Visitors from around the world come to New Canaan to see the twentieth-century modern homes designed by the Harvard Five and their disciples, but there are fine examples of this style in Darien, too. John M. Johansen, the last surviving member of the Harvard Five, designed the Goodyear House in Darien, an unusually large modernist home featuring three pavilions connected by bridges. The house’s central core is cantilevered over a rocky hillside and makes for spectacular views of a sweeping lawn, perennial gardens and a pond below. Other key features include a foyer with atrium and interior garden, a spacious dining area and gallery. The home is listed at $2,795,000 with William Pitt Sotheby’s, New Canaan (203-966-2633).
The Roles House
Victor Christ-Janer, who studied architecture at Yale before starting his own firm in New Canaan, helped transform that town into an incubator for distinctive modernist dwellings in the 1950s. The Roles House on Wahackme Road is one of his designs, and it’s notable for the symmetry and light. The current owners replaced the original long entry corridor with a charming exterior courtyard. The front door opens onto a great room with skylights and fireplace, plus generous areas for living and formal dining. We like the expanded family room/library that opens onto a secluded terrace and landscaped gardens. Listed at $1,395,000 with Barbara Cleary’s Realty Guild (203-966-7772) and William Pitt Sotheby’s, New Canaan (203-966-2633).