![]() Construction of the Albert Frey-designed home began in 1963 after he spent a year studying the sunlight’s effect on the home’s mountainside location. The Palm Springs Art Museum now oversees the upkeep of another influential desert architect’s personal home, Frey House II. Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center Williams was also the architect behind many of the area’s notable commercial buildings, including the Palm Springs Art Museum, Coachella Valley Savings and Loan #2 (now Chase Bank) and Santa Fe Federal Savings (now the Palm Springs Art Museum’s Architecture and Design Center). Other notable residential projects by Williams include the Edris House in Palm Springs and the Kenaston Residence in Rancho Mirage, which was the site of Brad Pitt and Angelina Joe’s infamous W Magazine photo shoot in 2005. It was dubbed “Twin Palms” in reference to the two tall palm trees in the yard. The 4,500-square-foot modern design won Sinatra over, with Williams’ team quickly completing the home that same year. One design was Georgian as requested by Sinatra, while the other was completely opposite: sleek and understated with a flat shed roof, clean lines and floor-to-ceiling windows and clerestories (small upper windows that mimic the roofline of a home). Williams drew up two designs, hoping to convince Sinatra to go with a more desert-appropriate style. ![]() Stewart Williams, requesting a big, Georgian-style brick mansion with columns. Sinatra Twin Palms Estate // photography by Jeff Mindell for Palm Springs StyleĪround the same time that the Kaufmann House was completed, 31-year-old Frank Sinatra unexpectedly dropped in at the office of local architect E. The Kaufmann House is perhaps best known for serving as the location of photographer Slim Aarons’ famous 1970 “Poolside Gossip” image. Neutra used glass, steel and stone to create a modern home shaped like a pinwheel, with wings branching off from the center of the house and a second-story outdoor living and entertaining space. ![]() and his family in Palm Springs, completing the home in 1947. Neutra would later be commissioned to design a vacation home for prominent Pennsylvania department store owner Edgar J. ![]() The small home was very unusual for the time, with clean lines, lots of glass windows and utilitarian features that would suit Miller’s needs. Louis socialite Grace Miller, who wanted a desert house and studio where she could teach exercise classes. Neutra designed the Grace Miller House in 1937 for St. Iconic Desert ModernismĮarly desert modernist homes started in the 1930s, including one of just a few designs in the area by revered architect Richard Neutra. Patterned concrete breezeblocks utilized in many modernist residential projects are both decorative and functional, helping partially block the intense sun and imparting privacy while still allowing for partial views and the flow of air. Shadowblock and clerestory windows in Canyon View Estates // photo by Bethany Nauert for Palm Springs StyleĬertain rooflines have become synonymous with desert modernism, including the flat shed roof, the butterfly roof and the folded plate roof, and post-and-beam interior ceilings are often found inside. Desert Architecture Characteristicsĭesert Modernism is characterized by features and elements that are suitable to the desert climate and lifestyle, including expansive walls of glass and windows that showcase views of the natural landscape and open up to outdoor living spaces and materials that hold up well in the harsh heat and insulate the interiors from warm outdoor temperatures. Greater Palm Springs is renowned for its legacy of midcentury modern architecture and design, drawing aficionados from around the world to appreciate architecturally significant residential, commercial and civic buildings throughout our nine cities.
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