PHILIP JOHNSON GLASS HOUSE
In 2013 Moss Bureau was contracted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to analyze and recommend changes to the retail operation of the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, CT.
Given the limited financial means of the Glass House, Moss Bureau undertook a surgical approach to change. What we saw was in fact a workable space, with usable fixturing and lighting requiring minimal modification which we believed would have a tremendous impact on the look and flow of the space. Through a process of elimination, we imposed a rigor using what remained, making the space dramatically cleaner and certainly more sympathetic to the Johnson House. We added a Narrative to the shop itself, connecting the merchandise to Mr. Johnson's 1934 ground breaking exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, Machine Art. The shop and its contents became a true and valid extension of the profound thinking of Philip Johnson.
All our brilliant work would come to nothing if there weren't people on site who got it and were not only totally able to carry on with the program but actually improve on it as time goes by. At the Glass House, the store manager, Crista Bazoian, became our partner. She was so enthusiastic, in fact, she decided to do her Master's Thesis on Murray. See it here. This was, in my opinion, above and beyond.
Click on this link to download the full Case Study for the Museum of Fine Arts Houston: