The Fifth International Iconic Houses Conference will take place from May 15th to 18th at Dolce Norwalk, CT, USA. It explores early days of Modernism on the USA's East Coast and retraces its roots. The conference program does not only involve lectures, but also it is full with exclusive house tours. All who share a passion for the 20th Century residential masterpieces are invited.

There are many high-quality Modernist homes in New Canaan area. Lectures and house tours will focus on these unique homes. The architects who taught at Harvard are the reason behind the plenitude of Modernist homes in the area. They built houses for themselves and their friends. Philip Johnson and the architects of the Harvard Five built many of these houses. At the conference, experts will offer an insight about their role in Architectural History of the 20th century.

The Glass House by Philip Johnson. Image ©  Michael Biondo

The Glass House by Philip Johnson. Image © Eirik Johnson

Boissonas House by Philip Johnson. Image © Michael Biondo

Boissonas House by Philip Johnson. Image © Michael Biondo

"I first visited the area in 2011, and I was amazed by the houses here.Everyone knows about the Eames House and Case Study Houses on the West Coast, but the East Coast has been relatively under the radar, although Modernism landed here in America. So I wanted to share New Canaan and increase awareness about its architectural legacy," said Natascha Drabbe, conference chair and founding director of Iconic Houses Network.

Marcel Breuer House. Image © Ben Asen

Manitoga by Russel Wright and David Leavitt. Image © Vivian Linares

Schedule
15 May: Expert meetings for house museum professionals and owners of iconic homes
16 May: Pre-conference tours to three iconic houses upstate New York
17 May: Lectures followed by tours of iconic private homes in New Canaan
18 May: Lectures followed by tours of iconic private homes in and around New Canaan
19 -21 May: Post-conference house tours in Cape Cod, Cambridge and Lincoln, MA

Goodyear House by John Johansen. Image courtesy of Iconic Houses Foundation

John Rayward House/ Tirranna by Frank Lloyd Wright. Image courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence

Exclusive House Tours

Wednesday, May 16 (optional pre-conference session): The Marcel Breuer House in the Pocantico Hills of Tarrytown; Russel Wright’s home and studio Manitoga in Garrison; the Usonia community and the Roland Reisley House (Frank Lloyd Wright), a Usonian Home in Pleasantville, NY.

Thursday, May 17: Philip Johnson masterpieces including his own iconic Glass House and three private houses; the Alice Ball House; Boissonnas House and Hodgson House.

Friday, May 18: Harvard Five masterpieces including the family home of Eliot Noyes; the Goodyear House by John Johansen; the John Rayward House, aka Tirranna, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s last grand works and Richard Meier's iconic Smith House in Darien.

Saturday, May 19 – Monday, May 21: An optional three-day post-conference trip to the modest Modernist holiday homes on Cape Cod, which also takes in Cambridge and ends with Boston’s Gropius House. Tours on Cape Cod include houses designed by Serge Chermayeff, Jack Hall, Paul Weidlinger and Charlie Zehnder.

Hodgson House by Philip Johnson. Image © Nikolas Koenig

Hodgson House by Philip Johnson. Image © Francois Dischinger

Hatch House by Jack Hall. Image © Antoine Lorgnier

Walter Gropius House. Image courtesy of Historic New England

Top image: In conference banner, left: The Glass House, image © Michael Biondo. Right: Manitoga, image © Vivian Linares, courtesy of Iconic Houses Foundation

Full program and registration details can be seen from here.

> via Iconic Houses Foundation