The Glass House

What The Glass House does

The Glass House is a National Trust Historic Site located on a 49-acre pastoral estate in New Canaan, Connecticut, comprising 14 modernist structures designed by architect Philip Johnson between 1949 and 1995. The site functioned as Johnson's personal residence and lived-in art collection with his partner David Whitney until 2005, when it was transferred to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Glass House operates as a nonprofit historic site running guided and self-guided tours on a seasonal calendar (April–December, 2026 season April 16 – December 14), with all access controlled through a Visitor Center and Design Store at 199 Elm Street in downtown New Canaan and on-site transport via shuttle.

The core product is a tiered set of tour experiences priced from $25 (one-hour basic tour) to $250 per person (private tours), supplemented by a three-tier membership program ($75–$250 annually), a Design Store (physical and e-commerce), an Art Editions program ($400–$25,000 per work), private event rental at the Glass House and Painting Gallery, and a partnership with Bloomberg Connects for a digital guide. The site hosts rotating exhibitions, including the 2026 "Tomashi Jackson and Robert Rauschenberg: The Catch One" exhibition marking Rauschenberg's centennial, and serves cultural tourists, architecture and design enthusiasts, members, and corporate/private event clients. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the organization is privately funded by the National Trust through tour income, memberships, sponsorships (e.g., Design Within Reach as Lead Sponsor), donations, and retail.

The Glass House draws 13,000+ annual visitors and maintains a 59-person staff. Marketing is multi-channel: direct website, email newsletter, Instagram, earned media coverage, and the Bloomberg Connects app. Strategic operational priorities are preservation (notably a completed $1.8 million Brick House restoration in 2024), programming renewal through foundation partnerships, and continued revenue diversification through memberships, retail, and art editions.

Name

The Glass House

Legal name

The Glass House

Website

https://theglasshouse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Glass House is a National Trust Historic Site in New Canaan, Connecticut, operating tours of Philip Johnson's 14-structure modernist estate for 13,000+ annual cultural tourists, architecture enthusiasts, and corporate and private event clients, funded by tickets, memberships, retail, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historic Site and Cultural Tourism Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (71211)

akta.pro primary industry

Observation Decks & Viewing Platforms (THAJACAA)

Keywords

• Historic site tours
• Modernist architecture preservation
• Cultural tourism experiences
• Museum membership programs
• Architectural heritage tours

Headquarters

HQ city

New Canaan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tour Admissions: The primary revenue stream comes from ticket sales for various tour experiences ranging from 1-hour basic tours to 3-hour in-depth tours. Pricing varies by weekday/weekend and tour type, from $25 for basic tours up to $250 per person for private tours.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership tiers (Studio $75, Monument $150, Pavilion $250, Gallery level) offering discounts on tour tickets and design store purchases, plus access to special programming.
3. Design Store: E-commerce retail operation selling modernist-inspired gifts and books, both online and at the Visitor Center.
4. Art Editions Program: Curated selection of exclusive artworks from contemporary artists inspired by the Glass House architecture. Proceeds support preservation initiatives, exhibitions, and programs. Prices range from $400 to $25,000.
5. Site Rental and Private Events: The Glass House and Painting Gallery are available for private event rentals, including corporate events and personal celebrations. Customized tours and catering options are offered.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Glass House is a National Trust Historic Site featuring 14 modernist architectural structures on a 49-acre pastoral landscape in New Canaan, Connecticut, including the iconic Glass House (1949) designed by Philip Johnson. The site offers guided and self-guided tours of its architecture and permanent collection of 20th-century painting and sculpture, along with rotating exhibitions, a Design Store, an Art Editions program, private event rentals, and annual memberships.

Product overview

The Glass House offers tour-based visitor experiences as its primary offering, with multiple tour formats ranging from 1-hour introductory tours to 3-hour in-depth experiences. Tour products include: Glass House Tour (1 Hour), Glass House + Galleries Tour (2 Hours), Extended Tour (2.5 Hours), Golden Hour Tour (2 hours), Self-Guided Sundays, Third Thursdays Self-Guided Evenings, Private Tours (up to 3 hours), Group Tours, and In-Depth Tours (3 Hours). Supporting offerings include a Design Store (retail), Art Editions Program (exclusive art sales), Site Rental for private events, and a Membership Program with tiered benefits. A Bloomberg Connects Digital Guide provides supplementary digital content for visitors. The site also hosts rotating exhibitions, programs, and events including 'Glass House Presents' talks and performances.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Glass House Design Store: A design store offering curated exclusive artworks from contemporary artists inspired by the Glass House architecture, as well as modernist-inspired books and objects. Proceeds support preservation initiatives, exhibitions, and programs.
• Glass House Editions Program

Products and services

• Glass House Tour (1 Hour)

Quantifiable outcome

• 13,000+ annual visitors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Robert Rauschenberg FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2026Partnership for the exhibition 'Tomashi Jackson and Robert Rauschenberg: The Catch One' (April 16 - December 14, 2026) marking Rauschenberg's centennial. Features newly commissioned paintings by Jackson in dialogue with works from The Glass House collection.
• National Trust for Historic PreservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National Trust for Historic Preservation owns and operates The Glass House as a historic site. The organization is committed to safeguarding and interpreting modern architecture, landscape, and art, and to inspiring new generations through experiential programming.
• Design Within ReachcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLead Sponsor for Patron Society and Architecture + Design Circle programs. Design Within Reach's essential role in preserving this iconic site for future generations is recognized by The Glass House.
• Bloomberg ConnectscoreTechnology or IntegrationBloomberg Connects provides a free digital guide app for The Glass House, offering overviews of current exhibitions, building information, video tours, and behind-the-scenes content accessible to users worldwide.
• CraftbottlzminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal sponsor providing curated wine tasting during Third Thursdays self-guided evening events.
• New Canaan LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host partner for Glass House Presents events and programs held at the library venue.
• The Cooper UnionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for the Paper Log House installation (April-December 2024), involving 39 architecture students in constructing the temporary structure designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban.
• Shigeru Ban ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSBA led the design and construction of the Paper Log House at The Glass House, a temporary installation made of paper tubes, wood, and milk crates that has been deployed for disaster relief worldwide.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fallingwater (Western Pennsylvania Conservancy): Fallingwater is the Frank Lloyd Wright house museum in Mill Run, Pennsylvania — a single-site, architecturally iconic residence preserved as a public cultural destination with guided tours and memberships. It is directly comparable to The Glass House in being a National Trust-style landmark modernist residence operated for public tours.
• Farnsworth House (Landmarks Illinois): The Farnsworth House, designed by Mies van der Rohe, is a single modernist residence open to the public for guided tours in Plano, Illinois. It mirrors The Glass House's model of preserving and interpreting a canonical mid-century modern house through ticketed tours and membership.
• Taliesin West (Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation): Taliesin West is the Frank Lloyd Wright winter home and desert campus in Scottsdale, Arizona, operated as a National Historic Landmark with tours, memberships, and educational programming. Comparable as an architect's preserved residence complex serving cultural tourism.
• Villa Savoye (Centre des monuments nationaux): Villa Savoye is Le Corbusier's modernist residence in Poissy, France, preserved and operated as a public monument for guided tours. It parallels The Glass House as an architecturally canonical 20th-century residence marketed as a cultural attraction.
• Dia Art Foundation: Dia operates Beacon, a major minimalist and Land art museum in a former factory, plus site-specific commissions. Comparable in curating post-war and minimalist art in architecturally distinctive spaces, with memberships and ticketed admission in the Northeast.
• Biltmore Estate: Biltmore is a large historic house museum and estate in Asheville, NC, offering ticketed tours, memberships, retail, and event rentals across an architecturally significant residence. It parallels The Glass House in operating a single preserved historic estate as a multi-revenue tourism destination.
• Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio: The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, Illinois is the architect's preserved residence and workspace, offered as guided tours. It directly parallels The Glass House as a single architect's preserved estate open to the public.
• Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library: Winterthur is a large historic estate and museum in Delaware offering ticketed tours, gardens, a decorative arts collection, and memberships. Comparable as a single-site preserved estate combining architecture, landscape, and collections for public visitation.

Others

• National Trust for Historic Preservation: The National Trust for Historic Preservation is the parent organization that owns and operates The Glass House. It runs a portfolio of historic sites and preservation programs nationally, providing the institutional and funding infrastructure behind The Glass House.

Regional players

• Storm King Art Center: Storm King is a 500-acre outdoor sculpture park in the Hudson Valley, New York, offering ticketed admission, memberships, and large-scale sculpture exhibitions. Comparable as a regional cultural destination combining art, landscape, and architecture — though focused on sculpture rather than residential architecture.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/PJGlassHouse
• Facebookfacebook.com/PJGlassHouse
• Instagraminstagram.com/theglasshouse_newcanaan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Glass House