Alice Ball House.

Wendy Scuccimarra, an account executive at DWR’s Greenwich Studio, forwarded me some information on the possible demolition of Philip Johnson’s Alice Ball House in New Canaan, Connecticut. The house, what Johnson called his “little jewel,” was built for a single woman and rests on 2.2 acres.  The current owner, Christina Ross, is trying to sell the home for an asking price of three million. Hopefully, someone will pony up, pay the three million and restore the home.  It would be a sad day to lose the structure, especially within the same city limits of the Glass House. The Stamford Advocate has more on the issue here.

Comments

[Catherine]

The house has been completly restored.
What is sad is that the National Trust was offered the property but instead purchased a Mc Mansion for 3.9 million and an empty lot 2 million, ajacent to the Glass House and passed on the opportunity to purchase this property at 3 million. It is a sad day when the National Trust passes on the preservation of Philip Johnson's own work, to a Mc Mansion, but holds a flag of preservation for others to carry.

[erich]

Although the selling agent calls this house "restored", the photos show otherwise. It take more than a coat of paint to restore a house. On the one hand, we have iconic examples of Modernist architecture being threatened with or being demolished (Neutra's Gettysburg Cyclorama, Ericson's Graham House) because of the value of the land, and the desire for ever fatter, ostentatious structures, on the other hand older homes by noted architects are being sold as "original" and "restored" when much of their original fabric save the exteriors, has been eliminated(Neutra's Josef Kuhn House).

Shame on Christina Ross for threatening to either demolish or turn the Ball House into a pool house. She should be doubly ashamed as an architect herself. Having only purchased the house two years ago for $1.5 million, it is clear she is only interested in the money, offering it for sale for $3 million. She should have her license to practice revoked.