(AP) — In the years after World War II, when suburban towns were still "the country," this unassuming village an hour north of Manhattan became an epicenter of modernist architecture, and a birthplace of then-radical concepts like family rooms, floor-to-ceiling windows and open-plan living. [...] the surviving homes have continued to evolve, a transformation explored in a new book that looks at 16 of New Canaan's 91 remaining homes from this influential era. [...] the evolution of homes of this era seems crucial to their survival. To adapt to changing expectations of comfort in affluent New Canaan, many of the homes were expanded, with larger bedrooms, en suite bathrooms, media rooms and wine cellars. [...] additions demanded a creative approach so as to retain the aesthetics of movement, simplicity, openness, and sensitivity to site and nature, while respecting zoning regulations limiting the structures' footprint. [...] the New Canaan Historical Society features a detailed survey of the town's midcentury homes, and runs tours of the 1957 Gores Pavilion (Irwin Pool House) and, every couple years, tours of some of the modernist homes in the town.