The Guest House is one of the lesser-known works of Philip Johnson in New York, one of the many private residences he made in this city. Located near the junction between Second Avenue and East 52nd Street, it was built between 1949 and 1950 for Blanchette Ferry Hooker Rockefeller, wife of John D. Rockefeller III.
Philip Johnson designed the house for his clients, Blanchette Ferry Hooker Rockefeller, wife of John D. Rockefeller III. Both shared an interest in Asian and traditional art, although she had a modern personal taste. The house was used to exhibit modern art and as a space for entertainment. Blanchette Rockefeller was twice President of MoMA and, in 1948, she founded the Junior Council of this museum. The House of Guests would come to function as an extension of the MoMA, a space to attract potential donors, invite artists and showcase works of the modern movement in an exceptional context.
Although Philip Johnson was not licensed until 1950 his relationship with modernity was widely known after meeting with Mies Van der Rohe in 1928 and being responsible for the exhibition and co-author of the book "International Style: Modern Architecture Since 1922". In 1949 he had built his iconic Glass House and had become an unofficial architectural advisor to MoMA.
The main residence of Blanchette Rockefeller was in Beekman Place, New York. The plot, which she had acquired, was approximately 8x30m, and was conveniently located between her apartment and the MoMA. Turtle Bay, the neighborhood where the Guest House is located, has been, since the 1920s, an artistic area of the city. Her husband, although he was a patron of art, had more conservative tastes and considered housing as a creative expression for Blanchette.
From the outside, little of the interior of the house is shown. Despite its secrecy, the transition from the street is not abrupt. Through the access located in the brick wall of its facade, the Guest House welcomes its guests with a series of lockers that separate the entrance from the rest of the space. From that point on, it's just that, space. Space is the best concept that defines this work by Philip Johnson, it is the symbol of a valuable social status in the iconic Manhattan blocks. More than 30 meters deep form the rest of the house, illuminated with natural light thanks to the large central courtyard, which houses a sheet of water that can be crossed by a path of large slabs and allows the passage of light through its glass walls.
Formally, the house is defined by two large lateral walls of the facade. The wall on the left runs cleanly through all the spaces in the house: living room, patio, bedroom and the service space. While the opposite wall is interrupted by the stairs that lead to the second floor and a monumental fireplace.
Although the house has been very well preserved, over time it has undergone certain changes. It has always been poorly furnished and a kitchen was added in the basement. Originally the house was only equipped with a small bar hidden in one of the cupboards in the hall. The upper floor was also air-conditioned, which was disabled. There were few concessions to functionality, the house served mainly for its exhibition purpose and its minimalist intention, lacking conventional domestic comforts. Despite the criticisms, Philip Johnson assured that if you could live in this space.
Philip Johnson designed the house for his clients, Blanchette Ferry Hooker Rockefeller, wife of John D. Rockefeller III. Both shared an interest in Asian and traditional art, although she had a modern personal taste. The house was used to exhibit modern art and as a space for entertainment. Blanchette Rockefeller was twice President of MoMA and, in 1948, she founded the Junior Council of this museum. The House of Guests would come to function as an extension of the MoMA, a space to attract potential donors, invite artists and showcase works of the modern movement in an exceptional context.
Although Philip Johnson was not licensed until 1950 his relationship with modernity was widely known after meeting with Mies Van der Rohe in 1928 and being responsible for the exhibition and co-author of the book "International Style: Modern Architecture Since 1922". In 1949 he had built his iconic Glass House and had become an unofficial architectural advisor to MoMA.
The main residence of Blanchette Rockefeller was in Beekman Place, New York. The plot, which she had acquired, was approximately 8x30m, and was conveniently located between her apartment and the MoMA. Turtle Bay, the neighborhood where the Guest House is located, has been, since the 1920s, an artistic area of the city. Her husband, although he was a patron of art, had more conservative tastes and considered housing as a creative expression for Blanchette.
From the outside, little of the interior of the house is shown. Despite its secrecy, the transition from the street is not abrupt. Through the access located in the brick wall of its facade, the Guest House welcomes its guests with a series of lockers that separate the entrance from the rest of the space. From that point on, it's just that, space. Space is the best concept that defines this work by Philip Johnson, it is the symbol of a valuable social status in the iconic Manhattan blocks. More than 30 meters deep form the rest of the house, illuminated with natural light thanks to the large central courtyard, which houses a sheet of water that can be crossed by a path of large slabs and allows the passage of light through its glass walls.
Formally, the house is defined by two large lateral walls of the facade. The wall on the left runs cleanly through all the spaces in the house: living room, patio, bedroom and the service space. While the opposite wall is interrupted by the stairs that lead to the second floor and a monumental fireplace.
Although the house has been very well preserved, over time it has undergone certain changes. It has always been poorly furnished and a kitchen was added in the basement. Originally the house was only equipped with a small bar hidden in one of the cupboards in the hall. The upper floor was also air-conditioned, which was disabled. There were few concessions to functionality, the house served mainly for its exhibition purpose and its minimalist intention, lacking conventional domestic comforts. Despite the criticisms, Philip Johnson assured that if you could live in this space.
"The upper part of the house does not exist for me" Johnson told an interviewer in the 1970s.
In 1958, the Guest House was donated to MoMA by Blanchette Rockefeller, at the insistence of her husband. The museum used the house as a space for auxiliary events until it was finally resold.
In 1971, Johnson and his partner, art dealer David Whitney, rented the house to Mrs. Lee Sherrod, who lived there for the next eight years.
Philip Johnson inhabited the house despite his obvious discomforts: he slept in the back room and used the Four Seasons restaurant as a substitute for the absence of kitchen in the house. The furniture was replaced by Johnson with sculptural chairs by Gaetano Pesce and exhibited several exhibitions by Roy Lichtensteins or Frank Stellas.
The images of this article from The House of Guests of Philip Johnson were taken recently, in October of 2017, by Jose Juan Barba.
