Palm Springs Eternal

Palm Springs Eternal

This desert oasis has one of the world’s best collections of mid-century modern architecture.

Haufmann House

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.

Twin Palms

Alexander House

Futuristic Kaufmann House was designed by Richard Neutra in 1947. It was commissioned by department store magnate, Edgar Kaufmann who also commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. Kaufmann considered Wright for Palm Springs but was disappointed by Taliesin West. Seeking a lighter touch, he hired Neutra (Wright’s former student). The house is designed like a pinwheel with the living and dining rooms in the center. The highlight is the upstairs outdoor dining room. (Second stories were prohibited but Neutra called the room a “gloriette,” after a room at Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace and skirted the ordinance.) The private home can be viewed from the street.

Butterfly-roofed Alexander House was designed by William Krisel for developer Robert Alexander whose firm’s thousands of tract homes helped define Palm Spring modernism. Known as “The House of Tomorrow,” it was a 1962 centerfold in Look magazine. In 1967, Elvis rented the house for $1,750/month. He and Priscilla planned to get married in the backyard but gossip columnist Rona Barrett broke the news and the ceremony was moved to Las Vegas. When they returned, Elvis carried Priscilla over the threshold while singing the Hawaiian Wedding Song. He carried her up the stairs to a pink satin-covered bed. Nine months later, Lisa Marie was born. Today, the owner has enlisted Elvis super-fan Michael Ochoa as a tour guide, making it one of the few houses where you can see the period interiors. The house has floor-to-ceiling windows, rough stone walls, a floating fireplace, and a sixty-four foot sectional sofa. The master bedroom’s striking geometric window dominates the facade.

Visitor's Center

Former Coachella Savings and Loan

To immerse yourself in the modernist aesthetic, check into the Del Marcos Hotel designed by William Cody. Rooms are named for design legends including Williams, Cody, Albert Frey, and Don Wexler. Frey’s futuristic gas station welcomes visitors to the city while Wexler designed Leonardo DiCaprio’s house. Both DiCaprio’s and Sinatra’s houses can be rented for private events—DiCaprio’s house from $3,750 a night; Sinatra’s from $2,200.