Modernism Week Day 2

I have to do a shout out for our condo- Desert Vacation Villas. Wow.

Our home-away-from-home was 800 sq ft (74.32 sq m) of Home Comfort. We loved the spaciousness of this non-smoking suite with a fully equipped kitchen (only lunch was eaten out). We had two bedrooms: one King, and one with twins, and there was a Queen Sofa Bed in the large living room. An added bonus was that we each had our own bathroom. If we had more time, we could have frolicked poolside, rode their free bikes, or barbecued. It was clean, comfortable, and very affordable (especially with all the amenities and location). For our first foray into staying in Palm Springs for Modernism Week, we couldn't have chosen better!

Our first stop was at 8 AM for the always fabulous Vintage Market!

Even the parking lot held treasures. How about this Figaro?! It looks vintage and sounds Italian (though it has a right side drive). After a quick search, this awesome vehicle was created by Nissan for the Japanese market. They only made 20,000 of the them and that was in 1991. Wild right?!

There is no better way to begin a Sunday, especially during Modernism Week. There were so many new vendors whose wares were very oglable.

Leslie, from Tea with Iris, is a book artist. These vintage books have become clutch purses... so up my alley!

Our next stop was our second of three lectures we planned to attend, Albert Frey’s 1931 Aluminaire House and Its Influence on American Modernism. "In celebration of the Palm Springs Art Museum’s permanent installation of the 1931 Aluminaire House, architect Leo Marmol will explore the impact this structure had on American Modernism design."

I've blogged about Albert Frey a great deal and recently about this special house. Now it was time to learn even more about its importance. "In addition, Mr. Marmol will share details of the home’s century-long journey from New York to Palm Springs."

The home was designed by Albert Frey and A. Lawrence Kocher as part of the New York Architectural and Allied Arts Exposition in 1931. The original installation represented the first major exhibition of European Modernism on U.S. soil. Constructed of prefabricated steel and aluminum components and designed following the principles set forth by Albert Frey’s mentor, Le Corbusier, the structure acted as a harbinger of American Modernism and the futuristic way of life it promised. The lecture explored why Palm Springs supports Modern Architecture as the prevailing aesthetic as well as Frey’s relationship with the desert.

Mr. Marmol also traced the varied influences of Modern Architecture in California from Le Corbusier’s revolutionary treatise, The Five Points of Architecture and Walter Gropius’s Bauhaus Manifesto, to the social, economic, and geographic conditions that made the arid region of Palm Springs so ripe for the cultivation and proliferation of Modern Architecture–hence the ideal permanent home for Aluminaire.

Unbeknownst to us, our ticket allowed us to enter the velvet ropes to get a first peek, up close, of this architectural treasure.

An unplanned friend connect happened at the Stephen Willard Vintage Postcards of Palm Springs Exhibit at the Welwood Murray Memorial Library (c. 1941). If you've followed this blog, you should recognize Sharon and Erin. A new friend is Erin's husband, Darin. Fun stuff in a small town.

Willard printed his black and white photographs in large format, then hand-colored them with oil paint. He worked with colorists at the Curt Teich Company in Chicago to produce color postcard images on linen paper, which were then mass produced. The postcards on display date from the 1930s to the 1950s and were sold by the thousands—in galleries and shops throughout Palm Springs for a nickel each. Royalties from postcard sales allowed Willard and his wife to travel to Africa and South America when they retired.

Our next tour introduced us to a new 'architect' and some really awesome homeowners- The Four Hundred, The Complete Tour! "For the first time EVER, tour all nine (9) units of The Four Hundred, a Herbert Burns design located in the Historic Tennis Club Neighborhood."

The property was originally designed and developed by Herbert W. Burns as a furnished 8-unit luxury apartment complex in 1954. The unique pool, the resort-like landscape, the iconic midcentury modern architecture, and the stunning view of the mountains blend harmoniously even to this day. The 400 was styled to complement the adjacent Hideaway hotel, née Town & Desert apartments, another Burns design. The architecture includes a low, linear look accented with masonry composed of thin, regular strips of Arizona Sandstone, masonry planters, and built-in wall clocks.

Burns, who passed away in 1988 at age 91, is a part of a small architectural fraternity that includes the likes of William Krisel, Donald Wexler, E. Stewart Williams, Hugh Kaptur, and Albert Frey, who are attributed to launching the Desert Modernism movement in Palm Springs.

Julie and I both invested in the 84-page tribute journal, The Design of Herbert W. Burns which was sold by the author, Steven Keylon. Mr. Keylon’s book is among the most comprehensive and scholarly overview of Burns’ life and career to date. While he never became a licensed architect, Burns was enormously talented and had multiple careers — a lighting designer/fabricator, stockbroker, building contractor, and finally an architectural designer — earning the name “charismatic chameleon” by Keylon. How fun to have this Burns expert there to answer all our questions before we had the time to read the book.

According to Steven Keylon's book, "The six one-bedroom apartments with custom interiors by Burns were advertised as being in "a setting of soft Desert atmosphere, available to a discriminating clientele," and renting for $3,000 for the season (the equivalent of $28,000 in 2018). Each apartment featured a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, with TV and heated pool included. There was also an unfurnished studio available facing Arenas Road for $2,000 per season. Herbert experimented with a wide variety of innovations that had been introduced in the years since the completion of Town & Desert (1947). The kitchens of all units featured Wascolite Skydomes, which were, as Herbert explained: "A plastic dome installed in the roof which floods the room with daylight even with an overcast sky. The dome is hermetically sealed with a dead air space and special aluminum material to retard the heat from entering the home.""

Unit 5 was probably the most intriguing due to the fact that this was the private residence of Mr. & Mrs. Burns for many years. In addition to being the largest in square footage and the only one with a garage, this unit has a lot of upgrades compared to the other units. Starting with the front patio, it is larger in area and the only with a terrazzo surface. The patio doors are also the widest and tallest in the entire complex: stretching from floor to ceiling inside.

"Walking into the unit, you can see the original wet bar with original bar fridge with a restored built-in wall clock above. The adjacent wall had a louvered treatment with a faux planter at the base. Looking back at the patio doors, you can see one of several dimmers and an in-ceiling curtain track which allowed every bit of the patio door to be enjoyed when the curtains were opened. Looking back towards the entry, you can see an overhead shelf detail, much-loved by Burns."

Herbert and Gayle's large and luxurious unit conveyed charm and elegance. In describing the apartment, The Desert Sun said that it "reflects the hobbies and interests of its owners with its hunting guns, abundance of books, ham radio operating room, photographic dark room and its [rustic board-and-batten] redwood wall cleverly concealing the hi-fi, motion picture and still projectors. Other practical features are the hidden electric blanket controls; built-in clocks in every room, with radium dials in the bedroom; and dimmers to lower living room lights for after dinner conversation."

Current owner, Lynne, even showed me Herbert's clever built in file cabinets. Note that they are flat to the wall. All the bulkiness is outside. Wild, right?

Unit 8 had the original kitchen and all the appliances except for the fridge. How cute.

Each unit came tiled in pink. This is the original tiling with the original faucets (which look brand new).

One of the features I really loved was the hopper-style window set in glass block which was in each of the bathrooms. So practical and so 1950s!

Unit 9 was the only one that still had the original built-in ironing board. So dang cool.

This gracious homeowner was tickled to show me this "nice piece of metal" he found atop a heap of trash.

The treasure revealed on the other side was priceless! "Styled by K.W. Burns".

Our last stop was at the home of the delightful Pamela in Unit 7. We had not paid close attention to the timing on our tickets which were for touring from 2-3 PM. We arrived at 2:30 PM which barely allowed us to scratch the surface of this midcentury masterpiece. Delightfully, everyone was gracious and allowed us to finish our tour even though their cocktail hour had begun (which we were invited to in lucky #7).

"Unit 7 is a major departure in form and function as access is on the street side rather than the courtyard side of the building. This means that the large front patio offers the greatest privacy of any of the units. Stepping inside, a Christopher Kennedy Inc Design (who partied a bit with us) transformed the look and function of the space in 2016. Originally, this was a studio with only a large room facing the street, a small and dark efficiency kitchen, and a bathroom. The current design opens the modern kitchen to the large room. Storage abounds and there is an inside laundry, a rarity at the 400. The bathroom has been thoroughly modernized in the original footprint. The bedroom is not original to the space. A previous owner purchased part of the garage from the then-owner of unit 5."

Since all the other tourists had gone, the homeowners wanted a group photo. I was happy to be the official photographer of the fabulous people of The 400.

After dinner in our condo and a brief nap, we hit the town for the highly anticipated 'only in Palm Springs' event. "Immerse yourself in the retro-cool world of Shag With A Twist–A Murder Mystery Musical. Some of Shag’s most beloved characters come alive in a colorful cocktail of song and dance, where true-crime podcasters Twinkie and Bun are determined to unravel the infamous case of the Tupperware Party Killer."

Of course I had to dust off the beehive!

I would love to see how many times this image shows up on social media. It really was a hit and yes, I did remove it for the show! Hysterical.

Hosted by Shag, it shared that this show originally played in Los Angeles 19 years ago. I found this review from then that might shed some light on what the evening entailed.

The setting is a swanky 1960s Tupperware party ‘somewhere in Palm Springs,’ hosted by high flying ex-stewardess Othal, her adoring husband, Eldon, and served by their flirty maid 7.

Their eccentric friends each make a memorable entrance–the irresistible seductress Kitty; the charming Latin lover Dodge; debonair jetsetter Foot; Othal’s loyal friend, Mercurochrome Head; the captivating Siamese twins Shimmy and Shake; and the glamorous, bird-loving Slinky.

However, the festivities take an unexpected turn when Slinky is discovered murdered with a giant corkscrew protruding from her back. Enter Inspector Sergay, a bumbling detective, and his mischievous assistant monkey, Mr. Cuddles, determined to solve the crime. Meanwhile, the eccentric Coroner, with a morbid fascination for death and his collection of plastic wares, makes a dramatic entrance to conduct a delicate autopsy "operation."

"With a perfect blend of humor, suspense, and musical numbers, Shag With A Twist promises an unforgettable and entertaining evening. Get ready for a great party as the cast takes you on a journey through this murder mystery filled with vibrant characters, captivating performances, and a distinct flair for style. It will transport you to a retro world of adventure and intrigue, as can only be found in the imagination of Shag." It was a fun night in the theatre and definitely unforgettable.