Around Town

‘My Favorite Time’: The Glass House ‘Summer Party’ Set for June 6

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A world-famous architectural wonder in New Canaan- the primary National Trust for Historic Preservation Site in Connecticut- is preparing to hold its sole annual fundraiser. The Glass House will host its popular event, “The Summer Party,” on June 6. The party brings together people through art, dance, architecture and food, according to Kirsten Reoch, executive director of The Glass House. “We modeled it on the 1967 ‘Country Happening’ that happened on our site when Philip Johnson hosted this party,” Reoch told NewCanaanite.com. 

“We took that idea of having a sort of summer daytime picnic event that combines our own recreation and community building with performance art and visual arts,” she said. The Velvet Underground played at that inaugural “summer party” at The Glass House in New Canaan, Reoch noted. The modern-day event features many works of art, dance and music, she said.

Around Town

Glass House to Host Annual ‘Community Day’ on Aug. 21

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[The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.]

Every year, The Glass House hosts “Community Day”—a one-day event where the nonprofit organization gives away free tour tickets to residents on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s a way to “give back to the community and hopefully draw in people who’ve never been to the Glass House or just never felt that it was easy to get in to,” said Kirsten Reoch, the executive director of The Glass House. Each year, residents use a specific code to redeem their free tickets. This year Community Day will be held Thursday, Aug. 21, and that code is NEWCANAAN2025. 

“It’s a special opportunity to get to know new people,” Reoch said. 

“Tours are available on our website and using the code, residents can get up to four tickets,” she added.

News

Glass House ‘Summer Party’ Set for June 8 [Q&A]

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The Glass House’s celebrated annual fundraiser, The Summer Party, will be held 12 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 8. This year, attendees can explore the restored Brick House, in addition to the world-famous Glass House and other Philip Johnson structures on the 49-acre campus. We put some questions to Glass House Executive Director Kirsten Reoch ahead of the big party. Here’s our exchange. ***

New Canaanite: It’s a big year at The Glass House, the 75th anniversary as well as the long-awaited restoration and opening of the Brick House.

Around Town

Historic ‘Brick House’ Opens To the Public

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Though New Canaan’s prized centerpiece of Mid Century Modern architecture—the Glass House—has been open for public tours for nearly 20 years, to have it without its counterpart, the Brick House, “is actually to miss a key element of what Philip Johnson was trying to do,” according to architecture critic and writer Paul Goldberger. “Without the Brick House, the Glass House would not exist, not only because the mechanical systems are connected underground, sort of like an umbilical cord, but the joining is almost more important metaphorically as a reminder of different aspects of domestic life,” Goldberger told a crowd of Glass House staff members present and past, supporters, National Trust for Historic Preservation representatives and media members during a formal unveiling of the restored Brick House, held April 30 at the famed 49-acre historic site (the tour season is now open). “Every building, every resident, everywhere any of us live, has aspects of it that are public and aspects that are private,” he continued. “Johnson, very eager to explore that idea, that duality, and make it into kind of an architectural statement in itself, broke the public and private parts apart, and exaggerated both of them. The Glass House, with its transparency, symbolizes the ultimate public space.

Around Town

Meet Kirsten Reoch, the New Executive Director of The Glass House

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One of New Canaan’s best-known nonprofits has a new leader at the helm. 

The ownership organization of The Glass House property on Ponus Ridge (visitors center, store and offices on Elm Street), the National Trust for Historic Preservation, launched its nationwide search for a new executive director after Greg Sages announced in March that he was stepping down. This month, Kirsten Reoch started in the role. We met up with her at Le Pain Quotidien on Monday morning. Here’s a transcript of our interview. ***

New Canaanite: Kirsten, welcome and congratulations. When did you start at The Glass House and where are you coming from? 

Kirsten Reoch: I started Monday, September 11th, and I was coming from working at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City for 25 years, directing the renovation and restoration of that landmark building for arts-related uses. I worked with the board, and I worked with the production team, I worked with the architects and conservators, and I think that that experience is what made me a good fit here at The Glass House. 

Tell me more about that.