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

The Paul Kaplan Group is happy to announce another epicurean event in Palm Springs-  this one sounds fun and great to see some creative minds at work bring innovative events to Palm Springs.

Circle the date and bring your appetite! Over 40 of Southern California’s most unique and skilled chefs will be setting up in the parking area of the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs this coming February 4th.

PBS TV Host and “Minister of Culinary Awareness” Cliff Young (of the “Out To Eat” show) is organizing the inaugural “Palm Springs Food Truck Festival” at the Spa Resort Casino in Downtown Palm Springs. It all happens on Saturday, February 4th.

Cliff says, “This is not your typical food truck festival, this event will offer cutting-edge culinary flavors from chefs who want to take your palette on a journey you won’t soon forget. We are creating an unbelievable festival of haute cuisine you don’t want to miss.”

For more info on the Palm Springs Food Truck Festival, click the attached link:

http://www.palmspringsfoodtruckfestival.com/

One of my favorite Palm Springs’ galleries, Stephen Archdeacon Gallery, is presenting a collection of photos featuring images from the Hollywood studio archives.  A great celebration that conincides with the Palm Springs International Film Festival.  Here’s the info:

Coinciding with the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Stephen Archdeacon Gallery will present a selection of limited edition, archival photography from the 1950′s through the 1970′s of Hollywood Cinema. A selection of images from curator and archivist Howard Askenase will be featured, including: a Warner Brothers Studio still of James Dean from ‘REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE’ and a 20th Century Fox Studio still of Marilyn Monroe from ‘GENTLEMAN PREFER BLONDES’, along with an image portrait of Clint Eastwood from ‘HANG ‘EM HIGH’, a beefcake shot of Steve McQueen, and a busty Elizabeth Taylor together with costar Marlon Brando from ‘REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE’ among many others.

Terry Hastings is a Palm Springs artist who will be unveiling a portraiture series of RuPaul’s Drag Race Winner: Bebe Zahara Benet that are based on classic Hollywood starlets.

Documenting the trip between Hollywood and Palm Springs, Eric Nash will have new drawings on view. Collected by contemporary Hollywood players, Nash can be found in the homes of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Jerry and Linda Bruckheimer, Orlando Bloom, Hillary Duff, Mena Suvari, and entertainment attorney Jacob Bloom in addition to many others.

A portion of the proceeds from silent auction items at this evening event will go to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Riverside County which provides thousands of advocates to children who have been removed from their families because of abuse and neglect. CASA of Riverside County has been a pioneer in developing programming catered to LGBTQ foster youth. http://www.casariversidecounty.org/

Saturday, January 7, 6-9pm 

Please register for this event Click Here     

Stephen Archdeacon Gallery      

760-673-7520      

865 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262   

After selling Real Estate for over a decade now in Palm Springs, every once in a while I’m delighted to see new funky never-before-seen listings like this….  As most know, Palm Springs is known for the Rat Pack night club era, and its plethora of mid-century and modern architecture, but the rare treats are properties such as this gem, known as the “Versailles of the Desert.”  Located in the posh Movie Colony neighborhood near downtown Palm Springs, this crazy kitschy home was just listed for $1,100,000

Here’s the agent description:

“An authentic Rat Pack home featured in Palm Springs Life magazine as the Versailles in the Desert. This is one of the largest homes on one of the choicest corner lots in the Movie Colony. First time on the market in 35 years, this property now needs a major upgrade to bring it to its new heights of excellence. The main house features 3 bedrooms, a huge walk in closet, 3 baths, large living room and salon, screening/TV room, formal dining room, sitting room with bar, small chapel, dinette overlooking the pool and kitchen. Additional structures (some unpermitted) include a carport; guest house consisting of a foyer, living room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen; a large enclosed gazebo; and a storage shed. Magnificent mountain views surround this enchanted property with its pool/spa, covered patio, rose garden, fountain, and a multitude of palms, fruit trees and other plants.”

The homes four bedrooms, and some over the top baths, as you can see from the pics.    Over 4,000 Square feet on a lot that’s over 17,000 SF.

Check out the mini-Hearst Castle inspired pool  Do you love it?

All this can be yours.  Are you glamorous enough to own this?  (I can’t wait for the Broker’s Open house myself!)  Oh, and did you see it has its own Chapel here too??  Wonder what other stories those walls can tell…

For more info, call me at 760-459-1396.

or visit my site www.MidCenturyModernPS.com

Listing is courtesy of the Desert Area MLS, listed by Tarbell.

From the Desert Sun, 9-20-11:   The Paul Kaplan Group is thrilled about the announcement regarding  NEW AIRLINE CONNECTION TO Palm Springs, San Francisco and New York, via Virgin America!  We love New York, AND San Francisco, and this will make it easier for those visitors to come to town.

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

According to the visitor’s survey, attendance for the 2011 Modernism Week in Palm Springs was actually up 56% percent- up to 25,550 guests compared to the previous event’s attendance of 16,400.  This brought more than $7.5 million dollars into the valley for the week-long event.  76% of the visitors were not from the Coachella Valley- only 24% of the visitors were locals.  We already anticipating great things for the 2012 Modernism Week, which will be February 16-26; the upcoming event will be extended to a ten-day period, as it was this past year.  For more information, go to http://www.modernismweek.com/index.htm

Mid-Century Vacation Rental Home

Palm Springs is an international vacation destination.  Mid-Century homes are very desirable for many visitors coming to town, who  rent by the weekend, week, month or longer.

Many  owners of vacation homes  in Palm Springs, rent out their homes on a part time basis. Income can be generated by renting out their Palm Springs homes when they’re not using it themselves. The rental income often supplements their mortgages, making owning a 2nd home in Palm Springs more affordable for many.

There are numerous property management companies in Palm Springs that handle all aspects of managing vacation rental properties, from advertising and marketing, checking in guests, and cleaning the homes between tenants.  The average management fee is approximately 25% of the rental amounts.

The Racquet Club Road Estates area is a popular neighborhood of mid-century vacation rental properties in Palm Springs.  The photo above is of a home located in the Racquet Club area, that is a very popular vacation rental, grossing approximately $40,000 per year.  Click here for more information.

For more information on Palm Springs Vacation Properties available for sale, please visit The Paul Kaplan Group at our website.  We specialize in vacation properties in neighborhoods throughout Palm Springs.

One of our favorite places to dine at night is Copley’s on Palm Canyon Drive.  they have excellent dinners in a wonderful setting, which also happens to be Cary Grant’s first residence in Palm Springs- how could you not want to have dinner at Cary Grant’s?  While most of the seating is outdoors, they have a very cheery dining room and a cute bar- and a great waitstaff.  Check out their menu at http://www.palmsprings.com/dine/copleys/index.html

One hidden gem in the desert is Palm Springs’ Backstreet Art District.  The disctrict’s Downs Studio D is hosting “Open Studio” July 16th from 3:00pm to 6:00pm; cocktails and hors ‘devourers at 5:00.  Hope to see you there!