Want to Buy a Philip Johnson Home? (Or…Take a Tour of One?)

Philip Johnson’s “little jewel box” in New Canaan is for sale. Asking price? $3.5 million. The stone-and-glass, 1,773-square-foot home at 523 Oenoke Ridge Road has been on the market for about a year. It is the second house built by the distinguished architect.

Want to tour the house? You can this weekend Nov 15th and 16th from 12 to 4 pm. The admission price--$15--benefits the New Canaan Historical Society. Victoria Lyon Interiors of Old Greenwich is outfitting the home for the tour.

Part of a group of modernist Harvard-trained architects called the Harvard Five, Johnson is best known for his New Canaan’s Glass House, declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997. Harvard Five homes are considered the apex of high modernity. The little jewel box, a two-bedroom home with a gallery kitchen, has been called a livable version of the Glass House.

“The little jewel box is an inside-outside experience,” says realtor Prudy Parris of William Pitt Sotheby’s International. “It’s more spacious than you would think.” She adds, “This home is more than just number of bedrooms or square footage. It’s about mid-century modern appreciation. There are only about ninety of these homes left.” There is also a one bedroom, one bath guesthouse on the property.
Approximately two dozen of the Harvard Five’s New Canaan homes have already been torn down in favor of larger structures with wider appeal. Says Parris: “This home is an art collector’s dream.”
Owner Cristina Ross, who bought the house for $1.5 million three years ago, and who redid all major systems including roofs, walls, woodwork, plaster, and stonework, is awaiting a buyer. You, perhaps?

Sale Price: $3.5 million
On Market Since: approximately a year
Address: 523 Oenoke Ridge Rd, New Canaan
Style: Mid-Century Modern
Exterior: Stone
Color: Beige
2 BR, 2 full baths, 1,773 sq ft
Acres: 2.19
Year Built: 1953
Taxes: $15,899
School System: New Canaan
Pluses: high ceilings, fireplace, walled garden, 1 BR, 1 bath guesthouse
Agent: Prudy Parris, William Pitt Sotheby’s International, New Canaan (203) 326-1695; pparris@wpsir.com