Palm Springs Modernism Week is one of the country’s most popular annual events for architects, modernism art and design fans, and mid century modern culture buffs.
The seventh annual Modernism Week, February 16-26, 2012 brings thousands to Palm Springs for 11 days of double-decker bus tours, lectures, films, exhibits, a vintage fashion show, and parties that celebrate the architecture and culture of the 1950-60s era. Modernism Week offers more than 75 events including some firsts for the Coachella Valley.
Visitors and residents alike are looking forward to the first public tours of the renowned Sunnylands Estate, the historic Annenberg residence and grounds and the new Sunnylands Center & Gardens.
The late Lenore and Ambassador Walter Annenberg lived at Sunnylands some five months a year during which they entertained United States Presidents, British and other royalty, international political figures, cultural and entertainment icons.
The 1966 Mid-Century Modern residence was designed by A. Quincy Jones with interiors by William Haines and Ted Graber. The 25,000 square foot home, located in the middle of landscaped grounds and a private Dick Wilson designed golf course, has been restored over the past two years in anticipation of the estate and grounds becoming public.
The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands will present and host a variety of high-level conferences, retreats and seminars of issues of national and international importance. The Modernism Week guided tours will provide the first peek into the 200 acre pink walled estate that has fascinated passersby for decades.
The tour will also feature the newly constructed Sunnylands Center & Gardens, which will officially open to the public March 1.
A variety of public tours will include studies of the art and sculpture collection, interior design and architecture of the Sunnylands home. History and political science buffs can delve into the 20th century cultural landscape through films, videos and publication detailing the historic events of the time and the role the Annenbergs had in shaping the world.
More information may be found online.
www.sunnylands.org

On Feb. 16, kick off Palm Springs Modernism Week at a tres chic soiree at John Lautner’s iconic Elrod House perched upon the Southridge hills overlooking Palm Springs. Just steps away is the late Bob Hope’s famed dome-shaped hilltop manse.
Instantly recognizable from the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, the Elrod House offers many Lautner hallmarks: A difficult site in a harsh environment, a modest entrance that conceals its soaring interior space, and rooms that meld indoors with the outdoors. The 8,901-square foot house incorporates an interior/exterior swimming pool in the living room and expansive mountain and desert vistas.
The home was built for interior designer Arthur Elrod and a portion of the tour proceeds benefit the LA-based John Lautner Foundation. This is a rare opportunity to see this privately owned masterpiece home.
Another new event during Modernism Week will be a Modernism Prefab Showcase Village featuring cutting-edge prefab structures with the latest alternative energy ideas incorporated into the 21st century lifestyle. Each room, designed by a different notable interior designer, showcases sophisticated design aesthetics and advanced technological innovations.
A number of cocktail receptions will be held during the week at intimate settings and at some of the area’s most notable boutique inns, a perfect way to wind down an exciting day of Modernism.
Get groovy with your cocktail dress, white shoes or Nehru jacket for the PS Modcom annual gala on Saturday, Feb. 18, a tribute to the late Peter Seller’s 1968 cult movie, “The Party,” in an ultra-mod glamorous private home.
On Feb. 24, the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation’s Retro Martini Party this year will be at the Maranz home, also known as the “gull wing house.” Rarely open to the public, this home, built in 1960 and designed by architect Val Powelson, features an unusual three-pointed star floor plan.
Throughout the week, mix and mingle with other modernism fans at cocktail parties held at the Horizon Hotel, Hideaway and Desert Star Hotel.
Palm Springs Modernism Week is a non-profit organization that produces this annual 11-day festival.
When it launched in 2006, the event helped fuel a revival of interest in Modernism, a design aesthetic developed during in the 1950s and 60s typified by clean, simple lines and elegant informality.
To purchase tickets and for more information, visit online at www.modernismweek.com.

Today, desert modernism is a much sought-after architectural genre and Palm Springs is a virtual treasure trove of custom and tract home neighborhoods and important public buildings.
Team Haverkate specializes in Mid Century Modern homes and estates for sale. After absorbing the sights and lifestyle of Palm Springs Modernism Week, contact Team Haverkate for a personal tour of desert modern classics currently for sale in the Palm Springs area.
Email agent@TeamHaverkate.com. or visit online at www.HaverkateRealEstate.com.

Check out the story on Ralph and Bettina Haverkate’s Joshua Tree home renovation in the February, 2012, issue of Palm Springs Life. www.palmspringslife.com.
— Pamela Bieri

Welcome to Team Haverkate Real Estate Specializing in Mid Century Modern Desert Homes

During Modernism Week 2011, Park Imperial South on South Araby Drive in Palm Springs celebrated its 50th birthday and invited the public to tour its 31-unit condominium community.  Created in 1960 by one of the nation’s most noted residential architects, Barry Berkus, AIA, Park Imperial South’s remarkable Mid Century Modern design still thrives and remains virtually untouched.

www.parkimperialsouthps.com www.modernismweek.com

Berkus guided the tour and presented his take on modernism’s mark on architecture in Palm Springs and across America.  A video archive of the design tour and Berkus’ discussion is posted here at Team Haverkate Real Estate.

“Being acknowledged by those who live within the architect’s dream is the highest honor one can aspire to , and the fact that residents here have kept my dream in condition is a remarkable compliment,” Berkus said.

www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/barry-berkus-aia-to-address-modernism-week

Founder and president of B3 Architects and Berkus Design Studio in Santa Barbara, Berkus has remained on the forefront of residential design in this country and abroad for over 40 years.  His name is synonymous with innovation, and his firm has won hundreds of design and planning awards from regional, national and international competitions.

www.barryberkus.com www.b3architects.com

Berkus began college with a focus on economics, but he always loved to draw.  After attending Santa Barbara City College, he transferred to USC’s  architecture program, saying “It was exciting and I knew I’d found my place.”

He pursued housing, an industry that during the 1950′s and 60s most architects thought was “beneath them” and many were convinced they couldn’t make a living at it.

“When we started, housing was looked down upon,” he recalled. “I lead a design panel at the National Association of Home Builders, but couldn’t do one at the American Institute of Architecture.”

“I had a goal to change the way housing looked,” he said.  “I wanted to give it a sculpted feeling, an innovative component to nurture people.  I strived to use volume, light and shapes in my homes.”

Berkus’ ability to produce house plans quickly also turned the odds in his favor.

“Housing as a product has to move on and off the boards quickly because it didn’t pay very well,” he said.

www.noozhawk.com/article/120309_barry_berkus

Berkus began as an intern for noted Palm Springs architect William Cody before opening his own firm and designed Park Imperial South at the age of 25.

During his talk at the tour, Berkus recalled sitting at construction sites for John Lautner projects, inspiring him to develop his  own unique design vision.  Berkus said Park Imperial South was an experiment in design and construction.  The distinctive folded-plate roofs were constructed in Oakland before being transported to Palm Springs where they were lifted into place by crane.

www.itssosunny.com/2011/02/20/palm-springs-modernism-week-home-tour-feature

“I wanted to design a space for people who could not afford an architect,” said Berkus of the project.

As his company went public, Berkus began considering modular housing.  He researched data at UCLA on every modular created up to that point and concluded that mobile homes were the only successful factory-built house that made its manufacturer money and lasted for any length of time.

“Let’s change the way housing is built,” he said when he approached national builders with the first “smart house” and various homes on wheels.

“I’ve always gone the far edge of the planet in my thinking,” Berkus admits.  “I’ve always been interested in investigating.  I’m in my 70s now and I’ve failed a bunch, in part because security never interested me.”

“Architects, by nature, are optimists,” he said.  “I’ve grown by taking risks and assumed it would work out.  Even recently, with single family homes in Santa Barbara, I’ve had to build them and then people showed up to buy them.  I knew it was right.”

www.noozhawk.com/article/120309_barry_berkus

It seems Berkus was right about his long lasting design at Park Imperial South as well.

One objective of the Modernism Week tour was to demonstrate the complex’s design longevity both interior and exterior as well as the versatile floor plan.

Nine homes in varying stages of rehabilitation and remodel were open for guests to view.  Several units had been completely redone with new kitchens and appliances, upgraded bathrooms, redesigned patios and new flooring, while other units retained original design elements such as range hoods, cabinetry and intercom entertainment systems.

For the past 10 years, Park Imperial South homeowners association has been restoring the complex with new landscaping, entrance signage, lighting and wood paneling to each home’s entrance.  The Palm Springs Preservation Foundation has granted funds to continue restoration projects, and the sold-out tour during Modernism Week benefited the development’s renovation projects.

www.itssosunny.com/2011/02/20/palm-springs-modernism-week-home-tour-feature

For Berkus, thinking outside the grid comes naturally and so does the task of reinvention.

“Everything has to fall apart so you can come up for air,” he said.  “Residential architecture is about romance, learning, fulfillment of a journey.  It should never be below you to do housing.”

www.residentialarchitect.com

Palm Springs has a proud heritage of innovative Mid Century Modern architecture in public buildings as well as custom, tract and condominium homes.  For a personal tour of Mid Century Modern properties currently for sale, contact Ralph Haverkate at ralph@RalphHaverkate.com.

– Pamela Bieri

Welcome to Team Haverkate Real Estate Specializing in Mid-Century Modern Homes For Sale in the California Desert.

Alexander Weekend tickets are now on sale!

The Alexander Weekend,  March 25-27, celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation’s inaugural event in 2001 that first recognized the Alexander Construction Company’s significant contributions to modernist residential architecture in Palm Springs.

In conjunction with its first Great Alexander Weekend, the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation published a tribute journal entitled When Mod Went Mass: A Celebration of Alexander Homes. The weekend and tribute journal launched a growing appreciation of the seminal role the Alexander Construction Company played in the creation of Palm Springs’ “built environment.”  It also brought to the forefront the architectural importance of those Alexander-built tract homes designed by architects William Krisel and Donald Wexler.

This year, a new commemorative tribute journal devoted to the Alexanders is entitled The Alexander: A Desert Legacy and written by architect/author Jim Harlan.

The Alexander Company, founded by George Alexander and his son Robert, was a Palm Springs based residential development company that built more than 2,200 homes in the desert between 1947 and 1965.  The “Alexanders,” as these homes are now  known, doubled Palm Springs residential population, giving the city a whole new shape and direction.  www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Construction_Company.

Key to the Alexanders’ success was the talented young architect Krisel, partner in the Los Angeles firm Palmer and Krisel, Inc. and a close friend of Bob Alexander.   www.psmodcom.com/Architects%20pages/PalmerKrisel.

The Alexanders’ foray into desert tract homes began with Twin Palms Estates, named for two palm trees included in the front landscaping of each home.  Hallmarks were a single story, open floor plan with an indoor-outdoor feeling enhanced by skylights, sliding glass doors, and an interior atrium.

Three quarter walls divided the main room to provide abundant light, eliminating the need for full framed walls, molding and trim, so created a clean contemporary look.  Exposed tongue-and-groove planks and beamed ceilings also enhanced the room’s soaring architectural lines.  The same floor plan repeated within the housing development saved construction and materials costs.

Krisel was involved with every facet of design, planning, engineering and construction.  From site and landscape choices to interior colors and trim, each house was oriented and embellished differently, making the Alexanders look like a collection of individualized custom homes.

Other Palmer & Krisel projects included the Ocotillo Lodge, Vista Las Palmas, Racquet Club Estates, Sandpiper condominiums in Palm Desert, and the famous “House of Tomorrow” also known as the “Elvis Presley Honeymoon Hideaway.”  Robert Alexander and his wife lived in this house for a time, featured in Look Magazine in September, 1962.

From as early as the 1920s and through the 1970s, an impressive roster of talented architects have been captivated by Palm Springs:  R.M. Schindler, Richard Neutra, and Lloyd Wright (Frank Lloyd Wright’s son); young Swiss architect Albert Frey whose work profoundly influenced desert architecture; and regional modernists William F. Cody, E. Stewart Williams, Wexler and Krisel.

Each made their mark with “striking custom homes, impressive commercial complexes, hotels and motels, commanding civic and educational campuses … and created an architectural treasury of great consequence and innovation in and around Palm Springs,” writes Robert Imber  in his story on The Alexander Homes.  www.eichlernetwork.com/desert_chron1.html.

Imber noted that Palm Springs remained a sleepy seasonal village until postwar American affluence and growing families began to emerge with a demand for mass market housing.  Coupled with the fact that Palm Springs already was a discrete playground for Hollywood’s elite, a bevy of builders and architects grew to fill the increasing demand for year round residential and well as seasonal vacation homes.

The Alexander Weekend includes a free Kick Off event with Jim Harlan’s lively, entertaining overview of the Alexander Construction Company’s post-war housing stock in Palm Springs on Friday, March 25, 6 – 7:30 p.m. at the Canyon Conference Center.  Panelists include architects Krisel and Wexler along with author Alan Hess and architect/author Patrick McGrew discussing the lasting impact the Alexanders made on Palm Springs post-war building boom.

Join Honorary Chair Jill Alexander Kitnick at the Opening Night Cocktail Party on Friday, 8 to 10 p.m. and be among the first to preview the new tribute journal.   The party will be held in a Krisel-designed “long butterfly” home in Twin Palms, an example of the Alexanders’ early work that has never been open to the public.  A specialty cocktail has been created to celebrate the event.

The Alexanders had five distinctive rooflines:  The classic butterfly;  a flat roof with side or front entry; narrow gabled roof with front or side entry; wide gable roof; and side gabled roof with clerestory windows.

Modernist Home Tour I on Saturday, March 26, includes two of the Alexander Construction Company’s most important modernist neighborhoods, Twin Palms and Vista Las Palmas, showcasing fine examples of mid-century residential architecture including “Butterfly,” “Swiss Miss” and other Alexander rooflines.  www.eichlernetwork.com/desert_chron1.html.

The tour also includes the “House of Tomorrow,” considered one of the most innovative modernist residences built at that time.  Tour times are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and includes a one-hour lunch break.   www.elvishoneymoon.com.

The second day of the Modernist Home Tour on Sunday, March 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. uncovers more of the Alexander Construction Company’s legacy with tours of the Krisel-designed Racquet Club Road Estates and the Sunmor neighborhood, along with the Wexler-designed Green Fairway Estates neighborhood.  www.racquetclubestates.com

Harlan will be on hand to sign his new book at Just Fabulous bookstore, 515 N. Palm Canyon Drive, during a complimentary book signing from 3 to 5 p.m.

The opening night cocktail party is $50 per person; Modernist Home Tour I is $85 and Modernist Home Tour II is $45.  The AW multi-pass option at $165 offers the best value and includes the exclusive Friday night cocktail party and two full days of house tours, a $15 savings to all events.

For tickets and reservations, log onto www.pspreservationfoundation.org

“We are proud to be partners in celebrating the annual Modernism Week and the Alexander Weekend, ” said Ralph Haverkate of Team Haverkate Real Estate.  “Both events further the cause of historic preservation in the Palm Springs area, so that for years to come we will have something tangible to celebrate, to own and pass down to future generations.”

Citywide, the collection of Alexanders range from 1,225 square feet in the Racquet Club Road Estates at the north end to over 2,500 square feet in the Vista Las Palmas, Golden Vista,  Mountain View, and Green Fairway Estates nearer to the center of town.  These were originally priced from $16,950 to $50,000.  Today, the Alexanders are highly sought after and refurbished sells from $400,000 to well over one million dollars.

For a personal tour of Wexler and Krisel designed Alexander homes and estates for sale in the Palm Springs area, contact Ralph@RHaverkate.com.

– Pamela Bieri

Welcome to Ralph Haverkate Real Estate Specializing in Mid-Century Modern Homes for Sale in the California Desert

Palm Springs has long enjoyed international fame as a celebrity haven and world-class vacation destination.

But more than a decade ago, the exacting restoration of the Richard Neutra-designed Kauffman House in Palm Springs sparked renewed interest in Mid-Century Modern architecture, and since fanned the flames of national and international attention.

Palm Springs began attracting a new tourism niche for architecture and design buffs because of the astonishing concentration of significant Mid-Century works by such pioneer builders and architects as Neutra  www.neutra.org. Joseph Eichler, www.eichlernetwork.com.  Albert Frey, E. Stewart Williams, John Porter Clark, Bill Krisel, William Cody, www.psmodcom.com. ; John Lautner, www.johnlautner.org. Don Wexler, www.moderndeserthome.com. ;A Quincy Jones, www.aquincyjones.com. and many others.

The sixth annual Palm Springs Modernism Week, February 17 through 27, 2011, celebrates the culture and ideals of modernism, and the architects whose private home commissions, tract home subdivisions, civic and public buildings flourished to the degree that Desert Modern became a genre all its own.

This year, the “week” has expanded with more than 50 events over 11 days. The festival offers a variety of entertaining, educational  and cultural events that include the Modernism Show at the Palm Springs Convention Center where collectors and dealers will find vintage treasures and retro gems.

Architecture tours give aficionados rare opportunities to see residences including the popular Frey House II and Frank Sinatra’s 1947 mid-century home in Twin Palms Estates, designed by E. Stewart Williams with its famous grand piano shaped pool.

A special exhibit, “Steel and Shade: The Architecture of Donald Wexler” honors this notable local architect at the Palm Springs Art Museum. www.psmuseum.org.

Take one of the daily double decker bus tours to discover examples of mid-century modern architecture and interior design including the Edris House by E. Stewart Williams and an Alexander Twin Palms “Butterfly” house.

Films and design lectures series by noted authorities and art exhibitions, a vintage travel trailer show and Braniff Airlines exhibit at the Riviera Palm Springs, www.psriviera.com. plus music, food and swanky parties at glamorous properties are all part of the mix.

Many events are free to the public including a festive kick-off celebration in downtown Palm Springs on Thursday, Feb. 17.  For a full schedule of events, tickets and information, go to www.modernismweek.com.

Modernism is defined as cultural movement between 1940 and 1970 when art forms, architecture and design dramatically changed to embracing linear, organic and geometric forms with bold, bright colors.  Fueled by the optimism and prosperity of post World War II, Americans embraced the ideas inherent in modernism that human beings can create, improve and reshape the environment through practical experimentation, scientific knowledge and technology.

Desert modernism is a regional approach to International Style inspired by Palm Springs’ sunny skies, warm climate and breathtaking mountains, and by the architects’ bold and creative instinct to incorporate rocks, trees, vistas and other landscape features into the design.

Modern architecture is characterized by open floor plans and nearly invisible transitions from indoor to outdoor spaces through the extensive use of glass, steel and concrete, building elements that became more available in the post-war years.

“Events such as Modernism Week, the Retro Martini event on February 25, and the Alexander Weekend, March 25-27, are great ways to get acquainted with the superb collection of modern homes that we have here in Palm Springs,” said leading Realtor Ralph Haverkate, a specialist in mid-century modern homes in the Palm Springs area.  www.pspreservationfoundation.org.

“These homes are now recognized for the historic and architectural treasures that they are, it’s no surprise that they are now among the most sought-after properties in the Greater Palm Springs area’s real estate market.”

To see a spectrum of qualified Mid-Century Modern homes for sale in the Palm Springs area, contact Ralph Haverkate at  Ralph@RHaverkate.com.

– Pamela Bieri

Plans are underway for the 10th Anniversary of the “Great Alexander Weekend” in Palm Springs, March 26-27, 2011. The Palm Springs Preservation Foundation (www.pspreservationfoundation.org ) is planning a full weekend of home tours, seminars, cocktail receptions and special tributes to one of Palm Springs’ most influential and innovative home builders.

The Great Alexander Weekends and PSPF’s tribute book, When Mod Went Mass, have garnered significant awareness of the Alexander-built tract homes by architect William Krisel, and helped leverage even more importance to the genre of Mid-Century Modern homes, commercial and public buildings which are prevalent throughout Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley.

From as early as the 1920s and through the 1970s, an impressive roster of talented architects have been captivated by Palm Springs:  R.M. Schindler, Richard Neutra, and Lloyd Wright (Frank Lloyd Wright’s son); young Swiss architect Albert Frey whose work profoundly influenced desert architecture; and regional modernists William F. Cody, Donald Wexler, E. Stewart Williams and Krisel.

Each made their mark with “striking custom homes, impressive commercial complexes, hotels and motels, commanding civic and educational campuses … and created an architectural treasury of great consequence and innovation in and around Palm Springs,” writes Robert Imber  in his story on The Alexander Homes (www.eichlernetwork.com/desert_chron1.html. )

Imber noted that Palm Springs remained a sleepy seasonal village until postwar American affluence and growing families began to emerge with a demand for mass market housing.  Coupled with the fact that Palm Springs already was a discrete playground for Hollywood’s elite, a bevy of builders and architects grew to fill the increasing demand for year round residential and well as seasonal vacation homes.

The Alexander Company, founded by George Alexander and his son Robert, was a Palm Springs based residential development company that built more than 2,200 homes in the desert between 1947 and 1965 (www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Construction_Company ).  The “Alexanders,” as these homes are now  known, doubled Palm Springs residential population, giving the city a whole new shape and direction.

Key to the Alexanders’ success was the talented young architect Krisel, partner in the Los Angeles firm Palmer and Krisel, Inc. (www.psmodcom.com/Architects%20Pages/PalmerKrisel ).  A close friend of Bob Alexander, Krisel came to Palm Springs at his request.

The Alexanders’ foray into desert tract homes began with Twin Palms Estates, named for two palm trees included in the front landscaping of each home.  Hallmarks were a single story, open floor plan with an indoor-outdoor feeling enhanced by skylights, sliding glass doors, and an interior atrium.

Actual Homes For Sale in Twin Palms

Three quarter walls divided the main room to provide abundant light, eliminating the need for full framed walls, molding and trim, so created a clean contemporary look.  Exposed tongue-and-groove planks and beamed ceilings also enhanced the room’s soaring architectural lines.  The same floor plan repeated within the housing development saved construction and materials costs.

Krisel was involved with every facet of design, planning, engineering and construction.  From site and landscape choices to interior colors and trim, each house was oriented and embellished differently , making the Alexanders look like a collection of individualized custom homes.

Other Palmer & Krisel projects included the Ocotillo Lodge, Las Palmas Estates (Vista Las Palmas) Racquet Club Estates, Sandpiper condominiums in Palm Desert, and the famous House of Tomorrow otherwise known as the “Honeymoon Hideaway” of Elvis and Priscilla Presley.  Robert Alexander and his wife lived in this house for a time, and were featured here in Look Magazine in September, 1962.

Actual Homes For Sale in Vista Las Palmas

Another well-known Alexander house in Las Palmas is the Lawford/Kennedy house, originally built for Peter Lawford, married to JFK’s sister Patricia Kennedy.  This house, in close proximity to Marilyn Monroe’s, is supposedly where JFK and Monroe rendezvoused.

The affordable Racquet Club Road Estates (www.racquetclubestates.com )  were built by the Alexander Construction Company between 1959 and 1962.  The 1,225 square foot homes were designed as weekend and vacation getaways on a concrete slab with single pane glass and without insulation.  Here, too, the post and beam construction allowed the soaring roofline, open floor plan, and indoor/outdoor relationship to generous quarter-acre lots.

“Space age” utilitarian kitchens were separated from the entry way with a five-foot high wall which held an oven, gas cook top and refrigerator.  Wall mounted cabinets with sliding pegboard doors above a  sink in a long Formica-topped counter balanced on iron hairpin legs.  A double deck island separated the kitchen from dining with a “floating” upper cabinet.

At the end of a hallway, large master bedrooms featured sliding glass doors to the outside.  Private master bathrooms had sunken shower/tubs and outside doors for swimmers’ use.  Off the hall were two bedrooms and another bathroom.  In each bedroom an entire wall of closets was enclosed by sliding doors, leaving open space above to the ceiling.

The Alexanders had five distinctive rooflines:  The classic butterfly;  a flat roof with side or front entry; narrow gabled roof with front or side entry; wide gable roof; and side gabled roof with clerestory windows.

While each house has the same floor plan, some bedrooms line up along the street front, while others are aligned along the side from front to back. The ceiling heights and use of clerestories and window arrangements change their appearance.

When new, the homes cost $19,000 plus additional options.  A fireplace could be added in three of the five roofline designs and an optional swimming pool complemented the circular concrete backyard pads for only $950. The total cost of house and pool was below $20,000, quite affordable for middle income families and celebrities.

Citywide, the collection of Alexanders range from 1,225 square feet in the Racquet Club Road Estates at the north end to over 2,500 square feet in the Vista Las Palmas, Golden Vista,  Mountain View, and Green Fairway Estates nearer to the center of town.  These were originally priced from $16,950 to $50,000.  Today, the Alexanders are highly sought after and refurbished sells from $400,000 to well over one million dollars.

While the majority of Alexander homes were designed by Palmer and Krisel, those with an A-frame facade, known  as “Swiss Misses” (www.jetsetmodern.com/issue5/swissmiss.htm )  in the Green Fairway Estates (www.desertmodernism.com/greenfairway.html ) tract in south Palm Springs, were designed by architect Donald Wexler, who designed the Palm Springs International Airport.

Alexander built Swiss Miss homes are an A-frame construction with lava rock facades, Aztec motifs and Asian or South Pacific styles that were influenced by experiences in the Pacific Theater brought home by World War II soldiers.  There were nine master floor plans that were repeated two or three times in the tract.

Only a limited number of Alexander homes were constructed at the Green Fairway Estates prior to 1965: tragically that year the Alexanders were killed in a private plane crash in the Little Chocolate Mountains while on a flight to Burbank.

The Great Alexander Weekend has fueled a revival of these treasures; don’t miss the 10th anniversary!

For a tour of Alexander homes currently for sale in the Palm Springs area, contact Ralph Haverkate at  www.haverkaterealestate.com

–  Pamela Bieri

Haverkate Real Estate Recommends Dwell On Design: The West Coast’s Largest Design Show Celebrates the Best Modern Projects, Products and People.

Welcome to www.HaverkateRealEstate.com , Palm Springs’ premier site for Mid-Century Modern Real Estate and design resources.

If you can’t get enough Mid-Century Modern, do not miss Dwell On Design (www.dwellondesign.com ), the West Coast’s largest design event, returning June 25-27 to the Los Angeles Convention Center. It’s only a short two-hour drive from Palm Springs.

Curated by the editors of Dwell Magazine, this three-day extravaganza features more than 200 brands on exhibition with design-forward exhibits, competitions, East and West side home tours, and over 80 presentations and panels by design industry  leaders and influencers.

“We’re thrilled to see how the creative community in Los Angeles has taken cultural ownership of Dwell on Design, making this show the premiere event on the design calendar,” said Dwell Media President Michela O’Connor Abrams.

It’s no wonder that Los Angeles has taken an active role in this major design event:  also called California Modern style, Los Angeles and Palm Springs offers a wealth of residential  Mid-Century Modern architecture, furnishings, and designs.

While in LA, take a look at some prime examples on the self-drive home tours into areas that most visitors don’t see.  From Larchmont to Silver Lake and Atwater Village to the east, and a “surf and turf” drive from West Hollywood to the beaches, explore Mid-Century Modern homes like the Walnut and Skywave houses in Venice Beach, the Los Feliz residence or Auburn 7 house in Silver Lake district.  The landmark Stahl House tour (by Architect Pierre Koenig, 1960) in the Hollywood Hills is sold out, however.  Planning and engineering company Latitude 33 ( www.latitude33.com ) is the tour sponsor.

Check out Room & Board (www.roomandboard.com), a respected American purveyor of “all things domestic,” who will be on the Design show floor offering sensible and affordable Mid-Century classics.   A bevy of small Southern California-based brands will also join their international counterparts.

Gleaming rows of low-flow faucets, fixtures, toilets, bathtubs, and kitchen designs by Kohler (www.kohler.com), CB2 (www.cb2.com )  Holdit (www.holdithome.com), Miele (www.mieleusa.com) and Ecofabulous (www.ecofabulous.com) offer eco-friendly, sustainable innovative products.

Exhibits run the gamut of building materials and systems, from the bright lights of design-forward Lutron (www.lutron.com) to the cozy environs of Napoleon fireplace.  A lush landscape of planters, prefabs, shrubs and sheds with solar panels, outdoor carpet, and patio furniture, Dwell Outdoors explores exterior spaces with a focus on greenery and green energy.

Los Angeles’ AIA design conference,  MOBIUS LA ( www.aialosangeles.org ), offers  multi-day professional development seminars, lectures, panel discussions and special events like the Restaurant Design Awards Ceremony. More than 100 of leading design, sustainability and culinary thinkers will be presenting live on the Design Innovation and  Sustainability stages.

During the Ideas Conference, The New Face of Affluence seminar turns brands toward a new generation of high value customers who spend $303 billion annually on discretionary purchases from apparel and autos to home furnishings and travels.  Speakers include Rose Marcario of Patagonia (www.patagonia.com), Michela O’Connor Abrams (www.DwellMedia.com)  , Chris Chamberlin of Paine PR, Richard Whitehall of SMART Design (www.smartdesignworldwide.com), advisor and social media expert Dale Larson, and Betsy Burroughs of FocusCatalyst (www.FocusCatalyst.com).

In Palm Springs, be sure to contact www.HaverkateReal Estate.com/resource.php. for the most comprehensive listings of Mid-Century Modern homes and estates for sale in the California desert area.

We’ll see you at Dwell on Design June 25-27! By Pamela Bieri

Thursday, Feb. 11

Pre-Modernism Week Screening: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. KCET presents a screening of “Julius Shulman: Desert Modern.” Cost: $150 for public, $100 for KCET members. Includes docent tour, reception and screening. Tickets: support.kcet.org/desert. Twin Palms, 1145 E. Via Colusa, Palm Springs

Friday, Feb. 12

Albert Frey Walk of Stars Dedication: 2 p.m. dedication; 3 p.m. reception. Dedication: 300 S. Palm Canyon Drive. Reception: Palm Springs Historical Society, 221 S. Palm Canyon Drive.
10th Annual PS Modernism Show Preview Reception: 6-9 p.m. Includes silent auction that runs through noon Saturday.. Cost: $75, advance, $85, door. Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 N. Avenida Caballeros.
Shag artist reception: 8-11 p.m. Shag, aka Josh Josh Agle, reception. Free. M Modern Gallery, 2500 N. Palm Canyon Drive.

Saturday, Feb. 13

10th Annual PS Modernism Show: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Silent auction, closes at noon. Weekend pass: $15. Palm Springs Convention Center.
Romie Cortier Open House Art Studio: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. also Sun. Hosted by artist Romie Cortier. Free. 203 N. Monterey Road, Palm Springs.
Shag Lunch at Trio Restaurant:noon to 2 p.m. Limited seating, reservations. Cost: $35, includes tax and gratuity. Trio Restaurant, 707 N. Palm Canyon Drive. Reservations: (760) 864-8746 or triopalmsprings.com.
Danny Heller Opening Reception: 2 to 5 p.m. Free. Terrence Rogers Gallery, 664 N. Palm Canyon Drive.
Meet the Architect: Don Wexler: 3 to 5 p.m. cocktail party celebrating the work and life of Palm Springs modernist architect Donald Wexler. Architectural historian Patrick McGrew, author of the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation tribute journal on Wexler, will attend. Free. Cost: Free. digs, The Corridor, 515 North Palm Canyon Drive. RSVP to info@pspreservationfoundation.org
Charles Hollis Jones: 4 to 6 p.m. Design shop celebrates first anniversary with reception for Jones. Includes lecture, question and answer session, champagne and cake. Free. Design Within Reach, 800 N. Palm Canyon Drive.
Gallery Openings and Artist Receptions: 5 to 9 p.m. Meet the artists at Backstreet Art District. Free. S. Cherokee Way, Palm Springs.
PS Modern Committee Annual Gala: 7 to 11 p.m. Steve McQueen midcentury Southridge house designed by Hugh Kaptur, Disco, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Dress to impress. $125, Address and transportation information upon paid reservations. Tickets: PSModCom.org or ModCom, P.O. 4738, Palm Springs CA 92263
After Glow: 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Late night snacks and drinks. Ace Hotel and Spa, 701 E. Palm Canyon Drive.

Sunday, Feb. 14

10th Annual PS Modernism Show: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Palm Springs Convention Center.

Double Decker Bus Tours: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday is sold out; check for Monday-Tuesday availability. Three-hour tour of Palm Springs major midcentury buildings. Explains why the city is midcentury modern ground zero. $75. Departs from Ace Hotel and Swim Club.
Racquet Club Estates Neighborhood Homes Tour: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Neighborhood has a large collection of Alexander homes, designed by Bill Krisel, the iconic Donald Wexler steel homes and a large group of Meiselmans houses. $45. Information: racquetclubestates.com
VDL Research House, Richard Neutra’s Studio and Residence: 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. Film screening. Free, includes museum admission. Lecture Hall, Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive.
Shag Book Signing: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Free admission, must purchase a book to have it signed. Starlite Lounge, Riviera Resort and Spa, 1600 N. Indian Canyon Drive.
The Architecture and Design Film: 7:30 p.m. In partnership with Design Onscreen. “William Krisel: Architect.” Directed by Jake Gorst, 1 hour, 26 minutes. Documentary on the work of William Krisel. Includes question and answer session with Gorst, Krisel and Samuel Goldwyn Jr. $12. Camelot Theatres, 2300 E. Baristo Road. Information: (760) 325-6565.
After movie party: 9:30 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres and cash bar. TRIO Restaurant, 707 N. Palm Canyon Drive

Monday, Feb. 15

Frey ll House Tours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Forty-five minute guided tour of the Frey’s 1,000 square-foot-home impossibly perched on a mountain precipice above downtown Palm Springs. $50; last tour of the day, $100 includes cocktail party. Van shuttle from north parking lot of Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive. Tickets: (760) 325-4490.
Double Decker Bus Tours: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. $75; departs from Ace Hotel and Swim Club.
Helen Mawby and the Chi Chi Era and Beyond: 2 p.m. Palm Spring Historical Society sponsored lecture with Palm Springs pioneer. Free. Cahuilla Room, Spa Resort Casino Hotel, 100 N. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs.
Artist reception for Dan Chavkin: 5 to 7 p.m. Reception for photographic artist. Free. Orbit In Hotel, 562 W. Arenas Road. Information: (760) 323-3585.
“Desert Utopia: Mid-century Architecture in Palm Springs” 7:30 p.m. The Architecture and Design Film Series, in Partnership with Design Onscreen. Film traces the history of modern architecture in Palm Springs and across the Coachella Valley with homes and buildings by the masters of modernist architecture, including E. Stewart Williams, John Lautner, William Cody, Albert Frey, Richard Neutra, R.M. Schindler, Donald Wexler and William Krisel. Includes question and answer session with Alan Hess and director, Jake Gorst. $10. Camelot Theatres. (760) 325-6565.

Tuesday, Feb. 16

Frey ll House Tours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Forty-five minute guided tour of the Frey’s 1,000 square-foot-home impossibly perched on a mountain precipice above downtown Palm Springs. $50; last tour of the day, $100 includes cocktail party. Van shuttle from north parking lot of Palm Springs Art Museum. Tickets: (760) 325-4490.
Double Decker Bus Tours: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. $75; departs from Ace Hotel and Swim Club.
“Ray Kappe: California Modern Master Forty Years of Modular” and “Evolution & Philip Johnson, Diary of an Eccentric Architect”: 10 a.m. Films on Southern California cult icon architect, Ray Kappe and iconoclast architect, Phillip Johnson. Questions and answer session with with Brad Dunning and Heather Purcell. $10. Camelot Theatres. (760) 325-6565. Bill Butler on Albert Frey: 2 p.m. Lecture on the Albert Frey. $12.50 or free with Frey II tour. Palm Springs Art Museum, (760) 325-4490

Wednesday, Feb. 17

Lost, Saved and Endangered: Modernist Architecture in Palm Springs: 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Slide lecture with complementary continental breakfast. Sold out. Cahuilla Room, Spa Resort Casino Hotel.
Frey ll House Tours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Forty-five minute guided tour of the Frey’s 1,000 square-foot-home impossibly perched on a mountain precipice above downtown Palm Springs. $50; last tour of the day, $100 includes cocktail party. Van shuttle from north parking lot of Palm Springs Art Museum. Tickets: (760) 325-4490.
Vintage Car Show: 1 to 4 p.m. Annual Modernism Week Vintage Car Show features numerous makes and models of fine classic cars. Free. Camelot Theatre Parking Lot, 2300 E. Baristo Road. (760) 325-6565.

Modernism Week Art Walk at the Backstreet Art District: 6 — 9 p.m. Tour of art galleries. S. Cherokee Way, Palm Springs.
“Visual Acoustics, the Modernism of Julius Shulman”: 7:30 p.m. The Architecture and Design Film Series in Partnership with Design Onscreen screening. Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, celebrates the life and career of architectural photographer Julius Shulman. Questions and answer session with Heather Purcell, director of Design Onscreen and Wim de Wit, Head of the Department of Architecture and Contemporary Art at The Getty Research Institute. $10. Camelot Theatres, (760) 325-6565.

Thursday, Feb. 18

Frank Sinatra’s Twin Palms Estate Tours: 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Frank Sinatra’s Twin Palms Estate was designed by E. Stewart Williams. Open house format. $35, sold out. Twin Palms, 1145 E. Via Colusa. pspreservationfoundation.org.
An Evening with Chef Johnny Vee and Victoria Price: 6 p.m. “Those Fabulous Foods of the 50s and 60s, Vincent Price, TV Dinners & Grasshopper Pie,” Vee and Price explore Mid-Century noshing from the perspectives of Victoria gourmet/actor Dad’s Hollywood home, and Johnny from the Campbell Soup suburbia of Upstate New York. Includes edible recollection (with samples) from historic recipes and lifestyle memories from “A Treasury of Great Recipes” by Vincent and Mary Price. $50. Ace Hotel and Swim Club.
Artist Reception for Architectural Photographer Leland Y. Lee: 7 to 9 p.m. Lee documented high design homes and interiors in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, and he studied with famed architectural photographer Julius Shulman for eight years. Lee’s exhibit runs through March 12. Michael H. Lord Gallery, 1090 N. Palm Canyon Drive.

Friday, Feb. 19

“Rem Koolhaas: A Kind of Architect”: 10 a.m. Presented by The Architecture and Design Film Series in Partnership with Design Onscreen. A look at Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and “Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design” at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. $10. Camelot Theatres.
Vintage Airstream and Trailer Show: 4 p.m. Gathering of 14 to 26 foot trailers that were the “Home on wheels” of the 1940s to ‘60s. Trailers will be on display starting Feb. 19 through noon Feb. 21. Also: Retro T-shirts by Vintage Roadside of the 1930s to 1960s. Exterior viewing, free. Ace Hotel and Swim Club.
“Between Earth and Heaven: The Architecture of John Lautner” with Frank Escher: 5:30 p.m. Museum members only lecture. Palm Springs Art Museum.

Lautner Exhibition Opening: 5:30 p.m. Museum members only. Palm Springs Art Museum.
Palm Springs Preservation Foundation Retro Martini Party: 5 to 8 p.m. Enjoy a martini and watch the sun set from the Arthur Elrod House, one of the world’s most acclaimed examples of modernist architecture. $150; limited number of tickets. Elrod House. Tickets: www.pspreservationfoundation.org.
Charles Phoenix Retro Slide Show: 6:30 to 9 p.m. Performance by pop culture humorist/author Charles Phoenix, celebrating midcentury car culture, trailer life, space age suburbia, roadside attractions, World’s Fairs, Palm Springs and Disneyland through his collection of flea market-found vintage Kodachrome slides. Doors open 6:30 p.m., slide show, 7:30 p.m. $20, cash bar. Ace Hotel and Swim Club.
“From Frank Lloyd Wright to John Lautner and After: Reassessing the Organic Tradition in American Architecture”: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Lautner Symposium sponsored by the Architecture & Design Council of the Palm Springs Art Museum. David De Long, Nicholas Olsberg, Jean-Louis Cohen, Frank Escher, Frances Anderton, Wendell Burnett and Michael Rotundi examine the architecture of John Lautner. Includes presentations and a panel discussion to look at Lautner’s career from his days at Taliesin studying with Frank Lloyd Wright at to establishing his practice in Los Angeles and his influence on today’s architects. Afternoon motor-coach tour includes visits to Lautner sites such as the Desert Hot Springs Hotel, the Elrod House and the Pearlman Cabin. Tickets: $50 symposium and lunch only; $200 museum ADC members, symposium, lunch and tour; $250 nonmembers, symposium, lunch and tour. Tickets through Palm Springs Art Museum box office. Ace Hotel & Swim Club. Tickets: (760) 325-4490.
 
Vintage Airstream. and Trailer Show Interior Tours:10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Owners on hand to talk about the trailers. Interior tours: $10; exteriors no charge. Retro T-shirts by Vintage Roadside available and Bruce Littlefield Book Signing, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Littlefield will sign books “Wanderlust-Airstream at 75,” “Airstream Living” and other vintage trailer books. Ace Hotel and Swim Club.
Orlando Diaz-Azcuy book signing: 3 to 5 p.m. San Francisco-based designer Orlando Diaz-Azcuy’s will sign copies of Diane Dorrans Saek book on his designs. Free; book must be purchased to have it signed. Just Fabulous, 515 N. Palm Canyon Drive.
Modern Mosaics Showroom Opening: 4 to 7 p.m. Opening of new store includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Modern Mosaics, 320 North Palm Canyon.

Vintage Fashion Show: 8:30 p.m. Showcase the vintage clothing collection of dealer Marc Joseph (Secret Back Room) with fashions of the late 1940s through the 1970s, with period music and images, The show also features vintage jewelry from the collection of Matt Burkholz (Route 66 West). $45. Grand Zoso Ballroom, Hotel Zoso, 150 S. Indian Canyon Drive.
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Movie Night: 7 p.m. “The Long Long Trailer” with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Part of the Airstream Trailer shows. Free movie; TV dinner and s’mores $15; no-host bar; advance reservations recommended; tickets available at the door. Cocktails 7 p.m,; movie 8:30 p.m. The Ace Hotel and Swim Club. Reservations: (760) 325-9900.

Sunday, Feb. 20

Architectural Pottery: 11 a.m. Lecture by Bill Stern, director of the Museum of California Design and author of “California Pottery: From Missions to Modernism,” will demonstrate through photographs and in conversation with former Architectural Pottery executive Bill Hertel on how this pioneering company made revolutionary contributions to Midcentury Modern design in America. Includes question and answer session with Bill Hertel. Included with museum admission. Palm Springs Art Museum. (760) 325-4490.
Frank Escher and Nicholas Olsberg Book signing: noon to 2 p.m. Escher and Olsberg will sign copies of “Between Heaven and Earth: The Architecture of John Lautner.” Book must be purchased to have it signed. Just Fabulous.
Vintage Airstream and Trailer Show: 2 p.m. Exterior viewing, free. Also: Retro T-shirts by Vintage Roadside of the 1930s to 1960s. Exterior viewing, free. Ace Hotel and Swim Club.

Celebrity Home Tour: 1 to 6 p.m. Tour of Palm Springs homes of celebrities of the midcentury period. Self drive tour allows access to each house for a one hour time frame in predesignated order. Includes homes of Frank Sinatra, composer Frederick Loewe, Peter Lawford, Dinah Shore and Elizabeth Taylor, with wine and cheese reception at Taylor home. Tour information provided with paid ticket purchase. Cost: $100.
Modernism Week Closing Party: 6 to 9 p.m. Entertainment by John Stanley King. $20, includes one drink ticket. Thee Sidebar Lounge, The Riviera Resort and Spa.
Movie Night: 7 p.m. “The Long Long Trailer” with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Part of the Airstream Trailer shows. Free movie; TV dinner and s’mores $15; no-host bar; advance reservations recommended; tickets available at the door. Cocktails 7 p.m,; movie 8:30 p.m. The Ace Hotel and Swim Club. Reservations: (760) 325-9900.

Last night we went to Palm Springs to see the great Film “Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler” at Camelot Theatres. A 67-minute film produced by Design Onscreen followed by a brief Q&A with Wexler tribute journal author Patrick McGrew and architect Doug Hudson.

A clip from the documentary “Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler” released by Design OnScreen. The mission of Design Onscreen is to document and disseminate in some form of “film media” the work of significant designers and contemporary issues in design.

The Wexler Weekend House Tour is one of the best house tour values ever offered in Palm Springs. Highlights include Wexler tract homes in El Rancho Vista Estates, Wexler’s own Palm Springs home and Wexler-designed celebrity homes. The house tour will include 14 (yes 14!) houses ranging from tract homes to custom residences to spectacular celebrity homes. Architect Don Wexler’s original Palm Springs home is also included on the tour. The tour ends with stops at two rarely seen celebrity homes. The Wexler House Tour is a “must” event for all lovers of great residential architecture. Don’t miss it . click here for tickets: http://www.pspreservationfoundation.org/save_date.html

See homes for sale in El Rancho Vista Estates: http://idx.firstidx.com/Results.aspx?SaveSearchID=3244&Domain=466