The Style & Design 100

See Right Through It

Celebrated for its breathtaking simplicity, Philip Johnson's Glass House has oft been photographed but has never been open to the public, until now. Starting this month, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is offering preview tours of the 47-acre Glass House compound in New Canaan, Conn. The full schedule starts in August.

Completed in 1949, the one-room glass-walled house, considered a masterwork of the 20th century, introduced Americans to the glass-and-steel Modernism that had been developing in Europe.

Johnson continued to add buildings to the land around the house until his death in 2005 at 98, crafting a sweeping survey of architectural change over five decades. His painting and sculpture galleries, filled with works by Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg and others, will also be open for viewing. (See philipjohnsonglasshouse.org for tickets)