Around Town

‘We Are Part of the Community’: Glass House Spotlights, Bolsters Tour Offerings for Locals

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Christa Carr recalls the tremendous anticipation that surrounded the opening to the public of the Glass House in 2006. Handed over to the National Trust for Historic Preservation 20 years prior, it opened to tourists following the passing of its world-renowned architect and occupant, Philip Johnson, in 1985, and those tours essentially “sold out for the first two years,” said Carr, communications director for the Glass House. “Everybody knew Philip Johnson,” she recalled on a recent afternoon in downtown New Canaan, at a coffee shop around the corner from the Visitor Center and Design Store downtown, where buses depart 12 times per day on weekdays for the 47-acre Ponus Ridge property. “It was a real treat to be invited to Philip Johnson’s house when he was alive.”

And it’s a treat to go now, though to this point, the overwhelming majority of visitors are out-of-towners. In 2014, statistics from the Glass House shows, during the site’s May 1 to Nov.

Business

Four Locals Join New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Board

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The New Canaan Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce four new members to the Board of Directors. The new members include: Rachel Lampen with the HamletHub, Michelle Mauro of South End Restaurant, Christa Carr of the Glass House and Phil Williams, owner of New Canaan Music. The Chamber has 21 Board members that all share their expertise, ideas, and time to help promote New Canaan and all it has to offer. “We have a great team and I feel so fortunate to work with each and everyone one of these talented members” said Tucker Murphy, Executive Director of the Chamber. The Chamber would also like to thank Diane Roth and Keith Simpson for their time on the Board and service to the Chamber.

Around Town

Branches, Trees (and Some Power) Down in New Canaan after Thunderstorm

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About 123 New Canaan homes were without power at 4 p.m. Friday as the town bounced back from overnight thunderstorms that saw downed branches and in some cases, trees, throughout town. Areas that include Lapham and Silvermine Roads saw downed trees, though no serious injuries or road closures were reported, said First Selectman Rob Mallozzi, who did a drive-around New Canaan in the thunderstorm’s aftermath on Friday morning. Christa Carr who lives at Silvermine and Rilling Ridge Roads had a harrowing experience. She and her family were out getting pizza when the storm hit around 8 p.m., she said. “We came home to find our driveway blocked by the tree and parked in our neighbor’s driveway and jumped the stone wall and got in from the back garden all in the middle of thunder and lightning,” she said.