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!

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Exciting news for historic preservation in Palm Springs:  The  Palm Springs Art Museum has purchased the former Santa Fe Savings and Loan bank from Wessman Holdings LLC. This international style 1960 building designed by E. Stewart Williams will be the focus of the museum’s architecture and design exhibitions and programs.
(Photo credit:Santa Fe Federal Savings & Loan, 1960, Julius Shulman (1910 – 2009), photographer; E. Stewart Williams (1909-2005), architect, © J. Paul Getty Trust. Used with permission. Julius Shulman Photography Archive, Research Library at the Getty Research Institute (2004.R.10)

Here’s a copy of the press release: 

“The structure will be restored to original mid-century design and house the museum’s architecture and design collections and provide future space for exhibitions”

June 24, 2011 (Palm Springs, CA) – The Palm Springs Art Museum announced today that it has purchased the historic 1960 Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan building in Palm Springs from Wessman Holdings LLC. The majority of the initial $2.8 million raised for the project came from the Edwards-Harris Family Trust and Trina Turk and Jonathan Skow and funded the $2.1 million purchase price.Additional amounts raised will be used to fully restore the building to its original mid-century modern design, based on the original E. Stewart Williams architectural working drawings, owned by the museum.In addition, images taken by the famous photographer Julius Shulman of the building (pictured at left) provides further documentation for a complete and accurate restoration.

Both Williams and Shulman are represented on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars on the sidewalk directly in front of this iconic building. Marmol+Radziner Architects of Los Angeles, renowned for their restoration of two of the most significant homes in Palm Springs, the Kaufmann House and the Ship of the Desert, will offer their services pro bono to produce architectural drawings and provide the expertise needed for the restoration.

The building, designed by renowned mid-century modern architect E. Stewart Williams, is located at 300 South Palm Canyon Drive and was originally designed to house the Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan, which utilized the building until 1980. It then became the American Savings Bank and was then purchased by Sandy and John Wessman in 1997, when it briefly housed the offices of the Palm Springs International Film Festival. It later became the corporate offices of Wessman Holdings and Wessman Development and has been vacant for more than a year.  

“We are thrilled to add this architecturally significant building to the museum’s collection,” said Steven Nash, Executive Director of the Palm Springs Art Museum. “This building will be devoted to architecture and design and provide excellent exhibition, program, and archive study space.  The main museum building, also designed by E. Stewart Williams, has long needed additional space to support the growing architecture and design collections and archives.  The addition of this important building will allow the museum to significantly expand our architecture and design programming.”

The building is a classic mid-century international style structure, and a Class I Historic Site. Situated in a prominent downtown location at the southeast corner of Palm Canyon Drive and Baristo Road, it is a glass pavilion with a lower level containing a vault, meeting space, storage space, kitchen, and restrooms with a total of more than 13,000 square feet.  A prime example of mid-century modern design, the building will will also provide a space for educational programming, community projects and provide a retail merchandise area that will supplement the current museum store.

The principal Palm Springs Art Museum building, on Museum Drive, is also a Class I Historic Site and the museum includes another historic structure as a part of its collection, Frey House II, perched on the San Jacinto mountain directly above the museum.  The Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan building joins the Frey House II as a stunning example of mid-century modern architecture in the museum’s permanent collection.

“It is an honor and a privilege to help spearhead such an important expansion of the Palm Springs Art Museum,” said Harold J. Meyerman, Chairman of the museum’s Board of Trustees. “Not only is the building a historic landmark, but its location on Palm Canyon will help raise the visibility of the museum to visitors and residents and will become one of the museum’s most important collection holdings.”

“Adding this historically important building to the museum’s collection reflects the growth of interest in architecture in our community,” said Sidney Williams, former chair of the Palm Springs Historic Site Preservation Board, Curator of Architecture and Design and the museum liaison for the Architecture and Design Council (ADC). “The building’s quality and location in Palm Springs, known worldwide as having one of the largest concentrations of modern architecture in the country, makes this an ideal site for educational programming in architecture and design.  It will also allow the museum to offer architecture and design exhibitions, showcase the numerous important gifts and loans the museum has acquired, and enable the museum to pursue additional gifts.”

The Shields Date Farm has been an attraction in the valley since 1924, but for a real trip in the wayback machine, strap yourself in for a slide show titled “The Sex Life of the Date.” This may be the longest running show in Southern California, running almost continuously since the 1930′s. In addition to this show, you’ll find a great array of local produce, and the world famous date shake. You might have scrunched your face up at the first mention of dates, but please stop that. It’s not the dried up thing that your grandmother dragged out when she felt stopped up. These are wonderful treats, and especially so when crystallized and added to the magic shakes that Shield’s soda fountain has been making for 80 years. A new addition to the Shields Date Farm is their new Cafe with a great menu! They are located at: 80-225 U.S. Highway 111, Indio, CA 92201, (760) 347-0996, and their website is: http://www.shieldsdategarden.com

Every Monday at 7PM, at the ACE Hotel in Palm Springs, Linda Gerard, the singing hostess, a Palm Springs personality, hosts Sissy Bingo, where she sings, scandalizes, charms, and bestows really good prizes (champagne, cookies, and gift certificates). Linda keeps the atmosphere light, filling the space with her energy, her enormous sunglasses, and her flamboyant style. She has a way with Judy Garland tunes! Be sure to get there early so you can focus on the game and not be distracted by the great food!

Palm Springs is a mecca for mid-century residential architecture.  The Paul Kaplan Group will be featuring short videos of some of the unique mid-century neighborhoods in Palm Springs, to offer our clients a view of the flavor of our City. 

Sunmor Estates is a very popular neighborhood, built in part by the Alexander Construction Company.  The following video provides an introduction to this unique Palm Springs neighborhood, located in Central Palm Springs. 

Palm Springs Mid-Century neighborhoods – Sunmor

 For available properties for sale in this Palm Springs neighborhood of Sunmor, please contact The Paul Kaplan Group at 760-285-8559.  Or visit:  http://www.paulkaplanrealtor.com/SunrisePark.php

The Palm Springs’ El Rancho Vista Estates neighborhood (where I live) was featured in the latest version of Atomic Ranch magazine. 

This mid-century Palm Springs enclave consists of home designed mostly by Donald Wexler around 1960.  Over the years it had experienced some urban blight and decay.  However in the past 7 years, the neighborhood has had an extreme makeover!  Many of the mid-century homes have been redone and restored back to the original charm and glory. 

The neighborhood came together recently to form a neighborhood committee, recognized by the City of Palm Springs.  Erik Rosenow, the president of the neighborhood committee (I’m the secretary of the committee), wrote the article that chronicles his experience and info on this cool mid-century Palm Springs neighborhood.  Here’s an excerpt:

“It all started with a flyer on our doorstep in the autumnof 2009 indicating our house was of interest to the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation for a home tour. My wife and I had just purchased a Donald Wexler–designed house in the El Rancho Vista Estates neighborhood and were ecstatic that it could potentially be pushed into the limelight. Little did we know that this event would so positively turn the neighborhood into a community….”

To read the complete article, and order the magazine, please visit the link:  www.atomic-ranch.com

If you’d like to look at homes in the neighborhood, click here.

Fresh and Easy is hosting a free BBQ this Friday, June 3, from 5-7, at their Palm Springs store.  The catering will be presented by Bigmista  (You gotta check out their website!)  Sounds like fun!!!  Join me and The Paul Kaplan Group for some yummy bbq!

Palm Springs International ShortFest is renowned worldwide for the extraordinary community of filmmakers it attracts, and for the quality and scope of its programming. ShortFest 2011 will present more than 300 short films from over 40 countries. The ShortFest Film Market will make available over 2,700 films to film buyers, industry representatives and the press.

Join e festival, June 21-27, 2011, in the magnificent setting of Palm Springs for the best selection of short films and the most exciting lineup of seminars, special presentations and receptions at the largest event of its kind in the country!

CLICK HERE for more information.