This is the first of several posts regarding this premiere event happening in Palm Springs. I will be visiting my favorite desert town three times over the course of the five days. There is so much awesomeness to share!
Modernism Week, which runs Feb. 17-27, 2022, is an annual festival which features more than 350 events including the Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale, tours of iconic homes in more than 30 neighborhoods, and the popular Signature Home Tour on both weekends. Also offered are architectural walking, biking and double-decker bus tours, tours of the historic Annenberg Estate at Sunnylands (which we did last year), a classic car show, garden tours, nightly parties, and a special series of compelling and informative talks.I have tickets to several events with our first being Modernist Treasures: Lush Living on the Links.Our guide, Tony, not only shared architectural information, but he was also a plant lover and historian. "On ancestral land of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is an attractive collection of luxurious Modernist residences with impressive landscapes lining the historic Indian Canyons Golf Resort (early 1960s)."With spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and the lush fairways, these homes feature a treasure trove of concrete screen block patterns and a profusion of fascinating desert plants. This first 18-hole golf course in Palm Springs was a magnet for TV legends. Walt Disney, Chuck Rifleman Connors, and David Fugitive Janssen were some of the stars who lived and played here. Sinatra would swing with his famous pals at this swanky resort and chose to host his first celebrity invitational golf tournament on these greens. Steve is standing in front of Don Get Smart Adams' home.Orange County developer Harry Kelso was brought in to create high-end homes and condominiums of varying designs and models, as were Arizona builder Paul Butler and Roy Fey of Fey’s Canyon Estates in Palm Springs. Other architects and builders in the area include well-known mid-century architects Stan Sackley and William Krisel.This was the home of James Levine, the maestro who conducted for New York’s Metropolitan Opera for more than 40 years who died here at age 77. The door was a remodel done by the architect Don Wexler.Tony was tickled with these Bismarck Blue Palms.This was my favorite doorknob.This four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath house is built in the Hollywood Regency style. it was built in 1964 for Bill Lear, the founder of the Lear Jet Corporation (and lesser-known as the inventor of the 8-track tape) and is on a residential street that backs up to the ninth tee of the Indian Canyons Golf Resort.The house is U-shaped, wrapped around a swimming pool. Most of the inner walls are floor-to-ceiling glass opening to a back patio around the pool; the floors are poured terrazzo throughout. I'm not sure how Mr. Lear's quote, “Strive for simplicity. You never have to fix what you leave out”, can apply to this beauty of a home.
Any connection to Disney is appreciated by me. This darling home was where Harper Goff (March 16, 1911 – March 3, 1993) lived and died. Ralph Harper Goff was an American artist, musician, and actor. For many years, he was associated with The Walt Disney Company, in the process of which he contributed to various major films, as well as to the planning of the Disney theme parks. Interestingly, during World War II, he was also an advisor to the U.S. Army on camouflage. What history!While strolling, we learned about some of the different architecture features of the time, one of which being Breeze blocks. These fascinating blocks are more than just decorative- they’re an important component of Mid-Century Modern design. Breeze blocks provide shade, circulation, protection and privacy to buildings all over the world, and they’ve got the rich history and style to prove it.Breeze blocks–sometimes called screen blocks– were inspired by sun-reducing screens in Asia and first used in America in the 1930s. They continued to grow in popularity in the following decades, especially when used in houses and apartments. They were widely used in Mid-Century Modern design up until the 1970s, when they began to fall out of style.Breeze blocks provided a visually pleasing (and affordable) way to filter out harsh sunlight while still providing ventilation. They became so popular that most large cities and towns had their own breeze block factories. Because of their weight and the cost involved with shipping them long distances, it was often cheaper to manufacture them locally. Local factories produced standard patterns, like the common snowflake one, while making unique patterns that were specific to the factory, too. It’s estimated that there are over 200 different breeze block patterns today. I'm going to go on a scavenger hunt to find as many as possible. Fun, right?
I will never tire of the diverse hues of the doors here.We learned that when the development was first constructed, the 'rule' was address numbers had to be written out. I love that!
Walt Disney loved Palm Springs. I wrote about his first house in Smoke Tree Ranch here. He sold that home in order to help finance Disneyland. This was his replacement. Prior to the Disney family selling it in 2015, it was not hidden from the street and looked much like this when Walt lived there.
This is a current view, taken through the fence. Oh, if the walls could talk!Lunch was along the greens of the Indian Canyons Golf Resort (the side that is open to the public). It was the perfect place to refuel for the rest of our day.After lunch we explored a wonderful unique neighborhood, King's Point. Kings Point is a collection of 43 William Krisel, AIA-designed detached condominium homes, developed and built by Bob Grundt between 1968-1970. The homes are modernist, featuring flat roofs, shallow front yards and generous sized floorplans.Designing more than 30,000 living units throughout Southern California, Krisel’s career spanned over 51 years. A close personal friend of developer Bob Alexander and his family, Krisel came to the Desert at the request of Alexander to design a tract of modernist houses dubbed Smoke Tree Valley (now known as Twin Palms for the pair of Palm trees that graced each of the homes).Krisel is one of the few mid-century modern architects who has not only lived to see, but also participate in the resurgence of modernism in Palm Springs. In recent years, he has contributed to the restoration of many of his original designs. So dang cool."A house is more than just a shelter;
that it is a way of improving your way of life."
-William Krisel
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