Palm Springs, California is synonymous with sparking blue swimming pools, starkly beautiful desert and a proliferation of retirees, but it is perhaps best known for its impressive collection of Mid-Century Modern architecture. Many famous architects designed homes, churches, stores and even gas stations that were built here, putting the quaint dessert town on the map.
As we’ve discussed before, the Mid-Century Modern style became popular in the 1930s and extended through the 1960s. Though it looks quite sleek and well, modern, it actually reinterprets organic forms found in nature. Common features include open floor plans, large expanses of glass, flat or low-sloped roofs and post-and-beam construction. Ranch style is one of the most popular when it comes to Mid-Century Modern homes.
It’s no surprise Palm Springs became such a mecca for modernists. The dessert climate makes outdoor living possible year round, inspiring designers to create spaces that blur the interior and exterior. The bright blue dessert sky, scruffy vegetation and soaring mountains make for a stunning backdrop. Notable developers and architects who made Palm Springs what it is today include George and Robert Alexander, William F. Cody, John Porter Clark, Albert Frey, William Krisel, John Lautner, Richard Neutra, Donald Wexler and E. Stewart Williams. Let’s take a look at a few examples of Mid-Century architecture in Palm Springs.
Frank Sinatra built a home in 1946 designed by E. Stewart Williams. It’s been featured in countless photo spreads and is available to rent for the weekend, if you want the chance to live like Ol’ Blue Eyes himself.
Photo by Jonathan Becke
Albert Frey’s swooping Tramway Gas Station is an icon of the dessert city. It now serves as a visitor’s Center.
Photo: Palm Springs Historical Society
Architect John Lautner designed the Elrod House in 1968, and it’s one of his most famous homes. The home is dramatically carved out of the rock ridge, making it the perfect setting for scenes from James Bond’s Diamonds are Forever.
Photo: Joshua White/Hammer Museum via NYTimes
Richard Neutra designed the Kaufmann House in 1946, which also became one of his most famous homes. Notice a theme here? Mr. Kaufmann arguably had good taste; he also commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a vacation home for him on a waterfall in Pennsylvania, you might know it as Falling Water.
Image copyright Barbara Alfors 2000.
William Krisel designed the House of Tomorrow for developer Bob Alexander and his wife. At the time it surely looked futuristic, but now it provides a flashback to the swinging 1960s.
Photo: Look Magazine
Tourists may flock to Palm Springs to lounge by the pools at swanky resorts, but they’d be remiss not to scope out a few of these remarkable specimens of Mid-Century Modern Architecture. Consider visiting during the annual Modernism Week, or book a private tour. Some, like Sinatra’s former home, may be rented for a weekend or extended stays.
[All images courtesy psmodcom.com unless otherwise noted]
Article by Murrye Bernard LEED AP
Murrye Bernard holds a Bachelor of Architecture, is a LEED Accredited Professional and has worked in architecture firms on a range of building types. She left the drafting board, or rather CAD station, to pursue her true passion: writing—about architecture. A native of the South, Murrye’s perception of space, color and texture was undoubtedly shaped by the humid backdrop of cotton fields and deteriorating downtowns. Now she calls the Brooklyn waterfront home. Her work has been published extensively on the web and in print, including Architectural Record, Eco-Structure and Architectural Lighting.
has written 23 awesome articles for Alluminare.
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