kaufmann desert house
Richard Neutra, 1947
With deep overhangs and strategic louvre openings designed to frame mountains and sky, the Kaufmann Desert House is a case study in light and shadow. Richard Neutra designed it for Pittsburgh department store magnate Edgar J. Kaufmann, carefully orienting the structure for optimal sun.
PHOTO BY dan chavikn
Steve McQueen House
Hugh Kaptur, 1964
Noted for its grand two-story foyer with floating staircase, this cantilevered glass-and-steel love shack provides panoramic views from its perch in Southridge. Built for music executive Edwin “Buddy” Morris, it’s best known as the desert escape of Steve McQueen, who purchased the property in 1969.
Photo courtesy palm springs life archives
Sunnylands
A. Quincy Jones, 1966
The 25,000-square-foot estate of Walter and Leonore Annenberg has hosted world leaders and U.S. presidents, including Ronald Reagan, seen here with Nancy. The home features egg-crate coffered ceilings, lava stone walls, and a pyramidal roof informed by Mayan architecture. Its pink coat mirrors the desert sunset.
Photo by julius shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)
town & country center
A. Quincy Jones, Paul R. Williams, 1948
A pioneering mixed-use complex, the Town & Country Center provided a pedestrian-friendly hub for shopping, dining, and socializing with open courtyards, shaded walkways, and modernist storefronts. Over time, it fell into disrepair. Though sections of its façade have been improved, much remains to be done to revitalize the center. Preservation advocates continue to push for rehabilitation.
Photo by JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D.
ship of the desert
Erle Webster and Adrian Wilson, 1936
This Streamline Moderne escape, designed for the owners of the Davidson’s department store chain, nods to the nautical with its curvaceous exterior and yacht-like balconies. It was restored in the late 1990s and, after a fire, partially rebuilt from the ground up with the original architectural plans as a guide.
Photo by julius shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)
franz alexander house
Walter S. White, 1956
A distinctive cambered roof supported by six steel beams creates a dramatic floating effect atop this home built for Dr. Franz Alexander, the father of psychosomatic medicine. Expansive glass walls invite light, while deep overhangs provide shade and regulate temperature.
photo courtesy palm springs historical society
cree house
Albert Frey, 1955
Created for local civic leader Raymond Cree, the Cree House dares to ride the edge of the mountain and even project off of it with a 600-square-foot deck wrapped in yellow corrugated fiberglass panels. A series of steel columns, known as pilotis, supports the structure and minimizes the overall impact to the land.
Photo by julius shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10).
raymond loewy house
Albert Frey, 1946
Ahead of his time, Swiss architect Albert Frey used prefabricated materials to craft a modernist retreat with graphic shade structures for industrial designer Raymond Loewy. Expansive windows brought the outdoors in, but that wasn’t enough for this imaginative duo — they also added a swimming pool that flowed into the living room.
Photo courtesy 432 hermosa place
dinah shore estate
Donald Wexler, 1964
Designed for actress and singer Dinah Shore to entertain her luminary friends, this 1.3-acre compound includes a main house, poolside guest house, and casita overlooking a tennis court. The home’s diagonal siting and an opaque street-facing façade provide privacy, while floor-to-ceiling glass along the back lets Mother Nature take center stage. A hidden backyard gate connects to the adjacent Kirk Douglas Estate for VIP party access.
Photo by julius shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10).
frey house ii
Albert Frey, 1964
After selecting the perfect lot to build his second desert residence, architect Albert Frey spent 12 months tracking the movement of the sun with a 10-foot pole before breaking ground. This helped him determine the best sightline for each window and position for each gathering space. Perhaps the most notable design element is the massive boulder embedded in a glass wall.
PHOTO BY julius shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)
del marcos hotel
William F. Cody, 1947
Known for shaping spaces with leisure and sunshine in mind, William F. Cody made his desert debut with this 17-room hotel, contrasting native stone walls with clean, geometric lines and daring angles. He went on to build hundreds of projects in the area.
PHOTO BY julius shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)
grace miller house
Richard Neutra, 1937
Those with poor posture sought out Grace Darling Lewis Miller to guide them through exercises for better alignment. The wellness guru embraced indoor-outdoor living, hiring Los Angeles architect Richard Neutra to build her dream home in a stretch of open desert. It, too, stood tall — precisely 6 inches taller than Neutra intended, at Miller’s request.
PHOTO COURTESY Palm springs Historical society
canyon view estates
William Krisel, Dan Palmer, 1960s
As one of the early large-scale condominium developments in Palm Springs, Canyon View Estates played a pivotal role in popularizing the emerging residential style. Light and bright, with unique shadow block detailing, clerestory windows, and open carports, the condos cluster around common green spaces and pools, reflecting the neighborly tenets of midcentury living.
Photo by darren bradley
house of tomorrow
William Krisel, 1960
Breaking from the low-slung, horizontal norm, the futuristic home of developer Robert Alexander and his wife, Helene, encompasses four interconnected circular pods with its primary bedroom cantilevered in the front. Elvis Presley and Priscilla planned to marry here, but after the date leaked, they eloped to Las Vegas, instead returning to the house for their honeymoon.
PHOTO courtesy palm springs art museum
elrod house
John Lautner, 1968
Chiseled into the rocky hillside, this futuristic lair, famously featured in Diamonds Are Forever, centers around a sunken circular living room with massive retractable glass curtain walls and raw boulders integrated indoors. Radial openings in the conical concrete roof frame the sky, while multiple terraces peer across the Coachella Valley.
PHOTO BY elizabeth daniels
bob hope house
John Lautner, 1980
After visiting the Elrod House, Bob and Dolores Hope enlisted John Lautner to design a concrete showpiece for them — but their Space Age volcano is more than double the size. One of Lautner’s largest residential commissions, the home required advanced engineering techniques to achieve its vast open spaces and massive curves. The undulating roof rises to a central oculus that casts dynamic light patterns throughout the day.
PHOTO BY julius shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)
palm springs city hall
Albert Frey, John Porter Clark, Robson C. Chambers, E. Stewart Williams, 1956
A corrugated aluminum portico with a striking central cutout anchors the entrance to Palm Springs City Hall. The opening, originally designed to frame a flagpole, now surrounds three towering Mexican fan palms, planted during a 1981 renovation. An aluminum brise soleil shades the building while creating interesting patterns of light and shadow throughout the day.
PHOTO BY Julius shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)
Twin Palms Estate
E. Stewart Williams, 1947
Frank Sinatra’s first desert home, named for the pair of palms swaying above his piano-shaped pool, was E. Stewart Williams’ debut residential commission. Though Sinatra initially envisioned a Georgian-style mansion, Williams persuaded him to go for a sleek, linear design that better harmonized with the environment and the postwar ideal of resort living.
PHOTO BY Julius shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)
edris house
E. Stewart Williams, 1954
Built for Seattle hotelier William Edris, this hillside abode appears carved from the desert landscape, with a wide stone chimney bisecting its flat roofline and warm wood-paneled walls that complement its surrounds — a delicate balance of site and structure, light and air.
PHOTO Courtesy california state parks.
Ojo del Desierto
William Charles Tanner, 1925
Christened Ojo del Desierto (or “Eye of the Desert”), this Colonial Revival estate designed by William Charles Tanner and built by Alvah Hicks was commissioned by oil tycoon and desert pioneer Thomas O’Donnell. It was the first residence sited above the valley floor, marking the beginning of hillside development in Palm Springs.
