Explore the creative synergies between architecture and design as you spend two fascinating days in New York City and Connecticut in a tour led by architecture and urban studies specialist William Keene. Begin with a visit to the Cooper Hewitt, the Smithsonian’s design museum in Manhattan, to see the results of a recent multi-year transformation of the 1903 Carnegie Mansion—involving 13 leading design firms—that has dramatically expanded and reimagined the museum’s 4 floors of exhibition space. Visitors can experience the Cooper Hewitt’s collection of historic and contemporary design works through a full range of new interactive capabilities, and view 10 inaugural exhibitions that focus on the practice and the products of design in its varied forms.
The Glass House, completed by Philip Johnson in 1949, is an icon of the international style, a stunning residence with an open floor plan and exterior walls made entirely of glass, a radical departure from houses of the time. It is the centerpiece of Johnson’s compound in New Canaan, Connecticut, that also houses a guest house, lake pavilion, painting and sculpture galleries, and other innovative and experimental structures, all set in 49 beautiful acres. Participants visit the Glass House and four other Johnson-designed buildings, and are guided on a 3/4-mile walking tour of the site’s pastoral landscape.
Yale’s campus offers a look at three centuries of architecture and urbanism, and includes great modern works by Louis Khan, Eero Saarinen, Philip Johnson, Cesar Pelli, and Frank Gehry. Keene connects its architectural landmarks with the design innovations and traditions reflected in the Glass House and the Cooper Hewitt’s collections.
On May 8, tour departs by bus from the Mayflower Hotel, Connecticut Ave. and DeSales St., N.W., with a stop at Holiday Inn Laurel West, 15101 Sweitzer Lane in Laurel, Maryland, at about 8:40 a.m.
Single-room supplement $85
Singles registering at the double-room rate are paired (on a nonsmoking basis) if possible, but must pay the single-room supplement if not. Participants purchase dinner on their own on Friday night. Overnight accommodations are at the new EVEN Hotel in Norwalk, Connecticut, focused on green technology and modern design. Detailed information is mailed approximately four weeks prior to departure. The purchase of travel insurance is recommended on all overnight tours.
Other Connections
John Maeda, president of the Rhode Island School of Design, narrates a visit to the Glass House, filmed over some picture-perfect spring days.
