
PHILIP JOHNSON
July 8, 1906 ā January 25, 2005
When you think of iconic American architecture, Phillip Johnson's name is hard to miss. From the pristine minimalism of the Glass House to the bold postmodernism of the 550 Madison Avenue, Johnson reshaped the American skyline.
But beyond his architectural marvels and the iconic glasses, Johnson was also one of the first prominent architects to live openly as a gay manāa fact both groundbreaking and, for much of his life, quietly managed.
In an era when homosexuality was criminalized and routinely pathologized, Johnsonās visibility and success were, in their own way, quietly radical. He didn't wave a rainbow flag, but he didnāt hide either.
Johnsonās sexuality was an open secret in the design world. He lived with curator and art critic David Whitney at The Glass House. Their relationship, which began in 1960 and lasted until Johnsonās death in 2005, was a quiet yet enduring partnership that defied mid-century norms of what love could look like.
Together, Johnson and Whitney built more than just a life; they cultivated a cultural haven. The Glass House wasnāt merely a modernist masterpieceāit was a salon of sorts, where art, architecture, and queerness collided in conversation and curation.
While Johnsonās work was sometimes criticized as style over substance, his influence was undeniable. He mentored and promoted the careers of other major architects, helped curate the first architecture department at MoMA, and shaped both public taste and private commissions for generations.
As LGBTQ histories become more visible and integral to cultural narratives, Johnson's life demands inclusion. He was a trailblazer not just in concrete and glass, but in living a queer life of influence, visibility, and contradiction. He showed, without fanfare, that gay men could design skylines, shape taste, and live lives that were both modern and deeply human.
In the end, Phillip Johnson's greatest legacy may not be the buildings he designed, but the life he lived in full view: reflective, refractive, and unapologetically his own.
Keep calm and carry on!
Clint šāļø
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FOR YOUR (SUBSTACK) CONSIDERATION
ON THIS DAY = JULY 8
BIRTHDAYS
1831 = John Pemberton = American chemist, pharmacist, and Coca-Cola inventor
1890 = Stanton Macdonald-Wright = American painter
1906 = Philip Johnson = American architect š
1908 = Louis Jordan = American singer-songwriter and actor
1926 = Elisabeth Kübler-Ross = Swiss-American psychiatrist and author
1930 = Jerry Vale = American singer
1933 = Peter Orlovsky = American poet š
1935 = Steve Lawrence = American actor and singer
1951 = Anjelica Huston = American actress and director
1952 = Marianne Williamson = American author and activist
1958 = Kevin Bacon = American actor and musician
1962 = Joan Osborne = American singer-songwriter
1965 = Lee Tergesen = American actor
1968 = Billy Crudup = American actor
1968 = Michael Weatherly = American actor, producer, director, and musician
1976 = Silvia Modig = Finnish politician and journalist š
1977 = Milo Ventimiglia = American actor, director, and producer
1993 = David Corenswet = American actor
EVENTS
1776 = Church bells (possibly including the Liberty Bell) are rung after John Nixon delivers the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
1889 = The first issue of The Wall Street Journal is published.
1947 = Reports are broadcast that a UFO crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico in what became known as the Roswell UFO incident.
1992 = Melrose Place premieres on Fox.
1996 = Spice Girls release their debut single "Wannabe" in the UK.
2018 = Tab Hunter died in Santa Barbara, CA, at the age of 86.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY
āYou're going to change the world? Well, go ahead and try. You'll give it up at a certain point and change yourself instead.ā
Philip Johnson
āDon't build a glass house if you're worried about saving money on heating.ā
Philip Johnson
Part2. Now a real story, an aunt by marriage and her young dentists husband were very early 60's modernists and Avant garde. They bought a plot of land along with several other professionals who designed and built individual homes. Margaret and Jacks was on the steepest slope so it was living and balcony terrace on top at ground level and bedrooms to the lower level. The whole upper living wall was total sliding windows. Double glazed too which was such a new concept in the 60's. Their home became a poster house for the double glazing industry used in marketing etc. My dad was called in to help dig out the tree stumps for the whole plot, along with others roped in for the heavy work. In fact the 4(I think) homes would have been contenders for a Frank Lloyd Wright mention ā Cheers DougT
Bravo, Clint! Your Glass tribute is perfection. Thank you for continuing to tell our stories by sharing our history.