Whether in a large metropolis, small city or country village, neighborhoods define a quality of life, a community, and offer a sense of belonging, of pride and place.

By some historic benchmarks, Palm Springs, incorporated in 1938, is relatively young.  But its explosive growth in the Mid-Century  — particularly innovative modern tract and custom homes — set in motion communities born from a sense of new frontiers, prosperity, and optimism that characterized the American spirit post World War II.

Desert Modernism became a style all its own as renowned architects adapted the International Style to the desert’s warm climate and arid terrain, creating an elegant yet informal quality.  Desert Modern residences tend to have post-and-beam construction, open floor-plans, glass walls that connect indoors to outdoors, and are designed on a more human scale, often integrating organic shapes, bold colors, and playful designs.

During the 1950s and 60s, new neighborhoods sprang up throughout the Palm Springs area, developments that attracted vacationers, second home buyers, families, and retirees.   Today, Palm Springs arguably has the largest concentration of Mid-Century Modern architecture in the world

www.visitpalmsprings.com

A revival of appreciation for Desert Modernism has sparked forming historic districts in the City of Palm Springs and environs to preserve these distinctive neighborhoods and enclaves that are defined as much by their architectural significance as cultural reference.

Historic districts are “areas or neighborhoods in which historic buildings or residences, and their surrounding characteristics or settings, are identified by historical association or architectural quality as significant to the city’s heritage and cultural fabric,” according to the City of Palm Springs Historic District FAQ definition.

Historic districts not only preserve the inherent richness and personality in an area, but connects the past to the present and provides continuity into the future.  Property values increase and ensures that architectural standards are maintained or restored.

“Studies show that property values in protected historic districts tend to be higher than comparable neighborhoods without such standards,” according to the city’s Historic District FAQ.

“There are currently 28 defined neighborhoods in Palm Springs with more expected to be added by the end of the year,” writes Judith Salkin in her June 19, 2011 Desert Sun story, A closer look at seven historic Palm Springs neighborhoods.

www.mydesert.com/archives

A compilation of distinct Palm Springs neighborhoods — not all are historic districts — may be found online at www.palmspringsneighborhoods.com.

Pride and sense of place are now finding expression through the Palm Springs Neighborhood Initiative Committee which is encouraging homeowner association to place neighborhood name plates throughout the City.  Each individual neighborhood association designs, produces and installs their  own signs.  The first signs went up in the El Mirador and Movie Colony in 2008 as part of the pilot program.

Reflecting Palm Springs rich, layered history, most neighborhoods have a mix of architectural styles from California ranch style, Spanish revival, adobe and walled estates, to Mid Century modern, although many are predominantly Desert Modernism style.

Among them are Sunmor Estates, located on the western side of the Palm Springs International Airport, a project first started by Robert Higgins and later completed by the Alexander Construction Company when Higgins’ funding folded.  Most of the Sunmor homes were built in the 1950s and 1960s, designed by renowned modernist architects William Krisel, Donald Wexler and Charles DuBois.

www.sunmor-ps.com

The El Rancho Vista Estates, located on the east side of the airport, was a subdivision developed by Robert Fey with 70 homes designed by Wexler and Ric Harrison in the 1960s.  Most homes here still retain their original profiles.

www.elranchovistaestates.org

The Royal Hawaiian Estates, a five-acre Polynesian style complex,  also designed in the 1960s by Wexler and Harrison, became the city’s first residential historic district in 2009.  The 12 building, 40-unit complex features a “tiki apex,”  wooden tiki-style adornments affixed to unique “flying seven” buttresses or “outrigger beams,” which had been removed over the years for a variety of reasons.

www.royalhawaiianestates.org

In 2010, grants from the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation paid to replace the missing architectural elements.  Relying heavily on 1960s-era photographs and consulting Wexler on the project, o2 Architecture captured the scale and proportions of the apex to restore the original architectural design to the homes.

www.pspreservationfoundation.org/royal_hawaiian.html.

The PSPF also granted funds for a demonstration project at Park Imperial South to reconstruct part of a decorative concrete block wall.  The project was designed to motivate other homeowners to make similar investments in restoring the complex’s original look.  Park Imperial South on South Araby Drive was designed by architect Barry Berkus in 1960.

www.pspreservationfoundation.org/imperial_south.html

The historic Tennis Club Neighborhood, one of the city’s most historically significant neighborhoods, was part of land owned by John Guthrie McCallum, who initially sought to develop Palm Springs as an agricultural area.  Architecturally rich, the neighborhood contains Mediterranean style homes and estates from early settlers 1920s and 30s to the mid-century modern Palm Springs Tennis Club designed by A. Quincy Jones and Paul R. Williams.

www.htcno.org

The Indian Canyons Neighborhood, formerly known the Canyon Country Club area, was also originally built in the 1960s.  Most homes have been refurbished to reflect the modernistic roots with distinctive architecture by Stan Sackley, Wexler, Palmer and Krisel.  The area’s par-72 Indian Canyons South golf course, owned by the Agua Caliente tribe, boasts a Wexler-designed clubhouse that provides some unexpected grandeur.

www.psicno.com

Architectural tourism has become a huge draw for the Palm Springs area and historic districts are important for preserving the wealth of architecture the area has to offer.

One of these tours, The Palm Springs Modern Committee’s annual fall home tour, takes place on Saturday, October 29 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Tickets at $125 per person includes a self-driving tour followed by a cocktail reception at the last house.  Tour locations will be given with ticket purchase.  Funds benefit the Palm Springs Modern Heritage Fund, a non-profit political action committee.

www.psmodcom.org

For a personal tour of Mid Century Modern homes and estates for sale, many located in historic districts and significant neighborhoods, contact Ralph Haverkate at: Ralph@RHaverkate.com. or visit www.HaverkateRealEstate.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 Ralph Haverkate Real Estate, Your Source for Mid-Century Modern Homes in the Palm Springs  Area

Tennis Club and Sunnylands Architect A. Quincy Jones’ Work Continues To Be Relevant

Tennis Club Pool Part of Palm Springs Art Museum  Symposium November 21; Sunnylands Undergoing Restoration as Art and Education Center

The Palm Springs Art Museum at www.psmuseum.org,  is sponsoring a two-day education event, Backyard Oasis Symposium: The Swimming Pool In Southern California Photography, 1945-1980, Nov. 20 and 21.  A tour of significant Palm Springs pools on the second day of the symposium concludes with a reception at the A. Quincy Jones-designed Tennis Club pool.

The event is sponsored by the museum’s Architecture and Design Council, but is open to the public.  Cost is $125 for non members.  For information, contact Brooke DeVenney at (760) 322-4818 or bdevenney@psmuseum.org.

In 1947, Jones and associate Paul R. Williams collaborated to redesign the Tennis Club, then owned by Palm Springs pioneer Pearl  McCallum McManus.  Initially, the project was to renovate and expand club’s kitchen, swimming pool and tennis courts.  But it grew to include creating a new dining room — the Bougainvillea Room which is literally carved out of the mountain’s rock face –as well as a snack bar, cocktail lounge and terraces for outdoor dining and relaxing.

For Jones and Williams, the challenging hillside project with falling rock, extreme temperatures and a difficult site became a “test laboratory” to find solutions while preserving and  incorporating the impressive desert view.

In a 1947 Southwest Builder and Contractor article, Jones said, “Natural stone found at the site provided the opportunity for a fresh handling of an ancient material as well as a medium for tying the structure into its natural setting.”  Concrete,  durable and plastic enough to mold to the rock, was used extensively as was glass to dissolve the boundaries between interior and exterior.

The Tennis Club became  ”an interesting and successful example of contemporary architectural concepts at their best” for incorporating old structures with new and combining interior function with exterior environment  www.paulrwilliamsproject.org.

Although the Tennis Club building has since been remodeled, the huge oval pool remains a focal point in the oasis-styled landscape. A gallery of Julius Shulman’s iconic photos of the Tennis Club and grounds in the 1940s compared to recent photos may be viewed at www.paulrwilliamsproject.org/gallery/1940s-places-of-liesure/.

The successful Los Angeles-based architect and educator continued to use concrete, glass, stone and steel into his work that bridged the gap between custom-built and developer built homes.

“While in private practice in Los Angeles from 1937, his houses set a standard of excellence that affected all house design of the postwar period, especially the tract house, to which he was one of the few to give architectural consideration,” according to authors of www.aquincyjones.com.

Jones was a pioneer in “greenbelt” planning, raising the level of the tract house in California by surrounding them with gardens integrated into the landscape,” according to Cory Buckner in her book A. Quincy Jones, published by  Phaidon  www.arcspace.com/book/Quincy_Jones/quincy_jones_book.html.

During his 30-year association with building magnate Joseph Eichler, Jones and another partner, Frederick Emmons, designed thousands of homes, reflective of Eichler’s objective to “exceed the quality provided by ordinary builders, but affordable to middle-class American home buyers.” www.eichlernetwork.com/ENStry20.html.

Among Jones’ signatures, coffered ceilings and courtyards that create openness, were prescribed in a 1948 remodel of Town and Country Restaurant in downtown Palm Springs in 1948.  A coffered ceiling lounge overlooked a garden courtyard and while a dramatic wooden trellis that mimicked the ceiling divided the outdoor space.  The coffered ceiling was patterned after one Jones had designed for his own first home in Los Angeles.  See early Julius Shulman photos of the property at www.pspreservationfoundation.org/pdf/center_nomination.

Jones’ larger projects grew out of his solutions for smaller residences, particularly integrating mechanical systems into the roof for better efficiency.  Some examples are the 1959 Biological Sciences Building on the UC Santa Barbara campus and the 1967 Chemistry Building on the UC Riverside campus:   Both roofs are dominated by  a continuous cap that contains mechanical systems.  The interior concrete coffered ceilings carry conduits for wiring, air conditioning and so forth.

Jones’ penchant for multi-level plazas and open court yards was adapted  for the 1972 Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern California at which Jones was a professor and dean of architecture from 1951 through 1967 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._Quincy_Jones.).

In their commercial as well as residential projects, Jones and Emmons dissolved boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces through atrium gardens, courtyards, sliding glass doors and floor to ceiling glass walls,  and clerestory windows providing natural  light in working or living spaces  www.eichlernetwork.com/ENStry20.html . Perforated metal panels, exposed masonry block walls, obscure and clear glass, as well as wood and stone were some of the innovative building materials they used in their projects.

Jones’ work in the desert gained even more prestige when in the mid-1960s, Ambassador Walter Annenberg commissioned him  to design Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, a 25,000 square foot Mid-Century Modern house located in the middle of Annenberg’s 200-acre landscaped estate and private golf course. The project was completed in 1966. www.sunnylands.org/nr_april_2010.php.

For nearly 40 years afterward, the Annenbergs typically spent about five months at Sunnylands where they entertained United State Presidents, British royalty, international political figures, and cultural and entertainment icons.  Walter Annenberg died in 2002 and Lenore in March 2009.

In keeping with the Annenberg bequest, the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands is building an education center on a15-acre site adjacent to the Sunnylands estate and renovating and restoring the original property.

In November 2011, the new Sunnylands will open a 215-acre public attraction with a visitor center, desert garden, historic house, golf course, solar farm and other 21st-century environmental upgrades.  The new Sunnylands will be both an historic house museum as well as a site for retreats and summits. www.sunnylands.org.

“Sunnylands is one of about 150 parks, and residential, commercial and civic developments across the country which have been designated as pilot projects of the Sustainable Sites Initiative or SITES, a new rating system aimed at promoting eco-friendly land developments,” writes K Kaufmann in Desert Magazine, Sept. 2010. www.mydesert.com/archives

Jones’ innovative work continues to be relevant into the next century as appreciation for the modernist movement grows.  Palm Springs area has one of the highest concentrations of Mid-Century Modern homes in the world.  For a tour of desert modern homes currently for sale, contact www.HaverkateRealEstate.com.

– Pamela Bieri

Welcome to Haverkate Real Estate Specializing in Mid Century Modern Homes in the Palm Springs Area

Indulge Your Passion for Desert Modern Homes at 2010 Annual Home Tour November 6

Those with a passion for Desert modern architecture can indulge their senses at the Palm Springs Modern Heritage Fund’s 2010 Annual Home Tour (www.psmodernheritagefund.com/events.html) on Saturday, Nov. 6.   This year’s tour will cover residences in Rancho Mirage and Palm Springs with the rare opportunity to discover magnificent estates behind the gated hillside community of Thunderbird Heights, open for the very first time to tour guests.

The day-long, self driving tour includes eight homes and concludes with a poolside wine and cheese reception.  Cost is $125 and only a limited number of tickets will be available online for purchase at   www.psmodernheritagefund.com. Tour details will be provided to registrants only.

“Home tours like these are a great way 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.

“Palm Springs contains one of the largest concentrations of mid-century modern homes and buildings that you’ll find anywhere,” said Haverkate.  “The desert landscape here inspired such world-famous architects as Richard J. Neutra (www.neutrafoundation.com), Donald Wexler (www.moderndeserthome.com/index.php/architects.donald), Albert Frey, William F. Cody, Bill Krisel and Stewart E. Williams (www.psmodcom.com) who put their own stamp on mid-century modernist aesthetic.  It is so distinctive, in fact, that we now have a separate term for it  — desert modernism.”

Mid-century modern architecture, from approximately the 1940s through the 1960s, was partly fueled by the economic and housing boom of post World War II.  Desert modernism, a regional approach to International Style architecture, capitalized on the sunny skies and warm climate of the Palm Springs area, incorporating rocks, trees and other landscape features into the design.

A haven for captains of industry, Hollywood celebrities, and a burgeoning population of middle-class American families in the mid-20th century, Palm Springs was unique in place and time in that many talented, world renowned architects found their niche creating visionary, innovative civic buildings, custom and tract homes through both private investors and public commissions.

Characterized by open floor plans, extensive use of glass, steel and concrete, and seamless transitions from indoor to outdoor spaces, Palm Springs mid-century modern homes have been enjoying a revival of interest over the past decade or more.

“These day, buyers who have an eye for design are very much in the market for modern homes in Palm Springs,” said Haverkate  “With these homes 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.”

The Heritage Fund was established as a 501 ( c ) 4 organization specifically to support local political candidates who share preservationists’ views about Palm Springs’ historic modern architectural heritage.  While tickets to the home tour are not tax deductible, funds go toward political endeavors to protect this heritage.

More information on other events and modern homes in general can be found at ModernHomesBlog.com, leading Palm Springs Realtor Ralph Haverkate’s blog.

– Pamela Bieri

Web blog 9/1/10

The Landmark Kaufmann House Still Makes News

This month’s Palm Springs Life’s home feature, “The Road to Fame and Fortune,” by Greg Archer (www.palmspringslife.com) opens with one of the area’s most famous homes, the Kaufmann House, a 1946 glass, steel and stone landmark designed by architect Richard Neutra.

The home has twice been at the vanguard of new movements in architecture:  First by helping to shape postwar Modernism and later, as a result of a painstaking and expensive restoration in the late 1990s, spurred a revival of interest in mid-20th century homes, according to a New York Times review by Edward Wyatt (www.nytimes.com/2007/10/31/arts/design).

This house continues to make news as an important landmark.

One of the best-known icons by Viennese émigré Neutra, who moved to the United States in the 1920s, this unusual pin-wheel plan house was designed for Pittsburgh department store magnate Edgar J. Kaufmann.  It was the last domestic project by the architect, and arguably his most famous.

The house became part of cultural history thanks to a 1947 photo by Julius Schulman that shows Mrs. Kaufmann reclining by the pool, the house glowing in the sunset.  The photo also became one of the most reproduced architectural photographs ever (www.eichlernetwork.com/desert_chron7.html).

Its striking silhouette, mix of airy lightness and sandstone weight, combined with the delicacy and precision of its detail, the house is considered one of the most important examples of International Style architecture in the United States and is the only one still in private hands (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaufmann_Desert_House).

The work represents a special moment in the Neutra canon when the architect was able to blur the distinction between inside and outside to an unusual degree, according to architectural historian Barbara Lamprecht (www.palmspringslife.com/Palm-Springs-Life/May-2009)/revisiting-The-Kaufmann-House).

“It’s not so much a house with an indoors and outdoors.  Rather it is a setting with transitions in which Neutra honed both nature and the functional aspects of living so that Eros, sensuality, the senses are subtly and/or overtly available to the whole arc of day and night and the whole spectrum of being,” she wrote in an essay commissioned by Crosby Doe, who was then marketing the home.

“The Kaufmann House … moved in the direction of the pavilion, which is Neutra’s last development in domestic architecture.  Horizontal planes resting on horizontal planes hover over transparent walls.  The material loses its importance — magnificent as the dry-joint stone wall are in themselves — the gist of the house is weightless space enclosed.  The victory over the front door is almost complete; it is reached by slow stages, like the Mexican house whose entrance on the street leads through a garden to an unemphasized door,” writes Esther McCoy in her book on Richard Neutra, page 16-17 (www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Kaufmann_Desert_House, html.).

The five bedroom, five bathroom home emphasizes connection to the desert landscape.  A combined living and dining space lies at the center of the house.  On an east-west axis, four wings extend in each cardinal direction from the living room, like a pinwheel.  Large sliding glass walls open the living spaces and master bedroom to adjacent patios.  Larger rooms at the end of each wing defines adjacent outdoor rooms, circulating both indoors and out.

After Kaufmann died in 1955, the house stood vacant for several years, then had a series of owners including singer Barry Manilow and San Diego Chargers owner Eugene V. Klein.  Several renovations seriously altered the house, enclosing some of the open areas, and damaging Neutra’s original blond cabinetry, wall surfaces, and the Douglas fir ceilings.

It had been on the market another few years in 1992 when a couple, Brent Harris, an investment manager, and his wife Beth, an architectural historian, bought it for $1.5 million with the intention to restore the house to its original design.  At the time, the house was not a candidate for restoration — Neutra’s Modernism “wasn’t the prevailing style” — and was almost razed.

“No one wanted it.  And so it was a gorgeous house, an important house, and it was crying out for restoration,” said Harris in the New York Times interview. (www.nytimes.com/2007/10/31/arts/deisgn)

The couple hired Los Angeles architects Lee Marmol and Ron Radziner and Associates.  As Neutra’s original plans were lost, the team searched for clues through extensive Neutra archives at UCLA, Columbia University, and also with photographer Schulman who allowed them access to unpublished photos of the home’s interior and exterior.

They sought out original providers of paint and fixtures, and purchased a metal crimping machine to reproduce the sheet-metal fascia that lined the roof.  The team even and had a long-closed section of a Utah quarry re-opened to mine matching stone to replace what had been removed or damaged.

The Harrises bought additional land around the 3,200 square foot home to help restore the desert landscape buffer Neutra had envisioned.  They rebuilt the pool that serves as a viewing pavilion for the main house, and kept a tennis court that was built on one of the parcels added to the original Kaufmann property.

The house was subsequently sold in May, 2008 for $15 million at auction by Christie’s as a part of a high-profile sale of contemporary art.  However the sale fell through, and was later listed at $13 million in October that same year.  The restored house had a pre-sale estimate of $15 to $25 million.

The Harrises “were visionaries in their own way,” said Joshua Holdeman, a senior vice president at Christie’s.  With the renovation, “they created a whole new public awareness of mid-century modern architecture.” (www.nytimes.com/2007/10/31/arts/design))

The Marmol Radziner + Associates restoration was critically acclaimed.  The team’s sourcing of original products, fixtures, and building materials helped launch the revival of the Modernist movement, creating a new niche and demand for Mid-century homes, fixtures and furnishings.

Today, many critics place the Kaufmann House among the most important houses of the 20th century with the likes of Fallingwater, Robie House, Gropius House and the Gamble House (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaufmann_Desert_House).

Palm Springs Preservationists say the Kaufmann House inspired other owners of Mid-century modern houses to restore them, and credit this among several other important restorations for spurring renewed interest in Palm Springs’ Mid-Century Modern heritage. (www.eichlernetwork.com)

To see more quality Mid-Century Modern homes available for sale in the Palm Springs area, contact Ralph Haverkate at www.HaverkateRealEstate.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

Vista Las Palmas is a quiet neighborhood west and within walking distance of downtown Palm Springs.  Situated by the San Jacinto Mountains it is cooler in the summer and warmer in winter.  Those lucky enough, have a full view of the mountainside.  Architect William Krisel is responsible for the design of most of the Alexander homes found here,  built by  Alexander Construction in the 50’s and 60’s in response to the growing demand for Modern Architecture.  Although many homeowners strive to keep their homes as close as possible to the originals,  others have progressively changed them to match contemporary tastes.

We have a new Alexander listing at 953 N Rose Avenue that will appeal to those who don’t feel bound to the past.  Along with a great location it has been expanded with a new master bedroom, bath, closets, den and more kitchen area.  Updates include roof, HVAC, windows and sliders, kitchen, ceramic tile floor, custom shutters, built-ins and appliances, many still under warranty.  The well separated Masters have private entrances. The new  wing has a Den that could be a fifth bedroom and an office uses one of the other  four bedrooms.  It has an area that could be a formal dining room, and the kitchen has enough room for both a breakfast area and a family room.

Fruit trees and a very private pool make good use of the large lot.  The west-facing mountain-side pool and patio area is off the kitchen, living/family room and new Master.   The shady patio overhang has fans and there is a raised sunning deck on two sides of the pool.  Except for a single grassy area, the home is desert-landscaped.

Vista Las Palmas is a quiet neighborhood west and within walking distance of downtown Palm Springs. Situated by the San Jacinto Mountains it is cooler in the summer and warmer in winter. Those lucky enough, have a full view of the mountainside. Architect William Krisel is responsible for the design of most of the Alexander homes found here, built by Alexander Construction in the 50’s and 60’s in response to the growing demand for Modern Architecture. Although many homeowners strive to keep their homes as close as possible to the originals, others have progressively changed them to match contemporary tastes.

We have a new Mid-Century-Modern “Alexander” listing at 953 N Rose that will appeal to those who don’t feel bound to the past. Along with a great location it has been expanded with a new master bedroom, bath, closets, den and more kitchen area. Updates include roof, HVAC, windows and sliders, kitchen, ceramic tile floor, custom shutters, built-ins and appliances, many still under warranty. The well separated Masters have private entrances. The new wing has a Den that could be a fifth bedroom and an office uses one of the other four bedrooms. It has an area that could be a formal dining room, and the kitchen has enough room for both a breakfast area and a family room.

Fruit trees and a very private pool make good use of the large lot. The west-facing mountain-side pool and patio area is off the kitchen, living/family room and new Master. The shady patio overhang has fans and there is a raised sunning deck on two sides of the pool. Except for a single grassy area, the home is desert-landscaped.

Thunderbird Heights is a gated hillside just across from Thunderbird Country Club. The neighborhood, established in the 1950′s, offers a diverse mix of classic Mid-Century Modern homes, remodeled classics, and new construction, most of which were built in the sixties and seventies.

Centrally located in Rancho Mirage makes Thunderbird Heights a very desirable neighborhood. Rancho Mirage’s restaurant row is just down the road, and the popular River shopping dining and entertainment complex is nearby. Most homes have panoramic valley and desert views with large lots and living quarters.

A convenient tunnel under Highway 111 directly connects residents with the Thunderbird Country Club. Thunderbird Country Club offers a par-71 classic course.  Although one of the oldest courses in the desert (remodeled in 1987), it is still THE place to be for the rich & famous, including celebrities.

Homes in Thunderbird Heights vary widely in price. You should expect to pay between 1 and 10 million for some of the most elite homes in a famous area.

While many neighborhoods can boast new construction and different amenities, you will find what you need and want in the “playground of the Presidents”. It comes with charm from years past, from its older style homes to many rich and famous inhabitants that sometimes spread scandal throughout the community.Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were instrumential in forming the exclusive Thunderbird Heights tract in Rancho Mirage, once the home of President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty.

In the early 1960’s, Frank Sinatra was outraged over a scheduled trip to Palm Springs by President John F. Kennedy. Peter Lawford, rat pack crony and brother-in-law to the President, told Sinatra that the President would be staying at Bing Crosby’s residence.  Sinatra’s  links to organized crime and other disreputable people concerned Bobby Kennedy, the President’s brother and attorney general, who did not want the President to stay with Sinatra as a result.

Sinatra was livid with the decision of the Crosby residence – the “other” singer and a Republican.  Sinatra had also installed a heliport and extra phone lines in his home in preparation for the visit.

Bing Crosby’s legendary guarded enclave in Thunderbird Heights has been well preserved and updated for today’s living.  The “Crooner” himself enjoyed desert living, including his love for golf.  The actor-singer helped establish the Thunderbird Country Club. Bing Crosby sold his golf course lot in 1952, and purchased the first house in what became Thunderbird Heights with his first wife Dixie Lee. After Dixie Lee’s death in 1952, Bing Crosby and his four sons (Gary, twins Dennis and Phillip, and Lindsay) continued to enjoy the estate until moving to a ranch home in Palm Desert and his marriage to his new wife and actress, Katherine Grant.

Howard Lapham was a modernist architect who designed homes for California’s wealthy and movie elite. Many Lapham homes were in Thunderbird Country Club and Thunderbird Heights. Architectural Digest has featured Lapham: Hyatt von Dehn Residence (1960, Thunderbird Heights), Kiewit Residence (1960, Thunderbird Country Club), Clarke Swanson Residence (1961, Thunderbird Country Club), and the remodel of the Thunderbird Country Club clubhouse (1961).

Lapham’s most famous renovation was the ultra-modern facade of the Chi Chi nightclub in 1959. In 1970, Lapham built the Cook House, known as Ichpa Mayapan for its Mayan theme, atop Thunderbird Heights. The Cook house was featured in the film Desert Utopic, Mid-Century Architecture in Palm Springs.

If you’re interested in seeing the properties in Thunderbird Heights click here:

or simply would like more information about these hard to find homes, contact us today so you don’t miss this opportunity.

Homeowners Association fees in Thunderbird Heights are very affordable. If you’re looking for a name gated community, Thunderbird Heights must be on your list.

This neighborhood was once the tramping ground of the “Rat Pack”, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr., and was known as the Beverly Hills of Palm Springs.  In the 1950’s Los Angeles celebrities used Vista Las Palmas as their desert retreat.  Vista Las Palmas is a quiet neighborhood west and within walking distance of downtown Palm Springs.  Situated by the San Jacinto Mountains it is cooler in the summer and warmer in winter. 

Architect William Krisel is responsible for the design of most of the Alexander homes.  Alexander Construction, owned by George and Bob Alexander built more than 2000 homes in the Palm Springs area, responding to the growing demand for Modern Architecture.  Vista Las Palmas was largely developed by them during the 1950’s & 1960’s.

Click here for: Mid-Century Modern Homes in the Vista Las Palmas Area For Sale

The original Alexander homes were $19,000, had no insulation and were built on a concrete slab.  Alexander construction characteristics are clerestory windows, post & beam construction, center halls and large lots.  This architecture became known as Southern California Modern, with roof styles that include butterfly roofs low-gabled roofs and folded plate roofs. You can also find double A-frame homes called “Swiss Misses”, in Vista Las Palmas, designed by Charles Dubois.

Vista Las Palmas embodies the Mid-Century Modern taste for the discriminating homeowner seeking the desert lifestyle of the desert close to downtown. Most of the homes were built by Alexander, and many have been restored or modernized with rapidly increasing prices.

Robert (Bob) Alexander & his wife, Helene, lived in Vista Las Palmas at 1350 Ladera.  It was “The Home of Tomorrow” featured over eight-pages the September 1992 Look Magazine. The $300,000 cost set a new standard in Southern California.  Elvis & Priscilla Presley used it in 1968 for their honeymoon.

In 1965, George & Robert Alexander and their wives died in a plane crash northwest of Indio.  Their work lives on in Vista Las Palmas.