Richard Neutra’s Glen House Hits the Market for $4.5M in Stamford, CT
Midcentury architect Richard Neutra is best known for his sleek, modernist homes scattered across Southern California. However, the architect is also responsible for a handful of homes on the East Coast—three of which are in Connecticut.
Located in Stamford, just 50 minutes from Grand Central Station, the Glen House was built in 1959 for an affluent family that outlined specific requirements for their home—some of which ran contrary to Neutra’s architectural style.
The site features terraces, stone outcroppings, and serene views across the lush green lawn.
The home recently received two sensitive renovations that bring it closer to Neutra’s vision than the original plan. Architect Joeb Moore painstakingly and lovingly restored and upgraded the home with an award-winning restoration, "giving life to some of Neutra’s original details that were not realized by the initial build," according to the listing.
The exterior is a mix of slim wood siding and white stucco—a "nod to Neutra’s original intention."
The Glen family originally requested a division of public and private space—including a closed service kitchen for the family’s maid. This design request conflicted with to the open, fluid spaces that define many of Neutra’s homes. Moore’s restoration replaced the closed-off space with modern kitchen that’s open to the living area. The renovation also reimagined the layout as an open plan with the living area at the center, and brought light into the common areas of the home via floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights—a vital part of Neutra’s original intent.
The other end of the home was reworked and expanded by Rolfs Elert Office, who "developed a new plan that feels true to Neutra’s ethos of blurring the lines between inside and out." This included flipping the master suite’s bathroom and bedroom, expanding the bathroom with a large soaking tub, and increasing the size of the bedroom to take advantage of the western exposure and better integrate the space with the beautiful surrounding landscape.
The living room features an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, warm wood paneling, and a beautiful tongue-and-groove ceiling.
The living area is anchored by a full-height wood-burning fireplace.
The home was originally built with an enclosed service kitchen, however Joeb Moore's renovation replaced it with an open, modern kitchen that connects to the living area.
"Neutra took great pains to site the house with respect to its exposure to not only the sun, but also the moon," says Joeb Moore. "He wrote that he had designed skylights that brought in both the daytime sunlight and the nighttime moonlight to naturally illuminate the spaces. While some of the original skylights did bring in natural light, others were too small to be effectual. The renovation expanded these skylights, opening up a series of small, button-like apertures into a large slot light above the kitchen island."
The metal-topped kitchen island gives the space a polished, industrial look.
The open dining room is opposite the kitchen.
A piece of furniture serves as a partition and blocks off an additional cozy sitting area surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows and a door leading out to the terrace.
The expanded master bedroom.
A view of the exterior highlights the expanded master bedroom, as well as the home’s masterful siting.
The Glen House, as it exists today, is better aligned with Neutra’s original vision for the home.
The Glen House is currently listed For $4,500,000 with Rick Distel of Compass.
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