Julian Wood Glass Jr. (February 7, 1910 – February 27, 1992) was a businessman, art collector, and philanthropist who created the Glen Burnie Gardens with
R. Lee Taylor. He also ensured the preservation of
Glen Burnie Historic House, now part of the
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. Glass Jr. was chairman and director of Panhandle Producing Co. of
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...
; director of Pinto Well Servicing, Paladin Pipe Line Co., and Reliance Development Co., and president and director of North Star Petroleum Co.
Glass received his undergraduate degree from
Westminster College in
Fulton, Missouri
Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City, Missouri, Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, Missouri, ...
and attended graduate school at the
Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urba ...
. He was also a member of
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, , it consist ...
fraternity.
Glass Jr. was active in New York's social scene and was a member of the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
Club, the Metropolitan Opera Golden Horseshoe, the River Club and the
Metropolitan Club. He also remained active in Oklahoma, supporting the
Tulsa Opera,
Tulsa Ballet
Tulsa Ballet is a professional American ballet company located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The artistic mission of Tulsa Ballet is "To preserve the tradition of classical ballet, promote the appreciation of contemporary dance, create works of superior and ...
, and
Tulsa Philharmonic. In his hometown of Nowata, he supported the hospital, library, Chamber of Commerce, 4-H, and was a lifelong member of Nowata's First Presbyterian Church.
In 1947, Glass Jr. met R. Lee Taylor in New York City shortly after the latter's discharge from the army, and the two became close friends, and eventually committed partners. Glass Jr. hired Taylor to assist with refurbishment and preservation of Glen Burnie. In 1952, Glass Jr. inherited his father's shares in Glen Burnie and Rose Hill in
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...
, and over the next three years purchased or inherited the remaining shares of both estates, which would require serious financial investment. Together Glass Jr. and Taylor created six acres of gardens around the house. After the relationship of the two men ended in the 1970s, Glass Jr. continued to entertain at Glen Burnie and Taylor managed the site, living on premises.
Glass Jr. established the Glass-Glen Burnie Foundation to assure the preservation of Glen Burnie Historic House and Gardens, Rose Hill, and his collection of English and American paintings and decorative arts. Much of his art collection is on display at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.
References
Sources
*
*
External links
Julian Wood Glass Jr. Collectionat the
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.
Glen Burnie Queer Studies Collectionat the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glass, Julian Wood, Jr.
1910 births
1992 deaths
Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni
Businesspeople from Little Rock, Arkansas
People from Winchester, Virginia
Westminster College (Missouri) alumni
20th-century American businesspeople