Urban Glass House is a
condominium building designed by American architect
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005) was an American architect best known for his works of modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the po ...
located in the
Hudson Square
Hudson Square is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by Clarkson Street to the north, Canal Street to the south, Varick Street to the east, and the Hudson River to the west. To the north of the neig ...
neighborhood of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
Completed in 2006, it was Johnson's final project, as he did not live to see construction finished.
The building's name is a reference to Johnson's earlier
Glass House
The Glass House, or Johnson house, is a historic house museum on Ponus Ridge Road in New Canaan, Connecticut built in 1948–49. It was designed by architect Philip Johnson as his own residence. It has been called his "signature work".
The Glas ...
, located in
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census.
About an hour from Manhattan by train, the town is considered part of Connecticut's Gold Coast. The town is bound ...
, although the urban building bears little resemblance to the original.
The interiors were designed by
Annabelle Selldorf
Annabelle Selldorf (born 1960) is a German-born architect and founding principal of Selldorf Architects, a New York City-based architecture practice. She is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) and the recipient of the 2016 AIA ...
, an American designer and architect.
The building saw a downturn in sales after the construction of a
New York City Department of Sanitation
The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is the department of the government of New York City responsible for garbage collection, recycling collection, street cleaning, and snow removal.
The DSNY motto "New York's Strongest" was coined ...
garage across the street was announced in 2007.
Development
![Glasshouse-philip-johnson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Glasshouse-philip-johnson.jpg)
The building was initially to be developed by restauranter and developer Antonio Vendome. Vendome commissioned Johnson to create a building of multi-colored bricks which, unlike the current design, eschewed right angles and was asymmetrical, atypical for Johnson.
[ This plan was referred to as a "living sculpture". The original plans also called for a significantly taller building, at twenty stories high.][ Due to zoning restrictions, this plan was abandoned. During development, Vendome withdrew from the project, selling his stake to three other developers: Charles Blaichman, Scott Sabbagh, and Abram Shnay. The three asked Johnson to draw from his past designs, including the ]Seagram Building
The Seagram Building is a skyscraper at 375 Park Avenue, between 52nd and 53rd Streets, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with minor assistance from Philip Johnson, Ely Jacques Kahn, ...
, to inform the plans for the structure.[ After Alan Ritchie, Johnson's architectural partner, suggested an homage to Johnson's original Glass House, plans were changed to reflect that idea. After the redesign, SLCE Architects was brought in to refine and complete the structure due to Johnson's impending retirement, and, ultimately, his death.][
Annabel Selldorf, responsible for the building's interiors, also drew inspiration from the original Glass House. She incorporated, for example, herringbone floors similar to those in the Johnson house, albeit made of white oak, rather than brick.][
]
Sanitation Department controversy
Not long after the building began sales, the New York City Department of Sanitation
The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is the department of the government of New York City responsible for garbage collection, recycling collection, street cleaning, and snow removal.
The DSNY motto "New York's Strongest" was coined ...
announced the construction of a truck garage across the street, at 353 Spring, which sparked controversy and a downturn in sales. The space was originally occupied by a UPS lot and a smaller Department of Sanitation building.[ During development, purchasers were made aware that a high rise or a garage could someday occupy the space.][ The new structure drew ire due to worries that it would obscure views of the ]Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
for many of the residences in the building.[
Efforts to prevent the structure's construction failed, despite support from celebrities including ]James Gandolfini
James Joseph Gandolfini Jr. (; September 18, 1961 – June 19, 2013) was an American actor. For his role as Tony Soprano, the Italian-American Mafia crime boss in HBO's television series ''The Sopranos'', he won three Emmy Awards, five Screen ...
, Lou Reed, John Slattery
John M. Slattery Jr. (born August 13, 1962) is an American actor and director widely known for his role as Roger Sterling Jr. in the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–15), for which he was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award fo ...
, and Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence.
Pos ...
. A garage designed by Dattner Architects was eventually erected on the site; later, a salt storage shed, also designed by Dattner, was built as well. The two new structures, after completion, received with praise as " neof the best examples of new public architecture in the city" and "a boon to the neighborhood".[
]
Usage and residents
The building is primarily residential, with forty apartments.[ Amenities include bicycle storage and an in house fitness facility.][ There is also ground level retail and a restaurant, which belongs to Antonio Vendome, the original developer of the property.
]Marina Abramović
Marina Abramović ( sr-Cyrl, Марина Абрамовић, ; born November 30, 1946) is a Serbian conceptual and performance artist. Her work explores body art, endurance art, feminist art, the relationship between the performer and audi ...
lived in the building until 2014. Sol Kerzner
Solomon Kerzner, (23 August 1935 – 21 March 2020) was a South African accountant and business magnate. He founded both of South Africa's largest hotel groups, the Southern Sun Hotel Group and Sun International. He was also the Founder, Chair ...
has also owned a residence in the building.
See also
* Architecture of New York City
The building form most closely associated with New York City is the skyscraper, which has shifted many commercial and residential districts from low-rise to high-rise. Surrounded mostly by water, the city has amassed one of the largest and most ...
* List of works by Philip Johnson
References
External links
*
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Residential buildings completed in 2006
Philip Johnson buildings
Residential skyscrapers in Manhattan
Hudson Square