City Icons: Amsterdam - Final Call!

An Elementalist and Mediterranean Architecture

MORE MIES - Pure Architecture in Haus Lange Haus Esters

Through a Bauhaus Lens: Edith Tudor-Hart and Isokon

Modernism Week Lecture: 10 Years of Iconic Houses

Aluminaire House Grand Opening

Exhibition Icons of the Czech Avant-Garde

Icon for Sale - Loos Villa: Haus Horner

SPECIAL – Iconic Dreams Europe - Sleep in an Iconic House!

SPECIAL – German Greats!

SPECIAL - Vacances en France!

SPECIAL - Casas Icónicas en España!

SPECIAL – Dutch Delights!

SPECIAL – Iconic Artist Residencies

SPECIAL – Northern (High)Lights!

SPECIAL – Iconic Housing

SPECIAL – Women & Iconic Houses

Winy Wants a World Wonder

Welcome Atelier Volten!

Public Screenings and Private Streaming of Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House

Sleep in a Modernist Gem – Huis Billiet in Bruges

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - 100 Years Van Zessen House

Exclusive Tour and Film Screening Package

The Last House Designed by Adolf Loos Will Be Built in Prague

Icons of the Czech Avantgarde

Icon for Sale - Casa Legorreta

Rietveld Day: 200 Enthusiasts Explored 3 Utrecht Icons

Hurray! 10 Years Iconic Houses

7th International Iconic Houses Conference A Huge Success

Meet Conference Co-Chair Iveta Černá

Meet Conference Co-Chair Maria Szadkowska

Eighteen Iconic Houses Under One Roof

17 June - 'Pioneers-film' Screening Amersfoort

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Van Eesteren House Museum

Welcome Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky Zentrum in Vienna!

Welcome Vila Volman! Jewel of Czech Functionalism

Movie Night: Adolf Loos- Revolutionary Among Architects

'Inside Iconic Houses' Case Study House #26 Webcast in Webshop

Inside Iconic Houses at Taut’s Home in Berlin

Rediscovering Forgotten Loos Interiors in Pilsen

'Inside Iconic Houses' - Online Tour Program

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - The Diagoon House

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Rietveld Schröder House

Rietveld Houses Owners Association

Corberó Space: New Life for Hidden Jewel

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Pierre Cuypers' House and Workshops

Reeuwijk Celebrates Completion of Restoration Rietveld Homes!

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Van Doesburg Rinsema House

Welcome Rietveld's Van Daalen House!

Architect Harry Gessner Passed Away at 97

Watch Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House Now On Demand

Icon Saved: Dorchester Drive House

Welcome Umbrella House!

Iconic Houses in the Netherlands – Berlage’s Masterpiece

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Het Schip

Inside Iconic Houses - Tour of Maison Cazenave

Inside Iconic Houses Tours Vizcaya Museum & Gardens in Miami

Casa Masó Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

Inside Iconic Houses tours Roland Reisley's Usonian Frank Lloyd Wright House

Rietveld’s Experimental Housing in Reeuwijk Saved

Serralves Villa after restoration

Portraits of the Architect - Interview with Gennaro Postiglione

Test Labs for New Ideas - Interview with Natascha Drabbe

Inside Iconic Houses - Isokon Building

Inside Iconic Houses - 16 December: Sunnylands with Janice Lyle

BCN-BXL Coderch-De Koninck - Beyond Time

New Chairman Architect Nanne de Ru on The Perfect Platform

Health and Home - Interview with Beatriz Colomina

A Life Less Ordinary – Interview with Valentijn Carbo

Invisible Women - Interview with Alice T. Friedman

Winy Maas on the Green Dip

Anita Blom on Experimental Housing of the 1970s

Women’s Worlds - Interview with Natalie Dubois

The Culture of Living - Interview with Robert von der Nahmer

Hetty Berens: A Fresh Take on Modernism

Niek Smit on Supporting Modern Heritage

Alice Roegholt on Amsterdam’s Working-Class Palaces

July is Iconic Houses Month

Hans van Heeswijk on The Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House

Wessel de Jonge on Dutch Icons at Risk

Save Maison Zilveli - Sign the Petition!

How a Building Tells a Story - Recorded Event

Toolkit for Owners of a Modern House

13 Aalto Sites Nominated for UNESCO World Heritage

Villa Beer At Risk - Sign the Petition!

Business Cards of Stone, Timber and Concrete in the Brussels Region 1830-1970

Exhibiting & Visiting Modernist Monuments

Fostering Well-Researched Responsible Design

ICONS AT RISK

Enjoy a virtual visit to the California House and a Q&A with architect Peter Gluck

Exhibition 'Modernism and Refuge'

A Hidden Gem of Postmodernism

New Centre for Historic Houses of India

An Online Chronicle of the Douglas House

Villa Henny, geometric style icon in The Netherlands

A Mendini temple in Amsterdam

IH-lectures USA & Canada Feb 2020 on Melnikov House

Sponsors and Friends

An Afternoon with the Glucks

Chandler McCoy on Making Modern Houses Sustainable

Catherine Croft: Getting Away from the Demolition Mentality in the UK

Patrick Weber on Discovering an Unknown Icon

Fiona Fisher on Iconic Interiors

Jocelyn Bouraly on Villa Cavrois

Mireia Massagué on finding success through a new kind of partnership

Danish Moderns – Looking Back at Our Mini-Seminar

Venturo house complements Exhibition Centre WeeGee’s offering

Lecture report: Remembering Richard Neutra

Hôtel Mezzara and the Guimard Museum project

We welcome 13 new members!

BREAKING NEWS: 8 Wright Sites Inscribed on Unesco World Heritage List!

LECTURE 29 August - Raymond Neutra: My Father and Frank Lloyd Wright

Iconic Reads

Our Badge of Honour

Iconic Houses End Year Message

City-ordered rebuild of landmark house stirs debate: Appropriate or overreach?

Kohlberg House Restoration in Progress

Planned Demolition of Rietveld Homes in Reeuwijk

Renovation Gili House in Crisis

An Iconic Saga

Restoring Eileen Gray’s Villa E-1027 and Clarifying the Controversies

Modernism on the East Coast

Iconic Houses in Latin America

Conference testimonials

House Tours May 2018 

Expert Meetings

Natascha Drabbe - Iconic Houses: The Next Chapter

Terence Riley -KEYNOTE SPEAKER- on Philip Johnson

New era for Villa E-1027 and Cap Moderne

Hilary Lewis on Philip Johnson and his Glass House

John Arbuckle on Great House Tours

William D. Earls on the Harvard Five in New Canaan

Stover Jenkins on Working for Philip Johnson

Frederick Noyes on his Father’s House

Scott Fellows and Craig Bassam on their Passion for Preservation

Jorge Liernur -KEYNOTE SPEAKER- on Latin American Modernism(s)

Fabio Grementieri on Modernism in Argentina

Catalina Corcuera Cabezut on Casa Luis Barragán

Renato Anelli on Lina Bo Bardi’s Casa de Vidro

Tim McClimon on Corporate Preservation

Amanda Nelson on Building Donor Relationships

John Bacon on Planned Giving

Jean-Paul Warmoes on the Art of Fundraising in America

Chandler McCoy on Why Less is More

Katherine Malone-France on Moving with the Times

Anne Mette Rahbæk on Philanthropic Investments and Preservation

Peter McMahon on Saving Modern Houses on Cape Cod

Toshiko Kinoshita on Japanese Modern Heritage Houses

Roland Reisley on Life in a Frank Lloyd Wright House

5th Iconic Houses Conference May 2018

Kristin Stone, Pasadena Tour Company

Restoring the past: The Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Home Studio

Behind the Scenes: Hendrick de Keyser Association

Crosby Doe, Architecture for Sale

Latin America Special – Focus on Mexico

De Stijl in Drachten

Preserving the Nancarrow House-Studio

Meet the Friends - Nanne de Ru

Latin America Special – Focus on Brazil

Jan de Jong’s House is Latest Hendrick de Keyser Acquisition

Stay in a Belgian Modernist Masterpiece

In Berlin’s Modernist Network

Rietveld-Schröder House Celebrates De Stijl Anniversary

Meet Our New Foundation Board Members

Maintaining Aalto's Studio – Linoleum Conservation

Virtual Tour of a Papaverhof Home in 3D

Getty Grant for Villa E-1027

Plečnik House in Ljubljana

Iconic Dacha

Iconic Houses: A Bohemian Road Trip

Work in Progress: Capricho de Gaudí

11 Le Corbusier Homes now on Unesco World Heritage List

At home with Le Corbusier

Henry van de Velde’s Study in Haus Hohe Pappeln Restored

Lynda Waggoner reports

A Conference to Remember

4th International Iconic Houses Conference

Guest of Honor - Harry Gesner

Fallingwater: European Lecture Tour

Wright Plus 2016 Walk

Susan Macdonald, Getty Conservation Institute

John Mcllwee, Garcia House

Meet the Friends – Elisabeth Tostrup

Iconic Houses: The Story So Far

Willie van Burgsteden, designer Iconic Houses

Buff Kavelman, Philanthropic Advisor

Meet the Friends - Frederick Noyes

Sheridan Burke, GML Heritage

Meet the Friends - Raymond Neutra

Sidney Williams, Frey House

Franklin Vagnone and Deborah Ryan, Museum Anarchists

Meet the Friends - James Haefner

Toshiko Mori, architect

Malachi Connolly, Cape Cod Modern House Trust

Meet the Friends - Penny Sparke

Lucia Dewey Atwood, Eames House

Cory Buckner, Mutual Housing Site Office

Jeffrey Herr, Hollyhock House

Speaking Volumes: Building the Iconic Houses Library

Sarah Lorenzen, Neutra VDL Studio and Residences

Ted Bosley, Gamble House

Keeping It Modern - Getty Conservation Grants

Meet the Friends - Thomas Schönauer

Wim de Wit, Stanford University

Linda Dishman, Los Angeles Conservancy

Jesse Lattig, Pasadena Heritage

Join us in Los Angeles! Update

Work in Progress: Casa Vicens

Work in Progress: Van Wassenhove House

Work in Progress: Villa Cavrois

Work in Progress: The Pearlroth House

Conference calls!

Follow us!

Third Iconic Houses Conference a huge success

Conference House Tours Barcelona

Marta Lacambra, Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera

Natascha Drabbe, Iconic Houses Foundation

Special speaker Oscar Tusquets

Jordi Tresserras, UNESCO Network ‘Culture, tourism and development’

Christen Obel, Utzon Foundation

Elena Ruiz Sastre, Casa Broner

Fernando Alvarez Prozorovich, La Ricarda

Tim Benton, Professor of Art History (Emeritus)

Susana Landrove, Docomomo Spain

Rossend Casanova, Casa Bloc

Conference Program 25 November 2014

Jordi Falgàs, Casa Rafael Masó

Documentary La Ricarda

Marga Viza, Casa Míla/La Pedrera

Celeste Adams, Frank Lloyd Wright Trust

Conference 25 November 2014 at La Pedrera

Henry Urbach, The Glass House

Victoria & Albert Museum London November 12

Tommi Lindh, new director of the Alvar Aalto Foundation and Museum

Iveta Černá, Villa Tugendhat

Lynda Waggoner, Fallingwater

Kimberli Meyer, MAK Center

Rent a house designed by Gerrit Rietveld

Barragán House on Screen

Gesamtkunstwerk – An Icon on the Move

Triennale der Moderne 27 September - 13 October 2013

Prestigious Art Nouveau mansions in Brussels open

September 14 + 15: Heritage Days in Paris

June's New Arrivals: Museum Apartments

Iconic Houses is now on Twitter and Facebook

Corbu’s Cabanon: Reconstruction and Lecture

Projekt Mies In Krefeld: Life-sized model of the Krefeld Clubhouse

New arrivals: Spain special

MAMO: Le Corbu’s ‘Park in the Sky’ open 12 June

Taut's Home wins Europa Nostra Award

Annual Wright Architectural Housewalk: 18 May

Frank Lloyd Wright Homes on Screen

Message from the Editor

Neutra’s House on Screen

Michel Richard, Fondation Le Corbusier

Symposium The Public and the Modern House

Melnikov House on Screen

Iconic Houses in the media

Message from the Editor

Round Table Review

Eileen Gray House on Screen

Copy Culture

At Home in the 20th Century

New 20th century Iconic Houses website launches

Philippe Bélaval, Centre des monuments nationaux

29 July 2018

Modernism on the East Coast

Conference Round Up Day 1: Modernism on the East Coast – Philip Johnson and the Harvard Five

Our biannual international conference in Norwalk (New Canaan), CT, highlighted the important contribution of this talented group of architects - while sharing the knowledge and experience of the experts and enthusiasts preserving this unique residential heritage.

Your Verdict - A Runaway Success!

'A thrill'...'Wonderful!'...'Energizing and encouraging'...'A great opportunity to meet and learn from others'... 'Impressive'...'An unforgettable experience!'...'A great inspiration!'...'A special, family atmosphere!'...'Seamless and truly rich'...

These were just some of your comments on the conference. See your comments in full here - and, if you haven't already done so, please send us your feedback.

See our sizzle reel of the lecture part of the conference here and for the complete photo gallery, including the house tours, follow this link.

 

The day-by-day schedule of the Fifth International Iconic Houses Conference can be found here

Retracing the route taken by Modernism on its arrival on the East Coast of the USA, the Fifth International Iconic Houses Conference took as one of its main themes Philip Johnson and the Harvard Five.

In the 1940s, this group of five modern architects from Harvard, all of whom were inspired by Bauhaus, settled in the bucolic town of New Canaan, CT, where they stirred up an experimental modernist movement in the sleepy New England town. Marcel Breuer, Eliot Noyes, Landis Gores, John Johansen and Philip Johnson established what would become a centre of experimental Modern residential design. Their informal network later became known, of course, as the Harvard Five.

Our conference offered insights into the role of architect Philip Johnson and the Harvard Five in the 20th century, and their enduring relevance today. Their unique houses were the focus of our conference lectures and house tours. Over 100 iconic house owners, house museum managers and curators, experts and enthusiasts gathered together to visit the homes, sharing experiences, challenges and successes in the light of the Harvard Modernists - some of whom, like Marcel Breuer, had a global impact, working in Latin America (the subject of our second conference theme) and mentoring architects who took their influence still further afield.

Many of the tours included homes not normally open to the public, and often we were welcomed  by the house residents themselves - including Roland Reisley of the Reisley House in Usonia, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. A Q&A session with Reisley and Lynda Waggoner (of Fallingwater) at the VIP Kick-Off (held at Richard Meier's Smith House) explored the amazing adventure of being Lloyd Wright's client. Unique insights like Reisley's abounded. Frederick Noyes was another example, showing us round the house his father built, the Noyes House II, which remains a family home.

Keynote Address by Terence Riley:
Philip Johnson - Portrait of the Curator as a Young Man

In the lecture hall too, speakers gave us the inside story. Keynote speaker Terence Riley - although unable to be physically present due to adverse weather conditions - kept us spellbound with tales of Philip Johnson's formative years, building up a picture of the unique qualities that led to his staggering influence on American architecture over four decades. In the panel discussion that followed, moderated by Hilary Lewis, Chief Curator & Creative Director at The Glass House, plus architects John Arbuckle, President of DOCOMOMO New York/Tri-State, Stover Jenkins, co-author of The Houses of Philip Johnson and William D. Earls, explored more facets of the important architect and the Harvard Five.

In addition, architect Frederick Noyes told us about his childhood home, the Noyes House II (1954) in New Canaan. Designed by his father Eliot Noyes and included on the National Register of Historic Places, the house’s unique composition — two enclosures for public and private functions connected by an open air courtyard — remains highly provocative.

Then we heard from Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows, the private owners of the Hodgson House (1951), designed by Philip Johnson in New Canaan. They are in the process of restoring the house meticulously, and they told us how their curatorial approach is bringing the house into line with 21st-century requirements.

Watch the conference lectures on Johnson and the Harvard Five (below), or follow this link to all the video lectures.

Terence Riley
Panel Discussion
 
Frederick Noyes
Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows
 

Click on the photos for conference words of welcome from Iconic Houses founder Natascha Drabbe, plus an interview with Tim McClimon, President of the American Express Foundation, our conference Lead Sponsor

 
Natascha Drabbe, Conference Chair, founder Iconic Houses Tim McClimon, President of the American Express Foundation  

Click on the photos below to read our interviews with the speakers

Natascha DrabbeTerence Riley 
Hilary LewisStover Jenkins 
William D. EarlsJohn Arbuckle 
Frederick NoyesCraig Bassam and Scott Fellows 

House Tours

The House Tours in the afternoon explored four private houses designed by Philip Johnson in New Canaan: the Alice Ball House, Boissonnas House, Hodgson House, and the iconic Glass House.

The Ball House is one of five Philip Johnson houses in the New Canaan area, situated on the most coveted street and built immediately after the completion of the Glass House. A minimal and modest house, it is surrounded by multi-milion-dollar mansions. Current owner architect Reja Bakh explained to us his plans to leave the house intact while building another house of his own design to the rear of the site. A way to preserve the Johnson property could be to use it as a show house or art gallery.

The opportunity to tour the world-famous Glass House was a major reason to hold our conference in New Canaan. One of the few houses on our tour schedule that is actually a house museum, it opened to the public in 2007. Its design is simple: an open plan, interrupted only by a circular brick bathroom and with a kitchen concealed under a sleek walnut folding bar. Ventilation is provided by floor-to-ceiling doors on all sides that can be opened to the elements. With this house and 14 other structures he designed for the 49-acre site, Johnson created a fascinating private world here for himself and his friends.

One of Philip Johnsons's other masterpieces is the Boissonnas House. Owners Bill Matassoni and Pam Valentine welcomed each of our groups personally and after their introduction allowed us discover the grounds. The house is in perfect condition and very liveable. A nice detail is that the kitchen remains in its original state, revealing the simpler requirements of that time. An easy and practical solution involved putting two small ovens in here, in place of one big one. In most cases, the kitchen - like the bathroom - is the first to go. This solution ensures that the rhythm of the cabinets remains intact, while enabling the required oven capacity.

The residents of the Hodsgon House are renovating the building expertly and lovingly. Architect Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows tell us all about it in their lecture, and they were both present during our tour.


Click on the above photo for the complete photo gallery

Save the Date: Our Next Conference!

Our Sixth International Conference will take place on June 2 - 8, 2020, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. See you there!

Stay tuned for regular updates about our next conference and Iconic Houses lecture series and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Posted on 19 July 2018