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Martha Hunt Handler’s recently released,18-years-in-the-making, first novel, Winter Of The Wolf, reveals much about Martha. NBC News anchor Stephanie Ruhle called the story ‘captivating’…and that’s a fair description of Martha as well. In the novel, a teenage Bean gives a firsthand account of her brother Sam’s death, her personal struggle with it, and the family’s evolving revelations and relationships. It’s an adventure/mystery like Nancy Drew (who Bean mentions is a favorite), but suffice it to say that Martha wrote the book to honor the death of her best friend’s 12-year-old son, to talk about spirituality and the importance of moving from grief to gratitude, and to remind us of our connection to the natural world. And while the story is a fictionalized version of an actual event, the novel seems in many ways rather auto-biographical. Bean’s words and thoughts sound - philosophically, anthropomorphically, socially, and to-the-ear - a lot like Martha’s. Martha grew up in the once small town of Crystal Lake, in northern Illinois, near the border of Wisconsin. Winter of the Wolf takes place in a similar lake country area of northern Minnesota (where wolves are present). Bean and Martha share many other similarities; like Martha, Bean, after the loss of Sam, has two older brothers. They also share a special sense of, and oneness with, the natural world. Martha describes a childhood shaped by these deep feelings: “From a very young age I was able to hear the voices of plants and animals in the woodlands surrounding our home. When it hit me that others didn’t share this gift, I felt clear that my role in this lifetime was to be a voice for nature. The voices I heard were extremely agitated. I didn’t understand why initially, but it quickly became all too clear when bulldozers showed up and began leveling nearly every wooded area surrounding our home to make room for other houses. It was horrifying to witness such devastation and have no real voice given my age.” Bean describes her childhood similarly, explaining, “Mom and I - and Sam when he was alive - believe that the world is governed by myriad magical and mystical energies and forces, and that obstacles are presented to us in order for our souls to grow. We could see and feel that a higher power was at work around us at all times." (p79)
only transform. It’s obviously way more complicated than that, but that’s the basic gist. This is something I’ve always believed from the deepest part of my soul.” (p149) “It is understood…everything in existence has a spirit and is alive, and that the spiritual aspects of life are interconnected through what is often called the web of life. Since we are a part of Nature, Nature itself becomes a helping spirit that has much to share with us about how to bring our lives back into harmony and balance.” (p178) “…Sam was here for the time he was supposed to be here and not a moment shorter or longer. We know it will probably never make sense to us on this earthly plane, but we accept it in a more universal way. And though he’s no longer with us in the same physical form that he was, I do believe he’s never far from me in whatever spiritual form he chooses to take. This is what I believe about the life of all souls.” (p217)  Martha graduated from high school and left home at the age of 16, “…with five hundred dollars and a really bad car. My dad was thinking I was just off on a short adventure and that I’d be back soon. But I was focused on emancipating myself, because I wanted to go far away to college and my father refused to pay for out-of-state tuition, even though he did so for my brothers. My car broke down in Steamboat, Colorado, and to pay for the repairs I pumped gas and held numerous other odd jobs. By the time it was fixed, I’d fallen in love with the mountains and the community and decided to stay and declare Colorado residency. I enrolled at the University of Colorado at Boulder the following year and studied engineering for one semester, before designing a major called environmental conservation. After graduation, I wanted to experience city living, so I moved to San Francisco and worked as a paralegal, thinking I’d eventually become an environmental lawyer. But it quickly became evident that practicing law didn’t suit me and after a few years I moved to D.C. to work as an environmental consultant.” Five years later, Martha met Rich Handler on vacation at a bar in Cozumel. She thought he was cute, smart and very witty, but she had other entanglements and didn’t think it was serious, so she didn’t give him her phone number. A few months after that, she moved back to S.F. and, while unpacking boxes, her phone rang. “He tracked me down. It was totally out of the blue. This was long before the internet, so he had to painstakingly work his way through the phone book using directory assistance, which wasn’t very easy given that my maiden name was “Hunt,” and my old roommate had told him I ’d moved to either Chicago or San Francisco.” So, after many calls to directory assistance, they finally connected, and it was “game over”. After marrying in 1988 at a haunted mansion in San Francisco, the couple settled in L.A., where Rich was working for Michael Milken at Drexel Burnham Lambert. Agreeing that they’d move when their first child was school age, they began looking around the West as Martha missed the mountains. “We were seriously considering Sun Valley, Idaho, but then we visited friends in Bedford and we both immediately fell in love with the area. I was blown away by the natural beauty, the dirt roads, the hiking trails, the horse farms, and the whole environment, and the icing on the cake was that it had highly rated public schools and was within commuting distance of New York.”   the largest independent investment bank. He is also the Chair of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, University of Rochester, where the couple also provides full-ride scholarships to a group of highly qualified but financially disadvantaged candidates who have overcome incredible obstacles on their way to success. And, in what appears to be a very tight-knit and happy family, Martha and Richard have four children: Max 29, Shane 28, Hunter 26 and Skylar 24.  …And their home in South Salem is spectacular! Located on an unassuming country road, the 68-acre property is a hidden oasis. Starting down the long drive there is an immediate sense of grand privacy, like a version of how it might feel stepping out onto the Royal grounds at Balmoral in Scotland, as all neighbors disappear from view and the landscape is shaped with hill and dale and private ponds and lakes, all outlined by pine forest. Martha designed the house in the Adirondack lodge style, hiring architects and builders who could fulfill her vision, and assembling beams and lumber from a number of old barns located all over the United States for use in the main residence. She claims not to have studied the work of Gilbert Stanley Underwood and his design of the Ahwahnee Lodge at Yosemite and the Old Faithful Lodge at Yellowstone, or Charles Whittlesey’s design of El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, or William L Coulter, who designed several of the great camps in and around Saranac Lake; but her house echoes - and in some ways even improves upon - the design concepts and execution of these masters. The scale is remarkable - to the point of reminding oneself this is a private residence and not the nicest five-star hotel. Every aspect of the architecture, furnishings and decorating is of the utmost quality, and still true to the gone-to-summer-camp it’s-gotta-be-comfortable mode. It’s a showcase, but completely livable and lived-in.   The house features a great room built from an antique barn that includes a rustic player piano, a collection of one-of-a-kind handcrafted Adirondack objects and furniture, a pool table, a bar with a secret passageway to a wine cellar, several comfortable seating areas, a walk-in stone fireplace, floor to ceiling picture windows overlooking Lake Paul (named after Rich’s grandfather who took him fishing as a boy in northern Westchester reservoirs), and a tongue-in-cheek portrait of the Handler family in a birch bark canoe that’s like one of those murals you might see on the wall of the Town Hall in Lake Placid. The kitchen is a comfortable spot for the family to hang out and, at the same time, sufficient to service the 100-person Thanksgiving dinners and 200-person BBQs to benefit the Wolf Conservation Center and other of the Handler’s charities that are the regular non-covid faire. The den is a cozy lair, complete with a large polaroid photograph taken by William Wegman of their beloved, though now deceased Weimaraner, Bo.
  The mudroom is complete with wooden lockers for each family member and a powder room with a special dog bath. The indoor pool room, like something out of Grossingers and the Catskill 1950s and 60s, has floor to ceiling windows on all sides to bring the outdoors in when desired. Outside, the garage area includes a courtyard with a basketball court. In addition, the property has a private guest cabin, tennis, a baseball field where Rich coached all his kid’s Little League and softball games, a chicken coop, a garden, a large teepee, an Adirondack gazebo, and numerous hiking trails. In the summer, the family enjoys boating, swimming and fishing in 40 foot deep Lake Paul, which they have stocked with numerous varieties of trout and Lake Peggy (named for Martha’s Mother) which has a lot of largemouth bass.  
 But ‘Camp Runamuck’ was not the Handler’s first house in South Salem - and that’s where the Wolf Conservation Center comes into the story… Martha & THE WOLF CONSERVATION CENTERWhile construction was underway at Runamuk, they rented a house on Waccabuc River Lane. Not long after settling in, they began to hear what Martha knew were the unmistakable howls of wolves. Thinking this was strange - given that wolves had all been eradicated from New York by the late 1800s - Martha decided to walk into the woods behind their house to investigate. In what must be seen as fateful proof of Martha’s particular mysticism (she’s had a black wolf in her dreams since she was a child and has always considered wolves her totem animal), she came across an enclosure with three wolves next to a trailer. When she knocked on the door she was greeted by Helene Grimaud, a world-renowned classical pianist, writer, and human rights activist. Helene told her of her plans to open up the Wolf Conservation Center and asked if Martha would be interested in helping...and Martha jumped ‘on Board’. It started as an all-volunteer operation, with only three ‘ambassador’ wolves who were used primarily for education, and when volunteering meant taking a hand in the dirty work, like handling the road-kill deer fed to the wolves. As Maggie Howell, Executive Director of the Wolf Conservation Center, tells it, “Martha was all-in from the start. She's worked hard to help make this place what it is and has been a driving force behind our growth and success. She’s a powerhouse on our Board and a principal supporter of all our work. She’s an amazing ambassador for the Wolf Conservation Center - and for wolves as a species and animals in general! And she’s the most fun person to work with!” 
 Wolves occupy a foreboding spot in the human psyche. From Beowulf to Beauty and the Beast, wolves have been portrayed in our culture as monstrous creatures with mythically evil and predatory practices. But Howell points out that this portrayal is purely fiction. “Wolves are among the toughest predators in North America today, but it’s their family values that set them apart. Within a family group,or pack, each wolf plays a valuable role - teacher, provider, defender, and friend - and when they all work together, they form a successful, cohesive unit. They pass down critical skills and knowledge from one generation to the next, including how to cooperate, recognize and respond to the behavior of pack mates, and manage their own impulses. Studies have shown that they make up more quickly than dogs, and don’t hold a grudge, because it’s necessary for survival. In fact, much of the work at WCC is allowing wolf family groups to grow as naturally as possible within the confines of the facility, to safeguard their natural behavior, and allow visitors to understand what wolves really are. After all, we can learn a lot from wolves. They’re just wonderful animals.” To this point, Martha drives around with a bumper sticker that reads: “Little Red Riding Hood Lied.”  At one point in Winter Of The Wolf, Bean takes it as a compliment when a boy says she’s different. And that’s Martha, too. Not different as in weird - different in the sense of being extraordinary! With her own family - and beyond being ‘wife’ and ‘mom’, and managing the menagerie and the farming, and facilitating all the fun that goes on at Camp Runamuck - Martha has travelled to all 7 continents; with adventures that have included expeditions to both Poles, backpacking around Madagascar, photographic safaris around Africa, kayaking with killer whales in British Columbia, hiking Patagonia, and spending summers with family and friends in Greece. With Rich, she socializes with Presidents and pals, world and business leaders, and young folks that may be in part inspired by the Handlers to join those ranks. Martha just had both knees replaced, but is diligently rehabbing and already starting back on her daily hikes and yoga. She’s doing whatever she can virtually, during covid, to publicize Winter Of The Wolf. And she works for the Wolf Conservation Center, well - as if one of her spirit animals depends on it. Pressed to say what four people - dead or alive - she would invite to a dinner party, she decided on: Betty White, Russell Brand, Ryan Reynolds, and Jamie Foxx. That sounds like a really fun evening. Martha would fit right in. And think of all the previously incarnated folks at that table!
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FROM THE MARCH/APRIL GREEN ISSUE By: Christopher Hill (of Centerbrook Architects) 
ingenuity and rigor. Rigor in design, rigor in engineering, and rigor in cost evaluation to meet the budget. Through iterative testing, early and often, we drove down energy demands, reduced the size of mechanical equipment, tightened up the building envelope, and optimized daylight. That rigor allowed us to reduce first costs and operating costs. It also allowed us to bring daylight deep into the building to make spaces warm and friendly. While modern building systems can save energy, what are some tried-and-true, relatively inexpensive strategies you’re using that the average homeowner can also employ? Childress: Saving energy is all about maximizing insulation and minimizing the number of windows. While you want natural light you also need to limit heat gain and loss. For instance, as Mark said, we wanted to bring daylight into the middle of the building. Our energy models helped us design layers of skylights and interior glass to achieve that while being cost effective. Trees are also very effective. We are placing deciduous trees in front of the south and west facing windows to provide shade in the summer and let the sun in during the winter. Herter: Understanding the sun, wind, water, topography and landscape lets us use passive sustainable strategies and renewable energy systems, which we’ve done here.  The new library aims to be a model of environmental stewardship. What does that mean to you?  Childress: Being a good steward means reducing energy demand to a point where the building can be self-sustaining and not burden public systems. That’s our goal. Herter: Well designed landscapes and hardscapes reduce the need for irrigation and control stormwater runoff. The rainwater gardens in the Library Green will capture and filter rainwater while reducing peak discharge during storms, which causes flooding in built up areas. These are critical aspects of responsible, sustainable urban design.  Childress: We also want to connect people to nature. The Library Green is an extension of the interior, with the outdoor spaces that accommodate a variety of uses. We enjoy working with Stimson Landscape Architects, because they have a special knack for creating outdoor places that people really want to use. Herter: The outdoor rooms will beckon people year-round, with seasonal sun traps and places to sit. The Rooftop Terrace, in particular, will be an oasis in the air. Childress: I like the phrase one of our young teammates, Misha Semenov, uses, ‘eco-empathy’. He lectures on it, and is writing a book. He observes that as we design, plan, and build, we need to consider the human impact on the environment in all of our decisions. What does it feel like to be in nature? How can we be empathetic about natural cycles? If we can promote spending time in nature, all people will benefit from it. Herter: And the building is all electric - with a large photovoltaic solar array on the roof.  Biophilic design aims to connect people to nature. What are some of the biophilic strategies employed in the new Library building design?  Herter: Every space in the library has a view or connection to the outdoors so occupants experience the time of day and seasonal changes. We use daylight to animate the architecture, its patterns, textures, and colors. The products and materials we use add another layer: wood millwork, patterned ceilings and carpeting, plants in the Concourse, and a green wall in the Café, are just a few examples. Childress: And don’t forget about the Children’s Room. It’s colorful patterns and beautiful views, together with a wooden nest-egg-gourd that turns into a worm-bird-fish-dragon, and the fireplace that ‘burns’ steam, and the pattern in the glass that recalls flying birds and open books - while reducing cooling loads in the summer. JC: We are all intrigued with how diversity makes an ecosystem more sustainable. For instance, this project was designed by a group of people with a wide diversity of ages, experiences, cultures, and backgrounds. This has influenced the ambience and the details of each and every space. Hopefully, this translates to the entire community of New Canaan finding parts of the library that are comfortable for them. New Canaan’s iconic mid-century modern architecture, including notably the Noyes House and the Glass House, harmonize with nature in different ways. How does the new Library’s design draw inspiration from them?   A photo from the Noyes house in New Canaan Childress: It learns from the Noyes House how to connect to the ground and offer protection, and from the Glass House about how to look out to nature. Its lower floor is a protected enclave while the upper floor opens up to the outdoors. Herter: The Noyes House’s protected zone has large portals for glimpses inside. Passing the threshold, you enter a private courtyard and are fully immersed in nature. We drew inspiration from those connections. And we rooted the new Library to New Canaan as Noyes and Johnson did, with the use of stone, and connected to the International Modern style with the use of bands of glass. But the Glass House and the Noyes House were both designed for living, and the new New Canaan Library is designed to be a great place to visit.   Only if you like it perfect... This 20,000+ square foot Georgian masterpiece on 25 acres, known as Glencliff, is one of the finest homes in America!  This manor home on the Bedford / Mt. Kisco border was built in 1930, on the site of the McLean family farmhouse built in 1916, for Alfred and Ruth Meyer Cook, to complement their residences at 630 Park Avenue and later 927 Fifth Avenue; Alfred being the long-time counsel of The New York Times, and; Ruth being one of the nine children of wealthy industrialist, one-time head of the Federal Reserve, and Washington Post owner, Eugene Meyer, who had constructed the nearby, epic Seven Springs (now owned by Donald Trump), for his own use, and; was later owned by the then Chairman of then Purchase-based Clevepak Corp., William Green. The home was completely renovated by the current owners in 2006, with new and contemporary splendor. These owners have used the home as a weekend and summer place, affording them the perfect spot, only 45 minutes from Manhattan, to give their four kids all the advantages of time in the country. As a prime example of what this house has to offer, when the kids were younger the family organized a summer camp at the house, with each kid inviting their group of friends and a total pack of over 50 kids attending, complete with swimming, tennis, kayaking, soccer, lawn games, hiking, campfires, and even a daily visit from the ice cream truck. Glencliff has everything to offer. The entire home was finished with fun at the forefront. The two boys rooms have lofts, connected to each other through a secret passageway, the second floor landing features an air hockey table and a basketball hoop in the hall to the kids rooms, and the massive pool has a theme park-like tubular water slide.      Glencliff also includes a guest cottage, itself an enviable lair. Georgian and red brick to match the main residence, this is a home complete with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, and dining room. And the 65 foot pool and red brick cabana is right out of a Slim Aarons photo. Complete with a columned and clear-domed pergola, brick decking, and perfectly manicured landscaping.  The house sits on the top of the hill at this 25 acres of lightly wooded rolling meadows, complete with a pond, and the property sits amongst the most prestigious large estates on Sarles, adjacent to the Marsh Sanctuary. Only 45 minutes from New York City, this property is perfect for...well, the qualified and discerning buyer is already making the call… Listed for $12,800,000 by listing agent Patty Carpenter at Renwick Real Estate in Bedford.
  By the time Johnson began designing the property’s centerpiece—The Glass House—two other architects of note had moved to New Canaan—Marcel Breuer and Eliot Noyes. These men would be joined by Landis Gores and John Johansen to become the iconic ‘Harvard Five’, all of them having either studied or taught at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.
  Completed in 1949, The Glass House was featured in the worldwide architectural press almost immediately. But not everyone in New Canaan was thrilled with the new notoriety of their gifted but eccentric neighbor. As The New York Times reported: “Weekend crowds have been blocking traffic on Ponus Ridge . . . uninvited visitors tramp about to view [the houses] with mingled expressions of awe, wonder and indignation. They agree that nothing like it was ever seen in these parts.”
Carr says that The Glass House has been able to get National Endowment for the Arts, Connecticut Humanities and New Canaan Community Foundation grants, and that Johnson and his partner, the late David Whitney, left an endowment for the property. Nonetheless, all of this falls short of the funds needed to continue The Glass House as a major attraction. Carr explains that a substantial part of Johnson’s large collection of modernist art, worth perhaps in the hundreds of millions, was donated to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. “In addition to daily operating expenses, we have some renovations that need to be done,” she continues. “We just completed work on the Sculpture Gallery, and the Brick House is much in need of renovation." Despite this, to a visitor, the estate has never looked more magnificent. The grounds are kept impeccably, and Johnson’s knack for landscape design makes walking about a feast for the eyes.  As with Olmstead's New York Central Park, every hill, every tree, every bush looks like it belongs exactly where it is.  By the late 1950s and early 1960s, Johnson grew bored with the strident and doctrinaire modernism espoused by his mentor Mies van der Rohe. He wanted architecture that was of its time, reflective of the larger aesthetic tastes then sweeping the country. One of these trends was molding concrete into curvaceous forms. Down the hill from The Glass House, he envisioned a neoclassical pavilion fronting on a man-made pond. The structure explores ways in which designers use modern language while simultaneously exploring Renaissance architectural problems, like how to round a corner. The Pavilion also plays with notions of scale, appearing from a distance to be much larger than its actual size.
  Da Monsta's name is an adaptation of the monster. It is constructed of gunnite and uses warped, torqued forms - far from the rectilinear shapes of the International Style. Johnson felt the building had the quality of a living thing.  Fortune looked favorably on New Canaan that lucky day when Johnson showed-up in late 1945 to survey the land on Ponus Ridge Road. After all, there were many other Fairfield and Westchester communities equally as bucolic and appealing. With The Glass House compound now facing some challenging times, it is up to the communities that surround The Glass House to assure that it remains a local, regional, national and international destination - in perpetuity.
 As a little kid in Pound Ridge, the first I ever heard of Superman, was in the context of there being a real guy...who had fallen off a horse and was paralyzed in a wheelchair...who lived in Bedford...who was a dad just like mine...who had a boy who was only a couple of years older than me...who lived on the same street as three of my friends - all really close to home for me. That boy was Will Reeve and, although we didn’t know each other, I felt a definite empathy for him when his dad Chris passed, and an even deeper pain when his mom died of cancer less than two years later. Like everyone touched by the story, I’ve rooted for Will, and was pretty blown when he started at Good Morning America! Will became an Instagram sensation after having accidentally appeared on GMA in his underwear - he insists they were his running shorts - at the beginning of the pandemic. Will Reeve’s story is as positive and local as it gets!
This issue’s feature on Art @ The Glass House is an inside look at the amazing paintings and sculpture housed in two relatively obscure buildings on the property at The Glass House, Phillip Johnson’s masterpiece in New Canaan. We knew it would be interesting to bring the collection to light...and then we found hidden treasure! Since Covid remains, we thought it would be fun to start covering local escapes, that can be launched from home, and that can be accomplished in a socially distanced way. I got a ‘ticket to ride’ in The Porsche Driving Experience up at Lime Rock - and hope it makes you feel like you got out of the house and out onto the track - or at least gives you the impetus to take a road trip of your own. And our local charity feature in this issue is on Debbie McQuilkin and The Storm hockey team of the American Special Hockey Association she founded and runs. As I’ve noted before, it’s my hope that after reading each issue of Bedford & New Canaan Magazine each reader will take a moment to think positive, take stock of our community, and consider some act of giving to a local charity or other good cause. We hope you will consider giving to The Storm - and that maybe one or a few readers decide to adopt McQuilkin’s mission. Again, our magazine is mailed to you - for free! We’re grateful for the reviews we receive. Please let our advertisers know that seeing their ad in our magazine motivated you. Please go online at bedfordnewcanaanmag.com and to our Instagram @bedfordnewcanaanmag, and let us know what you like and don’t like, or if you have an idea about something local we should cover. Truly yours, CASEY KAPLAN President SAHSA LAWER & MARK NOONAN |
 | When Sasha Lawer and Mark Noonan got off the train in New Canaan one Spring morning in 1999, Sasha gave the tall order to Mark, like Oz telling Dorothy to go get the Wicked Witch’s broom: “I’m not moving from our New York City townhouse unless it’s to a very special home. I want great old architectural elements, big rooms with plenty of light, a pool, lots of land for the kids to play, and complete privacy...all walkable to Starbucks!” She figured the tall order would keep the family safely in their New York City townhouse forever. Instead, they bid on 55 St. John Place - known as ‘Acorn Hill’ - before getting back on the train that evening...and have now enjoyed over two decades as the ‘owners in residence’ of this beautiful estate. |
The couple knew New Canaan boasted some of the best schools in the State. Their three now-grown children, Kyra 25, Lainie, 24, and David, 22, all attended New Canaan’s public schools (thereafter, Kyra graduated from Duke and Lainie and David from Wake Forest).
Remarkably, Sasha and Mark are only the third owners of 55 St. John in the last century. Originally built in 1898 in the Victorian style and once home to a shoe factory; it was completely reconstructed by the Watts family in the 1940s, with Italian plasters by European craftsmen, and; again enhanced by Mr. & Mrs. Conrad Stein in the 1960s; from whose children Sasha and Mark purchased the home.
Sasha and Mark have managed to add a lot of modern history of their own to the life of the house. Mark, an avid gardener, immediately plumbed and heated the two green houses on the property and revitalized the landscape and garden management on the property. Together, they designed an addition to the home, including a family room, work out room and wine room, that blend seamlessly with the existing structure. Sasha, after spending years working for home design magazines, ensured that the design and architectural elements reflected the remainder of the house, while giving a new modern feel to the estate.
Remarkably, Sasha and Mark are only the third owners of 55 St. John in the last century. Originally built in 1898 in the Victorian style and once home to a shoe factory; it was completely reconstructed by the Watts family in the 1940s, with Italian plasters by European craftsmen, and; again enhanced by Mr. & Mrs. Conrad Stein in the 1960s; from whose children Sasha and Mark purchased the home.
Sasha and Mark have managed to add a lot of modern history of their own to the life of the house. Mark, an avid gardener, immediately plumbed and heated the two green houses on the property and revitalized the landscape and garden management on the property. Together, they designed an addition to the home, including a family room, work out room and wine room, that blend seamlessly with the existing structure. Sasha, after spending years working for home design magazines, ensured that the design and architectural elements reflected the remainder of the house, while giving a new modern feel to the estate.
 | Mark, now 61, who grew up in an Irish/Italian family in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, played soccer at Lawrence High School and at Duke, where he preceded his daughter Kyra, before getting his MBA at Wharton, was enjoying a successful career in investment banking at UBS in Stamford, when he was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in 2001. Emerging after one-and-a-half years of treatment, not knowing how much more time he had, Mark realized he was “bored to tears in banking, and didn’t want to spend the rest of my time just working in someone else’s business - and miss seeing my children grow up. I determined I could put my skill set as a tinkerer to work building products that make life easier”. Seventeen years and dozens of inventions later, Mark’s latest is a complex hardware and software package enabling remote nursing care. His company, Nootools, LLC, manufactures Noonan’s own product designs and offers new product consulting. Mark reflects, “my cancer changed our stars”. |
| The next change in plans came in 2017, when the Napa Valley Tubb’s Lane Fire engulfed the Lawer Estates Knights Valley Vineyards, owned by Sasha’s brother and sister-in-law, David and Betsy Lawer, on the heels of her brother being physically incapacitated. Sasha had already been charged with increasing distribution and sales for the emerging winery, but when the series of unfortunate events occurred, Sasha determined to take on a greater role. Betsy Lawer, President of Lawer Estates, runs the acclaimed California winery from Alaska, where she is the CEO and Chairman of the First National Bank of Alaska. While Sasha, splitting her time between New Canaan and California, more directly oversees the winemakers and has managed the development of the winery’s marketing, sales and distribution, and opened a Calistoga tasting room. |  |
Now, with Sasha spending more time at the winery in California, and all three kids living and working in California (David, in the wine business working for Thomas Rivers Brown, Lainie in tech in San Francisco and Kyra, as a television writer and producer in L.A.), 55 St. John is “just too big and quiet” ...so, Sasha and Mark are ready to sell. Notably, though, despite Sasha’s work at Lawer Estates and the three kids being in California, the couple plans to stay in New Canaan part-time. As Sasha reflected, “When we bought this house, we hadn’t expected all that life threw at us, nor the support we received from the community along the way...pitching in when Mark was ill, buoying us in good times and bad. We have friends and connections here and, at least for now, we’re not ready to leave. It’s odd to say our house helped to raise our kids, but it did. 55 St. John gave our kids their freedom. They could safely walk into town for pizza, ice cream, meet-ups with friends, to visit the library, attend tennis, ballet and music lessons...all from a very early age...this location was priceless. And we loved being able to go to a movie, enjoy dinner...or a few drinks...without having to worry about driving home. We never had to think about the 10 or 15 minutes needed to get to the train in the morning - or dropping off or picking up - or parking. We love the flavor of New Canaan. We always felt like we kept our city lifestyle...enjoyed suburban New Canaan’s great schools, parks and downtown...and got to live in a walk-to-town country house.”
 | 55 St. John stands elevated on the north side of the street, 2 blocks from the train station, situated with 10 wooded acres adjoining the backyard, allowing for incredible in-town privacy. |
The 5,300 square foot main house, with 6 bedrooms, 5 full baths and 1 half-bath, has rich historic details, high ceilings and walls of light throughout. The separate master suite consists of 2 rooms, 2 full bathrooms, and a dressing room. The library has detailed built-in shelving and a fireplace. The first floor also includes a private dining room and an oversized living room with a stunning fireplace and a built-in dry bar. Completing the first floor is a big open family room adjacent to the modern kitchen, with blended vintage cabinetry and top modern appliances (including 3 dishwashers), a butler’s pantry and an eat-in dining area with bay windows. The house has thick European plastered walls, state-of-the-art communications, and a variety of separate, quiet and private spaces on all 3 floors - making this a perfect home for multiple home offices - or school rooms.
| A second building, one of New Canaan’s prized remaining antique barns, includes a 3-car garage, greenhouse, potting area, half-bath, and a pool house (currently used as an additional home office). An additional open 1,000 square feet above the garage is also available for a separate apartment, great room or offices, and there are architectural plans and an open permit for creating this extra living area. |  |
The in-town estate also offers the fully-operational, plumbed and heated, (second) English greenhouse, which is currently used for housing tropical plants, early seeding of vegetables, and as another private hideaway.
The spectacular in-ground pool and wide-open play spaces in the backyard are set in ‘outdoor rooms’, framed by magnificently manicured perennial gardens and mature plantings.
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 | Brass escutcheons (key hole plates) reinforcing the acorn theme, which beings at the fence finials at the front entrance to the property.   |
  | ‘Terroir’ is a word that means the whole environment in which a wine grows, including climate, topography and soil, and is used by winemakers to reference the characteristic tastes and flavors that each wine gets from the ‘terroir’ where its grapes are grown. Lawer Estates calls their single-vineyard ultra-premium wines ‘terroir driven’, and boasts that their 110-acre vineyards in Napa and Sonoma have “...the ideal terroir and microclimates to nurture a diverse range of varietals... On summer days, coastal breezes make their way through the gap in the hills and up the creek that meanders through our vineyard. This cooling infuses our wines with unmistakable character. Complementing this ideal microclimate is a subterranean volcanic reservoir that nurtures our vines year-round, and provides essential hydration even in times of drought”. Winemakers Cary Gott and Kelly DeIanni take great pride in handcrafting the sustainably grown, limited annual production of about 3,000 cases in all of Lawer’s seven varietals. Lawer Estates Rosé has been heralded by Wine Enthusiast as one of the five best Rosés from California, while Robert Parker has awarded Lawer Estates Viognier with 92 points. The wines are currently available at Walter Stewarts, New Canaan Wine Merchants, Sipsters in Darien, and other fine wine stores, and can be purchased online at lawerestates.com. Sadly, there will be no 2020 vintage. Lawer Estates prides itself in only producing the highest quality wines. The smoke taint from both the Hennessy and Glass fires of 2020 have caused the Lawers to halt any further production from their 2020 harvest, as even the slightest hint of phenols such as guaiacol are not acceptable in a Lawer Estates wine. |
 | 55 St. John Place is offered at $3,495,000 by Hannelore & Co./Raveis (914-450-3880 / Hannelore.Kaplan@raveis.com)...a true find for the couple, or young family, or big family, or extended family...who want to be the new ‘owners in residence’, and the next lucky people to enjoy this unique and spectacular, walk-to-town, historic mansion. |
Coker Farm, at 69 Stone Hill Road in Bedford, just east of the intersection with Old Post Road, is a fixture in the landscape that makes Bedford so attractive. The glimpse from the road of big red barns, paddocks, and horses out to pasture is an image that shapes every passer-by’s sense of the area’s particular charm.
But for equestrians, Coker Farm is Judy Richter’s place. Judy and her late husband Max Richter bought the property in 1977 from Butch Savin, a developer who used the farm to mine gravel for the construction of I-684. Judy has been a fixture in the local equestrian scene ever since. She’s earthy and elegant at the same time, comfortable in her own skin, and happiest at home - at Coker Farm - in her own pastoral oasis.
Horses have always been Judy’s passion - maybe even her destiny. Judy’s parents, Philip and Mary (Kain) Hofmann, met at the Saddle & Sirloin in Kansas City. “That’s where the fast young crowd would go. They rode and dined and did a little carousing”, Judy recounts. Her father had started in Kansas City as a shipping clerk with Johnson & Johnson and rose to become the company’s first non-family CEO. Judy recalls: “When my father was promoted to Northeast Branch Manager, my parents brought their horses on the train to Boston. I don’t remember how they got the horses to New Brunswick when my father’s work moved there.” Her parents bought a 55 acre farm in North Branch, near Somerville. Judy and her sister, Carol (who went on to ride for the U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team), grew up with 10 or 12 horses in their care in the barn.
But for equestrians, Coker Farm is Judy Richter’s place. Judy and her late husband Max Richter bought the property in 1977 from Butch Savin, a developer who used the farm to mine gravel for the construction of I-684. Judy has been a fixture in the local equestrian scene ever since. She’s earthy and elegant at the same time, comfortable in her own skin, and happiest at home - at Coker Farm - in her own pastoral oasis.
Horses have always been Judy’s passion - maybe even her destiny. Judy’s parents, Philip and Mary (Kain) Hofmann, met at the Saddle & Sirloin in Kansas City. “That’s where the fast young crowd would go. They rode and dined and did a little carousing”, Judy recounts. Her father had started in Kansas City as a shipping clerk with Johnson & Johnson and rose to become the company’s first non-family CEO. Judy recalls: “When my father was promoted to Northeast Branch Manager, my parents brought their horses on the train to Boston. I don’t remember how they got the horses to New Brunswick when my father’s work moved there.” Her parents bought a 55 acre farm in North Branch, near Somerville. Judy and her sister, Carol (who went on to ride for the U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team), grew up with 10 or 12 horses in their care in the barn.
Judy grew up immersed in riding. Judy’s mother was Joint District Commissioner of the local Somerset Hills Pony Club, about which Judy reminisces, “That was one of the first U.S. Pony Clubs. It was a British organization that jumped the pond and became popular internationally. The U.S Olympic Team trained nearby and we would go over and get free lessons on Sunday afternoons. That Pony Club was one of the best in the world. I also did a lot of fox hunting with the Essex Fox Hounds. Those were good times. Warren Kennet, a reporter who wrote for the Newark Star-Ledger, used to say that we were ‘tops among the timber toppers’.”
For high school, Judy commuted daily from Far Hills, on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, to attend Kent Place, an all-girls private school in Summit. She went on to attend Smith College. She met Max, her husband-to-be, when home in New Jersey on vacation. “Max grew up in Hamburg, Germany, and was working in New York City for a paper company. He met his boss, our neighbor, at The National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden and was invited out to Somerville. My mother asked him to ride my horse, Mr. Coker, whom I’d left at home that season to rest. He later invited me to the opera in New York City, but I think he really wanted another chance to ride Mr. Coker. The opera was our first date but the horse was my first love. This is why we named the farm after Mr. Coker.”
Max and Judy married, and lived in Manhattan. Judy reverse-commuted to teach English at Rosemary Hall in Greenwich, Connecticut. “We moved to a garage-apartment in Greenwich, and later bought a cottage on four acres. We had two sons, Hans and Philip. We built a little barn and started a small business with six horses. A decade later, Max purchased the folding carton division of Riegel Paper, and in the same year we bought Coker Farm in Bedford. My father told us it was a foolish risk, with our young family, to take on a new business and a farm at the same time, but we didn’t listen.”
Judy ran the Coker Farm business until she was sidelined by cancer in the ‘90s. She turned operations over to her once working student and assistant, Andre Dignelli. About the cancer, she says, “They scheduled me to die…but I didn’t… thanks to Max’s devotion and care.”
About her tenure as one of Bedford’s best known equestrians, she says with a twinkle in her eye, “It was fun to have both little kids and adults riding with us. At horse shows we did everything from Short Stirrup to Grand Prix. I probably taught hundreds of kids how to ride, as well as the great qualities that go along with being an equestrian. And I’ve had students win championships like the USET Equitation Finals and the Maclay Finals in Madison Square Garden.”
In 1999 the couple became concerned about preserving the future of the property, so they put an environmental conservation easement on the farm with the Westchester Land Trust. “This was the same year that Max sold the company he had acquired from Riegel Paper, which is still called FoldPak. They made those cardboard Chinese food pails with the wire handles. They had to get the lawyers to get the easement done on New Years Eve, and I remember that was also the year everyone was panicked about Y2K.”
Max passed in 2008. Judy has two sons. Hans lives in California, with his wife Jennifer, and two daughters, Maxine and Margot, and is a school teacher and administrator. Philip splits his time between Bedford and Wellington, Florida, and is a partner at Katonah-based Hollow Brook Wealth Management. He built and maintains the Turtle Garage, hidden away on the Coker Farm property, to house his car collection and share that passion with others. Hans and Philip are both avid equestrians, and it is Judy’s hope that “the boys will keep Coker Farm forever.”
For now, Coker Farm includes two first class operations. “They have separate barns lending themselves to separate businesses. Peter Lutz and Mary Manfredi, who were working students of mine, do everything: boarding, training, buying and selling of horses. Cynthia Williams, a colleague of mine for years, has a separate top-notch business and does everything as well.
Judy admits, “With Covid, I don’t get off the farm much.” Pressed to name her local eating spots, she says in her understated way, “I’ve been to The Bedford Post.” — while the restaurant is right around the corner! “I’m blessed with a strong support team. Besides my sons, my friends and neighbors on the hill overlooking the farm, Wyatt and Beth Crowell, watch our for me, as does my friend and neighbor Richard Ten Dyke. For day to day help, I rely heavily on my barn manager, Geralyn Campbell, and my maintenance man, Ramon Aquilera. They have been with us for over 20 years. And my dogs are good company and active watchdogs.”
Asked what four people - dead or alive - she would like to have to dinner, Judy revealed: “My husband Max, of course, then Abraham Lincoln and Robert Frost, and then George Morris - he was really important in the equestrian world and a mentor in my life.”
2020 will be remembered for the Covid pandemic. It was a game changer for almost everyone. Whether impacted directly by the disease, or more generally as a local, national and global citizen, Covid has been a game changer for almost everyone. Aspects of economy, sociology and politics are forever altered.
Yet…there is a ying to the yang…a circle of life that rolls on inextricably…necessity being the mother of invention…and an inherent and natural instinct to endure, adapt and overcome. Like the greenery that grows in the path of a volcano and metal forged in the hottest fire…some special businesses were Born In 2020!
Yet…there is a ying to the yang…a circle of life that rolls on inextricably…necessity being the mother of invention…and an inherent and natural instinct to endure, adapt and overcome. Like the greenery that grows in the path of a volcano and metal forged in the hottest fire…some special businesses were Born In 2020!
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It’s not just legal...it’s good for you! Your CBD Store was born in New Canaan in 2020, at the corner of Elm and South Streets, and is the only store in New Canaan selling CBD. Owner, Anthony Pisano, a Connecticut native, whose kids go to St Aloysius School in New Canaan, was happy to open Your CBD Store - even, right in the middle of pandemic - because, “I believe in the product, and know there are young and old who can really find health benefits from it, including pain and stress relief. And I couldn’t pass up the visibility of our location - right in the center of town.”
Your CBD Store New Canaan is a part of the largest CBD retailer in the country, Sunflora, which has over 450 individual ownership locations. Sunflora grows all its own hemp (not marijuana!) in the choicest locations in Oregon and Colorado and are the only national CBD company to be Certified Organic by the USDA. Sunflora is at the forefront of work with the government on regulations and testing, including a current partnership with the USDA examining CBD’s effect on the liver. Beyond industry standards, every batch of every product is tested for quality, including the absence of heavy metals, pesticides and any other harmful chemicals. Your CBD Store New Canaan carries only Sunflora products which have won best CBD topical, tincture, and pet tincture from CBD Expo.
Anthony explains, “Our company is built on transparency. We offer the highest quality, finest CBD products available anywhere, and it’s all about education in terms of people starting to find the benefits. We’re available to every person who walks through our door to explain CBD and its effects on the endocannabinoid system. CBD and other cannabinoids bind to receptors in the endocannabinoid system, which balances other systems in the body. This is why you hear people talking about how CBD helps with so many things.”
Your CBD Store New Canaan is a part of the largest CBD retailer in the country, Sunflora, which has over 450 individual ownership locations. Sunflora grows all its own hemp (not marijuana!) in the choicest locations in Oregon and Colorado and are the only national CBD company to be Certified Organic by the USDA. Sunflora is at the forefront of work with the government on regulations and testing, including a current partnership with the USDA examining CBD’s effect on the liver. Beyond industry standards, every batch of every product is tested for quality, including the absence of heavy metals, pesticides and any other harmful chemicals. Your CBD Store New Canaan carries only Sunflora products which have won best CBD topical, tincture, and pet tincture from CBD Expo.
Anthony explains, “Our company is built on transparency. We offer the highest quality, finest CBD products available anywhere, and it’s all about education in terms of people starting to find the benefits. We’re available to every person who walks through our door to explain CBD and its effects on the endocannabinoid system. CBD and other cannabinoids bind to receptors in the endocannabinoid system, which balances other systems in the body. This is why you hear people talking about how CBD helps with so many things.”
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Jacco de Bruijn and Mohamed Elzomor co-founded Nines in 2020 intending to modernize the household staffing and management industry, and have assembled an impressive management team to get it accomplished. They got funding to launch and support Nines from Marc Lore and Mike Hanrahan, who co-founded the incredibly successful e-commerce company jet.com in 2014, and hit it big when they sold to Walmart in 2016. Looking to invest in another industry-changer, Lore explains: “Until now, there’s been no easy way for heads of households to find the best service professionals for their needs, and no socially responsible organization supporting qualified household service professionals. Nines answers both issues by matching very talented people to its member households, managing their employment, and acting as a support system for everyone involved.”
Nines was launched in September 2020, with headquarters in New York City, and, reflecting their focus on serving the B&NC MAG area, hired local Adrienne Friedman (adrienne.friedman@ninesliving.com) as Vice President of Sales.
Nines was launched in September 2020, with headquarters in New York City, and, reflecting their focus on serving the B&NC MAG area, hired local Adrienne Friedman (adrienne.friedman@ninesliving.com) as Vice President of Sales.
Nines recruits, hires and supports childcare providers, housekeepers, chefs, drivers, and other service professionals - each qualified with experience and references in their field - providing them with benefits, insurance and personal development opportunities; thus relieving the household employer from the labor-intensive, time-consuming and legally nuanced process of hiring and managing household staff.
A Nines membership starts with the appointment of a Chief of Staff for each household (exclusive to only a few members), who will get to know the member, the home, the household’s preferences, tailor a team of service professionals to meet every expectation, and train and manage the team required. The Chief of Staff is always available - 24/7 - and will serve as a direct and single point of contact for all household and estate requirements. Ivone Vallejo, Executive Chief of Staff, understands that, “Professional families and high-net-worth households are no longer looking for ‘staff’ per se, but to bring people into their households as trusted teammates. And no one has the bandwidth to deal with recruiting, hiring and managing all the different professionals you need to run a house and a household or a full estate. Particularly in these times of pandemic, as families have moved households, are adjusting the time they allocate to different homes, and are acutely challenged in managing staff - and especially those who have a role inside the home. Nines is the answer!”
A Nines membership starts with the appointment of a Chief of Staff for each household (exclusive to only a few members), who will get to know the member, the home, the household’s preferences, tailor a team of service professionals to meet every expectation, and train and manage the team required. The Chief of Staff is always available - 24/7 - and will serve as a direct and single point of contact for all household and estate requirements. Ivone Vallejo, Executive Chief of Staff, understands that, “Professional families and high-net-worth households are no longer looking for ‘staff’ per se, but to bring people into their households as trusted teammates. And no one has the bandwidth to deal with recruiting, hiring and managing all the different professionals you need to run a house and a household or a full estate. Particularly in these times of pandemic, as families have moved households, are adjusting the time they allocate to different homes, and are acutely challenged in managing staff - and especially those who have a role inside the home. Nines is the answer!”
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Maybe more than being born in 2020, the Sama Yoga Center was reincarnated. Although Sama has been located at 45 Grove Street since 2015, Covid-related health requirements and increased demand were the catalyst for Sama’s substantial physical expansion and program adaptations in 2020.
Rebekah Jacobs, Sama’s founder/owner/operator, is a Connecticut native, who returned to the area after 12 years working and studying abroad. She and her husband have two sons, Samuel 7, and Eli 5, who both attend The Montessori School in Wilton, about which Rebekah comments, “The Montessori model is a constant source of inspiration for my own work - I like the philosophy, pedagogy and commitment to mindfulness”. Before opening Sama, Rebekah served as Director of Richard Gere’s yoga studio at The Bedford Post, helping to earn the accolade ‘Best Yoga Studio Westchester’ from Westchester Magazine and recognized on CNN and in Travel & Leisure and W Magazine among others.
Sama’s 2020 expansion and renovation included the installation of a new HVAC system, with Molecule Air Purification and UV Light sub-systems, and industrial fans for added ventilation - all exceeding CDC standards. Sama instituted a 6-feet-in-every-direction rule for all in-person classes, limited the in-person schedule so the studio can be thoroughly cleaned between each class, provided hand sanitizer stations, pre-disinfected bins, contactless entry and exit, and reserved spots for immunocompromised students. One Sama student, a psychotherapist, stated “I go to Sama and home - and that’s it! Those are the only places I feel safe!”
Rebekah Jacobs, Sama’s founder/owner/operator, is a Connecticut native, who returned to the area after 12 years working and studying abroad. She and her husband have two sons, Samuel 7, and Eli 5, who both attend The Montessori School in Wilton, about which Rebekah comments, “The Montessori model is a constant source of inspiration for my own work - I like the philosophy, pedagogy and commitment to mindfulness”. Before opening Sama, Rebekah served as Director of Richard Gere’s yoga studio at The Bedford Post, helping to earn the accolade ‘Best Yoga Studio Westchester’ from Westchester Magazine and recognized on CNN and in Travel & Leisure and W Magazine among others.
Sama’s 2020 expansion and renovation included the installation of a new HVAC system, with Molecule Air Purification and UV Light sub-systems, and industrial fans for added ventilation - all exceeding CDC standards. Sama instituted a 6-feet-in-every-direction rule for all in-person classes, limited the in-person schedule so the studio can be thoroughly cleaned between each class, provided hand sanitizer stations, pre-disinfected bins, contactless entry and exit, and reserved spots for immunocompromised students. One Sama student, a psychotherapist, stated “I go to Sama and home - and that’s it! Those are the only places I feel safe!”
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Most important, Sama pivoted to accommodate the growing number of students (now working from home, home from school, or simply with more time for self-care) by adding Sama Academy Online - Teacher Trainings, Live Online classes, Instant Sama on demand classes, and Sama Connect online subscription offerings. As one result, the Sama Yoga Academy, which was co-founded by New Canaanite Angie Mandl (whose boys both row for New Canaan Crew), has grown in 2020 to be a leading program in the region; from one to four teacher trainings per year and including nationally accredited Kids Yoga Teacher Trainings and 200-Hour Teacher Trainings. Angie commented, “Our last training included people aged 13 to 68. Teens who’ve graduated from Sama are now leading their peers in college and beyond. I feel like we’re helping students of all ages to breathe a little deeper. And with our new online capabilities, we can reach people all around the world.” In addition, Sama’s Private ‘Pod’ Yoga has also become quite popular for families, teens and kids.
Also reincarnated in 2020, with an enhanced Studio at the Sama Yoga Center and with a new e-commerce site at samayogacenter.com/store, Sama offers a curated selection of locally sourced goods, including: hand-poured ritual candles, sea glass jewelry, hand-made masks, and organic cotton clothing - all made by women.
Sama is a Sanskrit word for ‘same’ or ‘even’. Rebekah chose that name because, “At Sama, we are steady, we are even, we are here, we see you, and we are here for you. We’re a team of teachers and experts, dedicated to providing safe, mindful, traditional yoga for every body, age and ability. At this time, with so many unknowns, our community knows that they can come to Sama to connect safely, unwind, and step into the day with a fresh perspective. We believe in Yoga for every body, age and ability!”
Also reincarnated in 2020, with an enhanced Studio at the Sama Yoga Center and with a new e-commerce site at samayogacenter.com/store, Sama offers a curated selection of locally sourced goods, including: hand-poured ritual candles, sea glass jewelry, hand-made masks, and organic cotton clothing - all made by women.
Sama is a Sanskrit word for ‘same’ or ‘even’. Rebekah chose that name because, “At Sama, we are steady, we are even, we are here, we see you, and we are here for you. We’re a team of teachers and experts, dedicated to providing safe, mindful, traditional yoga for every body, age and ability. At this time, with so many unknowns, our community knows that they can come to Sama to connect safely, unwind, and step into the day with a fresh perspective. We believe in Yoga for every body, age and ability!”
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“I opened a store in Westport last year, and met so many nice people from New Canaan that I felt that it was a better fit for me and my look. I love that new Canaan has a lot of privately owned stores and still has charm and individuality. I opened my store here in September. I decided to open the store because I wanted to showcase the things that I love and bring things to people they cannot find in other places. I primarily carry home decor, and also have beautiful European totes and bags, some Italian sweaters, and scarves.”
 | THE FAMILY LAW FIRM |
With more than three decades of experience between them practicing exclusively in the areas of matrimonial and family law, Lauren Healy and Andrew Eliot are seasoned attorneys who opened their new firm, The Family Law Firm Healy + Eliot PLLC, at 125 Elm Street in New Canaan, in October 2020.
Andy grew up in Westport, where he now resides with his wife and two little kids. Lauren also grew up in Connecticut, where she now resides in Fairfield with her husband and two little kids. Lauren and Andy met while partners at a prominent matrimonial law firm located in Westport when they decided, right in the middle of the pandemic, to start this firm of their own. Relating to Covid, Andy remarked: “We had been thinking about it for a while and when Covid hit, and new divorce filings virtually came to a halt, it freed up some time for us to really devote ourselves to launching our own firm. New divorce filings have definitely picked up again and the Courts are now running most processes remotely. That said, cases are still generally moving slower than usual in the Court system, and so we are seeing more of our clients gravitate towards various types of alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation or arbitration, in an effort to bring their matters to conclusion more quickly. Notably, there are some upsides to spending less time in the courtroom than we’re used to as a result of the pandemic – for example, it allows us more time to really focus on connecting with and servicing all of our clients on a daily basis. I think it also affords us an opportunity to be more creative and innovative in crafting settlement alternatives.”
“We love being in New Canaan! Being on Elm Street makes us feel a part of the village and the community. I like the feeling of coming to work here. It’s a really easy commute for each of us, and as the bulk of our cases are in Fairfield County, with a majority in the Stamford Courthouse, it couldn’t be more convenient. And it’s terrific being able to walk to lunch at so many different great restaurants. We’ve been to Rosie’s - a lot!”, Lauren commented. “But, frankly, one of the big reasons we chose to make our home in New Canaan was because we felt the market was underserved, and that we could serve as the community’s primary firm dedicated to matrimonial practice. From what we can tell so far, we were right. There’s a demand for local, available, discrete, compassionate and experienced divorce lawyers in New Canaan - and now we’re here in New Canaan to serve that need.”
Andy grew up in Westport, where he now resides with his wife and two little kids. Lauren also grew up in Connecticut, where she now resides in Fairfield with her husband and two little kids. Lauren and Andy met while partners at a prominent matrimonial law firm located in Westport when they decided, right in the middle of the pandemic, to start this firm of their own. Relating to Covid, Andy remarked: “We had been thinking about it for a while and when Covid hit, and new divorce filings virtually came to a halt, it freed up some time for us to really devote ourselves to launching our own firm. New divorce filings have definitely picked up again and the Courts are now running most processes remotely. That said, cases are still generally moving slower than usual in the Court system, and so we are seeing more of our clients gravitate towards various types of alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation or arbitration, in an effort to bring their matters to conclusion more quickly. Notably, there are some upsides to spending less time in the courtroom than we’re used to as a result of the pandemic – for example, it allows us more time to really focus on connecting with and servicing all of our clients on a daily basis. I think it also affords us an opportunity to be more creative and innovative in crafting settlement alternatives.”
“We love being in New Canaan! Being on Elm Street makes us feel a part of the village and the community. I like the feeling of coming to work here. It’s a really easy commute for each of us, and as the bulk of our cases are in Fairfield County, with a majority in the Stamford Courthouse, it couldn’t be more convenient. And it’s terrific being able to walk to lunch at so many different great restaurants. We’ve been to Rosie’s - a lot!”, Lauren commented. “But, frankly, one of the big reasons we chose to make our home in New Canaan was because we felt the market was underserved, and that we could serve as the community’s primary firm dedicated to matrimonial practice. From what we can tell so far, we were right. There’s a demand for local, available, discrete, compassionate and experienced divorce lawyers in New Canaan - and now we’re here in New Canaan to serve that need.”
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Eva Scrivo is a well known celebrity hair and make-up artist and New York City 5th Avenue salon owner. She’s an expert in hair coloring, cutting, styling, and make-up, who is best known for her balayage and masterful makeovers. Eva was a long-standing Resident Beauty Expert on NBC’s Martha; hosted her own radio show, Beauty Talk, on Sirius; has made numerous appearances on TV shows including The Dr. Oz Show, Extra, CBS Early Show, Good Morning America, Good Day New York and the Katie Couric Show; authored Eva Scrivo on Beauty: The Tools, techniques and Insider Knowledge every woman needs to be her most beautiful, confident self (Atria Books / Simon & Schuster), and; counts locals Martha Stewart and Samantha Bee among her many celebrity clients.
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“I’ve lived in Katonah for fifteen years and when Covid hit, and I had to shut down NYC for three months, and I started seeing many of our clients moving to this area, or just making their weekend homes here permanent residences, I realized it was time to pull the trigger on opening locally. When I found 56 and 60 Westchester Avenue, I knew it was right!. Scotts Corners is a wonderful village for shopping and dining, with plenty of parking, and the new Market right across the street from my new salon. It’s right in the middle of the whole Armonk, Bedford, Katonah and New Canaan area. I even have Manhattan and New Jersey clients telling me they’d be happy to drive up to Pound Ridge to get their hair done…and make a day of it with a meal at the Inn at Pound Ridge or at Bedford Post, and some shopping in New Canaan.”
56 Westchester has three socially distanced salon chairs and two shampoo stations. Eva and her staff of stylists and colorists will offer what she calls ‘The Painted Cut’, which is Eva’s proprietary approach to blending cut and color, and; Eva and her Danish collaborator will offer non-surgical, all-natural hair restoration services, as they do in Manhattan.
60 Westchester houses Eva’s new custom color lab and a retail and online boutique (evasbeautystore.com) stocked with the same products sold at her NYC salon. It will also be used as the primary hair and makeup studio for bridal parties.
“In addition, with Eva Scrivo Custom Color, I personally formulate base colors and glazes for existing and new virtual clients based on their natural hair color, skin tone, eye color and personal preferences, just like I would in the salon. Because I can consistently supply the right shade for each client, our regular salon clients have been thrilled to be able to maintain their color at home, while many of our new virtual clients rave that they’ve finally achieved the color they’ve always wanted.”
56 Westchester has three socially distanced salon chairs and two shampoo stations. Eva and her staff of stylists and colorists will offer what she calls ‘The Painted Cut’, which is Eva’s proprietary approach to blending cut and color, and; Eva and her Danish collaborator will offer non-surgical, all-natural hair restoration services, as they do in Manhattan.
60 Westchester houses Eva’s new custom color lab and a retail and online boutique (evasbeautystore.com) stocked with the same products sold at her NYC salon. It will also be used as the primary hair and makeup studio for bridal parties.
“In addition, with Eva Scrivo Custom Color, I personally formulate base colors and glazes for existing and new virtual clients based on their natural hair color, skin tone, eye color and personal preferences, just like I would in the salon. Because I can consistently supply the right shade for each client, our regular salon clients have been thrilled to be able to maintain their color at home, while many of our new virtual clients rave that they’ve finally achieved the color they’ve always wanted.”
 | THE ADIRONDACK STORE & GALLERY |
In a triumphant return to New Canaan, the Lake Placid-based Adirondack Store & Gallery opened at 39 Elm Street in 2020...and it’s already an established fixture in the New Canaan retail landscape.
The Adirondack Store practically sets the Lake & Lodge style, offering everything to decorate, outfit and finish any home with that ‘Lake Placid look’, and owner/operators Christopher English and Stephen Shin run a substantial business offering decorating services and dealing in fine art. Like parents of every newborn, Christopher and Stephen have a major success on their very busy hands!
“We couldn’t be happier about the decision to open in New Canaan in 2020, and weren’t deterred when Covid hit. We’re thrilled to be here! The community support is tremendous! I can’t tell you how many people have come in and told me their family made a conscious decision to shop locally this year.” remarked Stephen. And Stephen and Christopher have already become supporters of numerous local charities, including The Young Women's League of New Canaan, The New Canaan Library and The New Canaan Mounted Troop to name just a few.
The Adirondack Store practically sets the Lake & Lodge style, offering everything to decorate, outfit and finish any home with that ‘Lake Placid look’, and owner/operators Christopher English and Stephen Shin run a substantial business offering decorating services and dealing in fine art. Like parents of every newborn, Christopher and Stephen have a major success on their very busy hands!
“We couldn’t be happier about the decision to open in New Canaan in 2020, and weren’t deterred when Covid hit. We’re thrilled to be here! The community support is tremendous! I can’t tell you how many people have come in and told me their family made a conscious decision to shop locally this year.” remarked Stephen. And Stephen and Christopher have already become supporters of numerous local charities, including The Young Women's League of New Canaan, The New Canaan Library and The New Canaan Mounted Troop to name just a few.
The store’s Cafe has become a most popular stop. It’s open every day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and more than just for a cup of joe, a bunch of people have taken to working or reading pretty regularly in the comfortable space. “We are very careful to make the space be and feel safe, so it’s very roomy and socially distanced. Among other things we constantly wipe down surfaces and have installed three IQ Industrial Air Purifiers.”, said Stephen.
For a special ‘treat’, The Adirondack Store is serving free drip coffee, cold brew and iced tea, every Thursday from Noon to 3 p.m.! Stephen said, “It’s a great chance for people to take a break, and for us it feels like friends coming to visit!”
For a special ‘treat’, The Adirondack Store is serving free drip coffee, cold brew and iced tea, every Thursday from Noon to 3 p.m.! Stephen said, “It’s a great chance for people to take a break, and for us it feels like friends coming to visit!”
By: Marc Fleisher
Marc is a big-league sports agent, who played hockey at Denison. Marc and his wife, Joanne, raised their kids Sean and Julia in New Canaan. Marc did his time as a Hockey Dad, with Sean playing organized hockey in New Canaan, and then at Millbrook and Trinity. Marc runs Entersport, which has a 30+ year track record representing professional athletes in America and Europe in all facets of their development, draft, contract negotiation, management and marketing. Marc has represented over 100 NBA players, including dozens of first and second round draft picks, and five Hall of Famers, including Vlade Divac and Dino Radja. Marc is widely recognized for bringing the first wave of international players to the NBA, starting in 1989, forever changing the League.
Marc is a big-league sports agent, who played hockey at Denison. Marc and his wife, Joanne, raised their kids Sean and Julia in New Canaan. Marc did his time as a Hockey Dad, with Sean playing organized hockey in New Canaan, and then at Millbrook and Trinity. Marc runs Entersport, which has a 30+ year track record representing professional athletes in America and Europe in all facets of their development, draft, contract negotiation, management and marketing. Marc has represented over 100 NBA players, including dozens of first and second round draft picks, and five Hall of Famers, including Vlade Divac and Dino Radja. Marc is widely recognized for bringing the first wave of international players to the NBA, starting in 1989, forever changing the League.
Debbie McQuilkin grew up in Lakewood, Washington, the daughter of a commercial fisherman. “Sometimes there was lots to eat, sometimes not so much.” A roommate in Spokane introduced her to her husband, Kevin McQuilkin, and the young couple moved East in ’87, married in ’88, and moved to New Canaan in 1990. Their first house in New Canaan was on Millport Road, then a decade in a bigger house on Ponus Ridge, before they ‘bought the farm’ in 2011 - They’re the folks who own the Abby Normal Farm on Oenoke Ridge - the Federalist red brick mansion with the great red barns and the alpacas. Their four kids, Colin (’89), Austin (’92), Kieran (’93), and Molly (’97), all started in the New Canaan public schools and then went to King Low Heywood. Colin went on to Kevin’s alma mater Gonzaga, Austin to Loyola Maryland, Kieran to Washington & Lee, and Molly is currently a senior at Gonzaga.
All three McQuilkin boys played hockey at the Winter Club, and Colin and Kieran played for King…while Debbie played the dutiful ‘hockey mom’. She was managing a team at the Winter Club in New Canaan in 2006, when she filled a garage with used hockey equipment from a charity drive. A round of calls led her to the American Special Hockey Association’s then President, Mike Hickey, who suggested Debbie use the equipment to start a team within ASHA. Debbie told Hickey “But I don’t have a child with a disability”; Hickey responded saying “Right, if you did you wouldn’t have time to run one of these teams”, and; Debbie, on that first call, and immediately impacted by Hickey’s point, determined “OK, I’ll do it!”
“I knew I needed someone to actually run the hockey, so my first call was to John Corcoran, who played pro hockey in Sweden and who I knew as a hockey dad around town. That first Summer in 2006: we got ice for a couple of weeks in Darien; we had 6 kids, who we put in the equipment from the Winter Club charity drive and some other borrowed stuff; we had a couple of coaches, and; my boys helped out. It was magical for sure! The next step was to find ice for a regular season, and the rinks in Darien and Stamford couldn’t find time that would work for our kids. John and Mike Ferguson, who run Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport, right away allocated our coveted Sunday afternoon ice time, and we ran a program with 10 kids in 2007. That grew to 15 in 2008, and 30 in 2009, and now we’re stabilized at around 60 kids playing every year.”
All three McQuilkin boys played hockey at the Winter Club, and Colin and Kieran played for King…while Debbie played the dutiful ‘hockey mom’. She was managing a team at the Winter Club in New Canaan in 2006, when she filled a garage with used hockey equipment from a charity drive. A round of calls led her to the American Special Hockey Association’s then President, Mike Hickey, who suggested Debbie use the equipment to start a team within ASHA. Debbie told Hickey “But I don’t have a child with a disability”; Hickey responded saying “Right, if you did you wouldn’t have time to run one of these teams”, and; Debbie, on that first call, and immediately impacted by Hickey’s point, determined “OK, I’ll do it!”
“I knew I needed someone to actually run the hockey, so my first call was to John Corcoran, who played pro hockey in Sweden and who I knew as a hockey dad around town. That first Summer in 2006: we got ice for a couple of weeks in Darien; we had 6 kids, who we put in the equipment from the Winter Club charity drive and some other borrowed stuff; we had a couple of coaches, and; my boys helped out. It was magical for sure! The next step was to find ice for a regular season, and the rinks in Darien and Stamford couldn’t find time that would work for our kids. John and Mike Ferguson, who run Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport, right away allocated our coveted Sunday afternoon ice time, and we ran a program with 10 kids in 2007. That grew to 15 in 2008, and 30 in 2009, and now we’re stabilized at around 60 kids playing every year.”
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“Our whole thing is ‘Life Skills Through Ice Hockey’. Our application asks only: ‘Please provide a short description of your athlete’s disability - this will only be used by our coaching team to better connect with your athlete’. Mostly we have kids with autism, including all ranges on the spectrum. We have a lot of kids with Down Syndrome. Several kids with severe physical challenges. And a few kids with severe ADHD - they sometimes move on to play on a typical team. We have kids from all over Fairfield county and upper Westchester. We break the kids into two groups, so we can accommodate those who are struggling to skate or who have trouble following instructions in the group that starts every Sunday at 3:30, and then have a group of more advanced skaters and bigger kids in the group that goes at 4:30.”
The size and quality of the program is impressive! Many kids stay on for multiple seasons, but Debbie estimates there may now be about 500 Storm alum! John Corcoran runs The Storm’s 9 person coaching staff (as a tribute to how rewarding the experience is, everyone who has tried coaching is still on the staff). Then, John McCormack runs our mentoring program - mentors are assigned one-on-one to a different player each week. There’s 90 mentors, who are hockey players from local high schools and colleges, many of whom work for several years and beyond the requirement for a resume entry. Debbie estimates that by now The Storm has involved over 1,000 mentors!
The size and quality of the program is impressive! Many kids stay on for multiple seasons, but Debbie estimates there may now be about 500 Storm alum! John Corcoran runs The Storm’s 9 person coaching staff (as a tribute to how rewarding the experience is, everyone who has tried coaching is still on the staff). Then, John McCormack runs our mentoring program - mentors are assigned one-on-one to a different player each week. There’s 90 mentors, who are hockey players from local high schools and colleges, many of whom work for several years and beyond the requirement for a resume entry. Debbie estimates that by now The Storm has involved over 1,000 mentors!
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“For some of our kids, this will be the first time in their life they will play on a team or wear a team jersey with their own name on it. For many it’s the only organized sports team they have tried and a chance to be around other kids like them. Trying something new can be scary, but these kids rise to the occasion! I can’t tell you how many parents say to me ‘Until now, my child would watch hockey, now he gets to play! Kids get on the ice and relax, have fun, make friends, learn skills and make real physical strides! It’s life changing. It makes them feel good about themselves and their many achievements. We play other teams in the area and throw a pizza party after each home game. The kids learn a lot of important social and basic life skills that we take for granted, and they build lifelong friendships.”
“We go on trips to play away games as well, like against the Raptors in Mamaroneck, but we’ve also had trips to places like Albany, Buffalo, Lake Placid and Maryland. We get buses, and everyone who wants to go and participate, can go. We try to keep the hockey - and the whole experience - as typical as we’re able. Players take ‘shifts’ in ‘lines’ and spend the rest of the time on the ‘bench’, but we don’t have ‘icing’ or ‘offside’, as those are difficult concepts for a lot of our kids. All the teams and coaches are basically in the same mind set and do their best to match opposing player capabilities, and allow players of every level to have some role in the competition. The kids talk about these trips all year long.”
“We go on trips to play away games as well, like against the Raptors in Mamaroneck, but we’ve also had trips to places like Albany, Buffalo, Lake Placid and Maryland. We get buses, and everyone who wants to go and participate, can go. We try to keep the hockey - and the whole experience - as typical as we’re able. Players take ‘shifts’ in ‘lines’ and spend the rest of the time on the ‘bench’, but we don’t have ‘icing’ or ‘offside’, as those are difficult concepts for a lot of our kids. All the teams and coaches are basically in the same mind set and do their best to match opposing player capabilities, and allow players of every level to have some role in the competition. The kids talk about these trips all year long.”
  | “Sam’s been with The Storm for 9 years, the first 6 as a player, and now as a mentor. He processes slowly, but he’s really determined. He likes to be around for his brother, Mikey, who has Ataxia and can hardly walk and struggles to stay up on his skates, but who is sharp as a whip. They love being able to do this together. The Storm has been a blessing for us! It’s the highlight of the week for my boys and, in different ways, has been critical for each of them.” -Dr. Harvey Bluestein (Sam & 'Sweaty' Mike's Dad)  The Storm has an expensive piece of equipment called a Kaye Trainer, which holds an athlete in a sling over the ice and allows as much gravitational pressure to be placed on the legs as desired. That’s ‘Sweaty’ Mike Bluestein getting out on the ice in “The K”. |
There’s a $400 admission fee, but scholarship is generously available. Remarkably, The Storm provides the helmets, pads and all other equipment required for every athlete that needs it. They furnish the skates in conjunction with Ferguson’s at Wonderland of Ice, who handles the storage and fittings. (Unusually, The Storm prefers used skates over new, as they tend to be more comfortable.) Debbie amalgamates donated equipment and buys whatever else is necessary, and keeps the equipment inventory in a storage unit on Route 7. Every athlete gets a shell that goes over their own pants, and a jersey with their own name on the back. “I hear from lots of parents that their kids got their first Storm jersey and didn’t take it off for two weeks”, Debbie said, “it’s their pride and joy.” Each athlete gets an equipment bag, and about that Debbie declares, “That’s one of my only rules. Every kid has to pull his own bag.” There are occasional goodies like a team beach towel or hat, and everybody gets a trophy. “The trophies are really important. It’s a symbol of their accomplishment and makes them feel like a winner. The bigger the better. With their name on it.”
But all this doesn’t come cheap, and The Storm needs to raise about $25,000 a year to make ends meet. For years, New Canaan resident Boyd Hardin held an annual golf outing at the Country Club of New Canaan, with the proceeds going to The Storm, but that ended in 2019. Debbie is not shy about fundraising, parents solicit contributions, and Board Members, including John Corcoran, Jeff Engborg and New Canaan resident Terry Connors, do what they can to raise funds.
Still, donations are required to keep what is formally known as Southern Connecticut Storm Special Hockey, a 501(c)(3), alive and flourishing.
As important, having established The Storm as an institution, Debbie is looking to retire as President, Program Director and the force behind The Storm, and for someone new to take the helm. It may take a new hockey super-mom, or it may take a small committee of dedicated volunteers, but Debbie feels it’s time to transition to new leadership.
Debbie talks about her 15 years of dedicated hard work on The Storm as though she was the one ‘getting’ all that time. She says, “I feel like I’ve got 60 kids in addition to my own, like I’ve been the hockey mom to each one of them, and shared in the reward of each of their successes”. She has a special humility and grace, and a calm smile that hides the thousands of details she has to bring together to produce The Storm each week and each year. She only directs attention to the Board Members, coaches, mentors and others who’ve helped her make it happen. And Debbie’s husband, Kevin, who has carried a lot of bags of equipment, and showed up just about every Sunday to help out, and chaperoned on all the trips…and kicked-in the bucks to fill the gaps - he says, “It’s one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Just being around what’s happening out there on the ice makes you feel good. These kids are really inspiring.”
Still, donations are required to keep what is formally known as Southern Connecticut Storm Special Hockey, a 501(c)(3), alive and flourishing.
As important, having established The Storm as an institution, Debbie is looking to retire as President, Program Director and the force behind The Storm, and for someone new to take the helm. It may take a new hockey super-mom, or it may take a small committee of dedicated volunteers, but Debbie feels it’s time to transition to new leadership.
Debbie talks about her 15 years of dedicated hard work on The Storm as though she was the one ‘getting’ all that time. She says, “I feel like I’ve got 60 kids in addition to my own, like I’ve been the hockey mom to each one of them, and shared in the reward of each of their successes”. She has a special humility and grace, and a calm smile that hides the thousands of details she has to bring together to produce The Storm each week and each year. She only directs attention to the Board Members, coaches, mentors and others who’ve helped her make it happen. And Debbie’s husband, Kevin, who has carried a lot of bags of equipment, and showed up just about every Sunday to help out, and chaperoned on all the trips…and kicked-in the bucks to fill the gaps - he says, “It’s one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Just being around what’s happening out there on the ice makes you feel good. These kids are really inspiring.”
 | Andrew Blackwell, 14, is a New Canaan resident. Drew unabashedly rushed Kreider (with no penalty called for 'holding')! |
| Lucas DiGiacomo, 13, a Pound Ridge Resident |  |
| By: Rachael Palacios Photography By: Carlos Marques Chris C. Shaffer Hudson Michael Biondo Robin Hill www.theglasshouse.org Most in the area are familiar with the gem that is The Glass House; Philip Johnson’s modernist landmark residence gracing the New Canaan landscape. Few, however, may be aware of the treasures buried deep, quite literally, beneath the bucolic compound. |  |
Andy Warhol kissing Philip Johnson, 1979 Over a period of forty plus years, Johnson acquired a massive paintings and sculpture collection with the assistance of life partner and artworld insider David Whitney. Whitney worked at MoMA, Green Gallery, Leo Castelli gallery, (the noted art dealer who launched and established the illustrious careers of Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, among others), was a studio assistant to Jasper Johns, held curatorial positions at several distinguished institutions including the Whitney Museum of Art (no relation to the name) and even ran his own gallery. As a champion of contemporary art, he had a knack for recognizing emerging talent and his keen eye and knowledge informed Johnson’s collecting. And on a personal level, Whitney’s close relationships and friendships made their way into the Johnson/Whitney creative partnership. The Glass House became a contemporary salon of sorts, with Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly, Jasper Johns, Brice Marden, Merce Cunningham, John Cage, among other talents, spending many a weekend discussing artistic thoughts, processes, music, dance, etc. Oh, to have been a fly on that wall….or an art student...or art collector...or society columnist...
Whitney’s role as art advisor to Johnson cannot be understated. Johnson is notably quoted as saying: “David is my contemporary art. I don’t pretend to have an original eye.” Thirty-three years younger than Johnson, Whitney brought a fresh perspective to the architect. During their forty-five years together, they amassed a collection of over two thousand paintings, drawings and sculpture. Most of the works were donated to MoMA during Johnson’s lifetime, a move that shaped and cemented the Museum’s Post-War collection. Fortunately, art enthusiasts in our area don’t have to trek to Midtown, as several dozen significant artworks remain on the 49-acre property for all to delight.
Whitney’s role as art advisor to Johnson cannot be understated. Johnson is notably quoted as saying: “David is my contemporary art. I don’t pretend to have an original eye.” Thirty-three years younger than Johnson, Whitney brought a fresh perspective to the architect. During their forty-five years together, they amassed a collection of over two thousand paintings, drawings and sculpture. Most of the works were donated to MoMA during Johnson’s lifetime, a move that shaped and cemented the Museum’s Post-War collection. Fortunately, art enthusiasts in our area don’t have to trek to Midtown, as several dozen significant artworks remain on the 49-acre property for all to delight.
photo: Carlos Marques
photo: Chris C. Shaffer Hudson In 1965 Johnson designed and built the Painting Gallery to exhibit and store the growing collection. More suitable to hang art than the transparent Glass Home allows, the building is a climate-controlled bunker-like structure, pressed into the earth, looking more like an ancient crypt than a traditional art gallery. A vestibule leads to an open rotunda, where six expansive walls display monumental works alongside smaller ones. What lies hidden behind these carpeted walls (a practical surface masking installation marks from swapping works out) are three round chambers acting as oversized carrousels. Each contains racks holding an impressive collection of oversized and smaller-scaled works. In all, there are forty-two panels - with six on display in the gallery. This brilliant movable storage system ensures the art can safely be viewed and switched with minimized risk.
photo: Chris C. Shaffer Hudson
photo: Michael Biondo Behind one such rotating wall is Robert Rauschenberg’s Recital from 1980. This work belongs to the Spread series, a grouping that references earlier Combines, (the Cardboards, Hoarfrosts, and Jammers), bringing together the artist’s famed motifs, techniques and materials. The impetus for the creation of this series was a mid-career retrospective held at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. in 1976. In preparing for this exhibition, Rauschenberg re-visited works he had not seen in twenty-five years, an exercise that was to take him on an eight-year trip down memory lane (1975-1983.) His newly found inspiration translated to oversized autobiographical panels: the solvent transferred media images mixed with brighter blocks of fabric and assembled with found objects (in this case the working fan) reflect his then current life in Captiva Island. Recital was not the first Rauschenberg Philip Johnson owned. He acquired the Combine First Landing Jump years earlier and donated it to MoMA, making it the first Rauschenberg to enter the museum’s collection.
Every so often works like Recital, usually hidden in the racks, make their way to the outer walls in the gallery, or are loaned out to exhibitions in other locations. In the gallery, large work by David Salle and Frank Stella can be mixed with personalized smaller works by Jasper Johns. Andy Warlhol’s Philip Johnson, 1972, serially portraying the celebrated architect on nine panels is a reminder of whose domain we are in. Additionally, The Glass House holds special exhibitions, such as Enoc Perez revisiting Philip Johnson’s Lipstick building in 2015. These shows revitalize the collection and re-contextualize the dialogue between the architect and contemporary artists.
Every so often works like Recital, usually hidden in the racks, make their way to the outer walls in the gallery, or are loaned out to exhibitions in other locations. In the gallery, large work by David Salle and Frank Stella can be mixed with personalized smaller works by Jasper Johns. Andy Warlhol’s Philip Johnson, 1972, serially portraying the celebrated architect on nine panels is a reminder of whose domain we are in. Additionally, The Glass House holds special exhibitions, such as Enoc Perez revisiting Philip Johnson’s Lipstick building in 2015. These shows revitalize the collection and re-contextualize the dialogue between the architect and contemporary artists.
 photo: Carlos Marques  photo: Michael Biondo |  photo: Carlos Marques  photo: Carlos Marques |
A more astute, if not cerebral, installation is Frank Stella’s pin-striped silver Averroes, 1960, one of the artist’s first shaped canvases. Situated on the back wall, the painting is the first work visible when opening the gallery doors. Stella famously stated the Minimalist credo, “What you see is what you see” and that is exactly what this is. Averroes was the first artwork Whitney advised Johnson to acquire when they saw it hanging in the Four Seasons restaurant. Today, The Glass House has sixteen works by Stella, dating from 1960 to 2004, ranging from smaller works to larger paintings and sculptures. The artist’s development from rigidly painted canvases to additive wall-mounted reliefs, sculptures, structures and maquettes were to become an influence in Johnson’s architecture, most notably in Da Monsta, 1995, the last structure built on the property.
photo: Carlos Marques
photo: Carlos Marques
photo: Carlos Marques Moving on to the Sculpture Gallery, built in 1970, an angular, skylit building, which functions as just that, a place to view sculpture. Safety codes prevent the visitor from venturing down the rail-less steps, but the top level affords a good view of Stella’s Raft of the Medusa, Part I, 1990, and Robert Morris’ L-Beams (1965-70). Be not dismissive of the less impressively scaled Neon Templates of the Left Half of My Body Taken at Ten Inch Intervals, 1966, by Bruce Nauman. This is arguably The Glass House’s most important work in the collection, a neon wall-mounted sculpture that reveals the artist’s preoccupation with his own body as medium and subject matter. Whitney organized Nauman’s first solo exhibition at Leo Castelli gallery back in 1966, a show that launched the artist’s career and took him onto the international museum stage. This work has been exhibited in over 45 national and international venues ever since.
Johnson and Whitney were great visionaries and patrons of the arts, bequeathing the vast majority of their collections to MoMA, the Menil Collection and other institutions. But what lies below at The Glass House - in the Painting Gallery - remains itself an important museum of modern art.
Johnson and Whitney were great visionaries and patrons of the arts, bequeathing the vast majority of their collections to MoMA, the Menil Collection and other institutions. But what lies below at The Glass House - in the Painting Gallery - remains itself an important museum of modern art.
photo: Carlos Marques
photo: Carlos Marques BURIED TREASURE!
...Down the rail-less steps in the Sculpture Gallery, beyond the Nauman, and turning back under the top level viewing area...there’s an underground gallery, housing additional works, that has never been open to the public. Buried treasure! Completely hidden from public view, are Stella’s Grajau I, 1975, from the artist’s Brazilian series, New Caledonian Lorikeet, 1977, from the artist’s Exotic Birds series and (currently out on loan) Khar Pidda, 1978, from Stella’s Indian Birds series. H.A.W.K., the salvaged assemblage from 1959, by John Chamberlain, is the only work not reliant on a wall for placement.
...Down the rail-less steps in the Sculpture Gallery, beyond the Nauman, and turning back under the top level viewing area...there’s an underground gallery, housing additional works, that has never been open to the public. Buried treasure! Completely hidden from public view, are Stella’s Grajau I, 1975, from the artist’s Brazilian series, New Caledonian Lorikeet, 1977, from the artist’s Exotic Birds series and (currently out on loan) Khar Pidda, 1978, from Stella’s Indian Birds series. H.A.W.K., the salvaged assemblage from 1959, by John Chamberlain, is the only work not reliant on a wall for placement.