Déjà Vu Vintage Finery will celebrate its grand opening by hosting a fashion show on February 16, 2012 to kick off The Palm Springs Modernism Week. The theme is “Jet Set Style-Mid Century Fashion,” with looks inspired by early historic Palm Springs hotspots such as the Racquet Club, The Chi Chi Club and other haunts of Palm Springs illustrious star-studded past. The evening features a silent auction of vintage clothing, purses, and accessories .  A pop-up store at The Ace Hotel will make many of our fabulous designer fashions available throughout the weekend. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Palm Springs Preservation Foundation.

The event will take place at The Ace Hotel & Swim Club at 701 East Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs 2/16/2011 at 7:00PM.
Tickets are $20.00 and available for purchase on the website www.dejavuroom.com or by calling Déjà Vu Vintage Finery 760.699.5365

Palm Springs Modernism Week Highlight:

Walk of Stars Dedication

FRIDAY, February 17, 2012  2:00 PM
William F. Cody, F.A.I.A.

William Cody’s indelible contribution to Palm Springs’s architectural resources is celebrated and honored at this free Modernism Week event in Palm Springs. Join Cody family members, city officials, architecture aficionados, and owners of Cody-designed residences in paying tribute to the architect recognized for his “less is more” approach to design. Landmark Cody projects in Palm Springs include the 1949 award- winning Hotel Del Marcos, L’Horizon Hotel, St. Theresa Catholic Church, Palm Springs Public Library, and the Atakian Building, as well as private residences; the Abernathy House, the Jorgensen/Mavis Residence, and the Racquet Club Cottages West condominiums. Enjoy a reception immediately following in the adjacent Palm Springs Art Museum’s Edwards Harris Center for Architecture and Design. Each attendee will receive a keepsake program with map.

The Paul Kaplan Group is thrilled to be representing one of William Cody’s signature style homes, in Rancho Mirage.  For more information, click here.   

This stunning architecturally significant property, and designed by renowned Architect William Cody and originally owned by golf pro Jimmy Hines. (See attached document for more info on the history of this home). Located in the much desired and very private 10 home neighborhood of Thunderbird North. The 3 bed 3 bath home opens out from expansive walls of glass to one of the most breath-taking, panoramic views available in the entire desert. The great room is the hub of this entertainer’s delight, with custom cabinetry, hidden TV cabinet, original rock pversized fireplace, and custom glass doors which open to the pool and views. A private cabana was built adjacent to the pool and spa, featuring an outdoor kitchen area, as well as cozy firepit. The house has been upgraded extensively, including spa inspired bathrooms, a contemporary kitchen which boasts top of the line stainless appliances. This is your opportunity to own a stunning piece of desert mid-century architectural history.  Offered at $849,000  For more information contact Paul Kaplan at 760-285-8559 or Click Here.

Mid-century Modern Fans:  Here’s a new event being offered this year at the annual Palm Springs Modernism Week celebration, coming up in February:

The Marriage of Commerce and Creativity:
Modernism in Banking
Palm Springs Historical Society Walking Tour

February 16.

This walking tour departs at 10 a.m. from the Union Bank Palm Springs at 500 S. Indian Canyon Drive Palm Springs, and lasts approximately 1 hour. Covers the area south of Baristo Rd bordered by Indian Canyon Drive and S. Palm Canyon Drive and examines the history of the development and design of the area, including banks designed by E. Stewart Williams and Gruen & Associates.

Enjoy refreshments provided by Espresso Cielo and free admission to the McCallum Adobe and Cornelia White House.

For tickets, go to www.ModernismWeek.com

My Chistmas present to myself, was purchasing a mid-century home in the Racquet Club Road Estates neighborhood of Palm Springs.  I’ve been promoting & selling homes in this neighborhood since 2001 and have been wanting one of my own for years!   Here’s an intro to the ‘hood I did in 2009:  Racquet Club Tour

The original home was a “flat roof” model, designed by Palmer and Krisel architects, and built by the famed, Alexander Construction Company.  The flat roof design tends to be less popular then the more iconic Butterfly Roof, or Pitched Roof models-  but for some reason, I’ve always been attracted to this plan.  This house on George Drive, done by my friend, Jennifer Dorn, has always been one of my favorites.   GEORGE DRIVE

Side Patio

The house is located at 439 E Racquet Club Road.  At the height of the market, the house was listed at $599,00!  (August, 2006)  Amazing that prices were actually that high back then!  Then came the recession-  this house went into foreclosure.  It had been sitting on the market since July, 2011, starting at $310,000.  I showed it to many of my own clients-  and admired it for the orientation, spacious back yard, pool shape and views.  There were a few price reductions, before I made a stab at it, and got it for $265,000, plus they paid 3% for my closing costs…a good buy in the current market for Racquet Club.

 Here are some of the “before” photos:

Facade of 439 E Racquet Club

Living Room

Master Bath

Palm Springs is the mecca for mid-century architecture, featuring unique designs from the 1950′s and 1960s.  One of the first Palm Springs condominimum resort projects, built in 1960, was the Park Imperial South.

Just listed, is one of the best examples of a unit at Park Imperial South with most of the original detail intact, updated and modified with modern comforts.  Listed at $339,000, here’s the agent’s description:

“If you have ever heard the statement Modernism lives” while in Palm Springs, one of the first developments that would come to mind is Park Imperial South. This Mid-Century gem stands out with its folded-plate rooflines and amazing Mid-Century architecture by celebrated architect, Barry A Berkus AIA. He created this stunning accomplished community in 1960 where the design still thrives and remains untouched. This unit has been enhanced by its current owners, featuring newly renovated flooring, kitchen countertops, stainless appliances and fresh paint all while keeping the Mid-Century look and feel and charm of the development. If you are seeking the sixties look and feel the vibe is here. If you are looking for that perfect weekend get-a-way or fulltime residence with tranquility and easy access to downtown, look no further. This amazing unit has it all.”

 Architect Barry Berkus, was quoted, saying “Park Imperial South marked a pivotal point for me,” said Berkus. “It opened up a way of looking at living space that still informs my designs. It inspired a preference for light, flexible room definitions and a fluid connection with the outdoors–seeing home not as a container, but as a backdrop for particular tastes and lifestyles.”

Berkus said he took Modernism to heart as an intern in 1956 for one of Palm Springs’ prominent architects, the late William F. Cody. “I learned a lot working for Bill, and was extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to apprentice with him, to convert classroom study into a new level of design knowledge.”

After forming his own practice, Berkus returned to Palm Springs to design Park Imperial South for

Living Room with folded plate roof

 Trudy Richards, a Southern California homebuilding company that specialized in desert resort homes. His career has since included virtually every type of new home design, and his body of work accounts for myriad homes and communities throughout the U.S. and abroad.

For more information on this property, please contact Paul @ 760-285-8559

Click here for more information on Park Imperial South.

Listing information provided by Desert Area MLS

From one of our agents at The Paul Kaplan Group in Palm Springs, Kris Rain:

 Meet Craig and Diane, our new homeowners in Racquet Club Estates, Palm Springs- this cool mid-century home built by the  Alexander Construction Company, is their first home purchase! They did their final walk thru today and brought their dog Winston who walked right in and sat in the pool. Welcome to Palm Springs!

Coachella Valley Water District is gearing up for its annual Landscape Workshop for Home Gardeners. The workshop will feature presentations by experts on converting lawn to desert landscaping, plant selection, efficient irrigation practices There are three different times that the workshop will be offered- November 18 at 8 am or at 1PM; or November 19 at 8am. The $20 registration fee includes a landscaping book, a 3-inch potted plant, and refreshments. For more information, visit www.cvwd.org

Midcentury Modern aficionados get ready! The untouched living room of design legends Ray and Charles Eames wil soon be available for public viewing at the Los Angeles County Museum as part of an upcoming exhibition- California Design, 1930-1965: “Living in a Modern Way.” The exhibition will showcase California’s role in shaping home and interior design in the US. The show will open October 1, and will be available through April. While the living room contents are on display, a complete renovation of the home will take place under the direction of the Eames family, the first renovation since the home’s construction in 1949. More information can be found at LACMA’s website: http://lacma.wordpress.com/

Derek Lam, San-Francisco based fashion designer, showed his line at new York’s fashion week- and interestingly enough listed Palm Springs as his inspiration for the line!  He specifically listed the Kaufman house, designed by Richard Neutra as an influence in the program’s notes.  We’re glad that our great city was such an inspiration for a talented designer.

To celebrate the Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement’s (do.co,mo.mo) National Tour Day on October 8 and 9, 2011, PALM SPRINGS MODERNISM WEEK is pleased to offer its most popular event, the Modernism Double Decker Bus Architectural Tour, a fun, open-air, double decker bus tour of Palm Springs’ notable mid-century modern architecture.

The tour is conducted by a guide who is knowledgeable about the local renowned modernist architects and their striking architecture, as well as Palm Springs’ fascinating 90-year history as a glamorous destination and celebrity outpost. The three-hour bus tour focuses on the exteriors of dozens of residential homes and commercial mid-century modern buildings throughout Palm Springs. Participants will learn the history of Palm Springs’ architecture and the celebrated architects that put modernism on the map. As ground zero for mid-century modern architecture, and with the world’s largest concentration of mid-century modern architecture, participants will see why Palm Springs draws modernism aficionados from around the world.

As a bonus, participants will receive free admission to the architecturally-significant Palm Springs Art Museum, designed by the late modernist architect E. Stewart Williams, a 10% discount from the Museum’s gift shop, a complimentary booklet on Class 1 Historic Sites of Palm Springs produced by the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation, and a tour map of modern architecture in Palm Springs from the Palm Springs Modern Committee.
$75

For more tickets, go to: http://www.ticketderby.com/vendor/modernism-week-id-1809