PALM SPRINGS ETERNAL
Kaufmann House
This desert oasis has one of the world’s best collections of mid-century modern architecture
Palm Springs modern architecture is indebted to celebrities. It’s two hours from LA, the farthest stars were allowed to travel in case they were needed on set as well as a place where celebrities could hang out, free from the leering lenses of the paparazzi. Elvis loved that he could walk down the street without attracting attention and Debbie Reynolds, Liberace, and the Rat Pack all had houses here. Mid-century modernism is characterized by horizontal planes, a blurring of the line between indoors and nature, and the use of industrial materials. It’s optimistic with whimsical decorative elements like butterfly and accordion roofs, and concrete decorative screens. Houses were “discreet to the street,” reserving their wow factor for residents and guests. In 1947, Frank Sinatra wanted a Georgian mansion. His architect, E. Stewart Williams presented two designs: one Georgian, one modern. Sinatra chose the modern and the house known as Twin Palms launched Williams’s career. Williams later said he’d have been ruined had he built a Georgian monstrosity in the desert. Twin Palms has floor-to-ceiling windows and a piano-shaped pool. Groups of twenty can book it for private tours and see the cracked bathroom sink from when Sinatra threw a champagne bottle at Ava Gardner. Sinatra’s approval of the modernist style helped to give the style credibility and Williams went on to design iconic buildings including Santa Fe Savings & Loan (now the Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center) and Coachella Savings and Loan readily identified by its scooped white columns.
64 ENSEMBLE VACATIONS WINTER 2019
