P.S. Day 2: Architecture & Nature

After an afternoon/evening of big desert rain, we awoke to a gorgeous day... just perfect for our plans (and the groovy, new dress I bought just for Palm Springs).

Our first stop was to ogle the Wexler Steel Houses. These seven homes herald the breakthrough concept of prefab design.

Modernist architect Donald Wexler believed that steel was ideal for desert building—it was economical and stood tough against sun, heat, and wind. In 1961, he planned an entire Palm Springs subdivision of nearly 40 homes, all to be made out of prefab steel and glass. Wexler got the idea from prefab classroom design, adapting it to create his stylish yet affordable homes (original price tags in 1962: $13,000 to $17,000).

Even with his visionary design skills, Wexler couldn’t foresee the future—and the skyrocketing price of steel. Deemed too costly, the development was never completed, and the seven original homes were largely forgotten.

Fortunately for design fans, Wexler’s prefab groundbreakers were rediscovered in the early 1990s, and most of the buildings have been carefully restored, complete with era-appropriate landscaping. What a cool place to start our day.

We were drawn to the Little Tuscany Estates neighborhood being as we love all things Italian. Developed in 1935, it offers the classic charm of old Palm Springs with its quiet narrow streets on the hilly terrain. As with our other older neighborhoods, Little Tuscany boasts a rich history of famous names and homes of architectural significance. Architects who built here include E. Stewart Williams, Richard Neutra, and Albert Frey. Elvis owned several homes in Palm Springs with one of them in Little Tuscany. It’s also said that one of the Hearsts had a home here as did one of the Gabor sisters.

Here's a interesting tidbit. Recently, the Little Tuscany neighborhood joined an elite club: Coachella Valley addresses where a home has sold for more than $1,000 per-square-foot. The Edris House, a modernist gem designed by E. Stewart Williams (1953), sold for $3 million. That breaks down to $1,111 for each of its 2,700 square feet. Woohoo.

Besides having a thing for Italy, I also have a thing for Elvis. And how cool is this. One of the most iconic modern residences in Palm Springs is back on the market. Dubbed the “House of Tomorrow” by Look Magazine in 1962, the house is most famous as the spot where Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned five years later, following a quick and secretive Las Vegas wedding. Designed by prolific architect William Krisel, the house was built for Robert Alexander, of the Alexander Construction Company. The legendary firm built more than 2,000 modern-style Southern California residences during the 1950s and ’60s, but it folded in 1965 after founders, Robert and George Alexander, died in a plane crash. Elvis rented the home from 1966 to 1967 (when looking at photos of it, it harkens back to Graceland). The spacious 5,000-square-foot home has five bedrooms and five bathrooms. Its unusual design consists of four circular living spaces stacked on multiple levels. Its interior features walls of glass, stone, and clerestory windows. The front of the house is cantilevered over the lawn and looks a bit like a flying saucer, with a sloping roofline that resembles a pair of wings. The home sits on over an acre, with a swimming pool, a large backyard area, and a tennis court. It can be yours for a very reduced price of $3,000,000.

Again, everywhere we turned we found homes that called to us. Such fun.

One of the most important architects of the 20th Century, yet often overlooked, Richard Neutra has been on the forefront of modern residential architecture. After moving to the United States from Vienna, in 1923, Neutra worked with Frank Lloyd Wright until 1930 when he started his own practice. One of Neutra’s several iconic projects is this the Kaufmann House. Completed between 1946-1947, the Kaufmann House was a vacation home for Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr. and his family to escape the harsh winters of the northeast. It has gone through several owners after the Kaufmann’s owned the house (Barry Manilow was one), which led to the house to fall in disrepair and a lack of concern and preservation of the modern dwelling. However, a couple that appreciated 20th Century modern homes restored the house back to its original luster with the help of Julius Shulman (architectural photographer who captured the original home). The Kaufmann House is now considered to be an architectural landmark and one of the most important houses in the 20th Century.

I had to include this new hotel just because it is so groovy looking. The Saguaro Palm Springs is an amazingly bright and colorful conversion of an old Holiday Inn (originally built as the International in 1977) with the architecture and color courtesy of New York-based Stamberg Aferiat Architecture. Groovy indeed.

We came to Palm Springs, originally, to have lunch with my big brother, Chuck, his wife, Hazel, and their friends from Virginia, Florence and Tony. After dining at our usual spot Tommy Bahama's, we were invited to join them on a hike. Here comes the Nature part of this post.

Palm Springs is home to several hiking spots but we chose Tahquitz Canyon and I'm so glad we did.

Tahquitz Canyon is one of the most beautiful and culturally sensitive areas of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Reservation. Tahquitz Canyon is home to a spectacular seasonal 60-foot waterfall, rock art, ancient irrigation systems, native wildlife, and plants.

Located just a couple of minutes out of town, this area delighted with all the nature it offered us. This is the first time we have seen Bighorn Sheep. Wow.