Interior of the Glass House, by Philip Johnson, 1945-49 (Photo: Erik Johnson)
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 Bill Keene.
Begin with a docent-led walk along the High Line, the public park built on a 1930s elevated freight rail line that runs from the Meatpacking District (site of the new Whitney Museum) to West 34th Street. The High Line’s innovative design takes its cues from its historic roots, and the plantings along its length are inspired by the self-seeded landscape that grew on the out-of-use tracks during the 25 years after trains stopped running.
The project has become an international icon of superior design and the innovative repurposing of aging urban infrastructure. The tour and follow-up discussion address the High Line’s history, design, horticulture, and art, as well as how the project became a dynamic force in stimulating development along the lower West Side.
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 structures, all set in 49 beautiful acres. Participants visit the Glass House and other Johnson-designed buildings, and are guided on a 3/4-mile walking tour of the site’s pastoral landscape.
A walking tour of Yale’s campus offers a look at three centuries of architecture and urbanism, and focuses on great modern works by Louis Khan, Eero Saarinen, Philip Johnson, Cesar Pelli, and Paul Rudolph. Keene connects its architectural landmarks with the design innovations and traditions reflected in the Glass House and the High Line.
Tour includes significant walking and standing.
GENERAL DETAILS
- Cost includes bus transportation, lodging, tour staff, all activities, admissions and fees, gratuities, and most meals (one breakfast and dinner and two lunches). A stop will be made on the return trip to purchase a meal.
- Overnight accommodations are in Norwalk, Connecticut.
- Tour departs by bus from the Mayflower Hotel, Connecticut Ave. and DeSales St., NW, with a stop at the DoubleTree Hilton Laurel, 15101 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, Maryland, at about 8:40 a.m.
- Single-room supplement $65 (factored into the Single Room Member and Single Room Non-Member pricing).
- Singles registering at the double-room rate are paired (on a nonsmoking basis) if possible, but must pay the single-room supplement otherwise.
- Detailed information is mailed to registrants about four weeks prior to departure.
- Registrants may want to consider purchasing trip insurance.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit
