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.

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

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.

For those desert dwellers that have lawns Palm Springs, now’s the time for the yearly question:   To scalp or not to scalp.   The following information and link is from Moller’s Garden Center in Palm Desert.

Fall brings the age old tradition of over-seeding the lawn. Have you noticed a change in the process over the last few years?? What used to be an overnight process, spewing countless allergens into the atmosphere is now a gradual process. For more information, follow thi link:  http://www.mollersgardencenter.com/mollers-tip.asp

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 Trend Bible for the UK has predicted Palm Springs Style as being a major influence in the UK for the color palette in a range of household products from towels to disposable napkins as well as home furnishings and paint colors! As residents of snazzy Palm Springs, we already knew that we were trendsetters!

UK Style Trends 2012

Russ Spencer issued this wonderful video on the Park Imperial South complex in South Palm Springs, designed by Barry Berkus. One of the most iconic mid-century condo complexes of the time. Unique architecture, which contributes to Palm Springs being the Mecca for mid-century design.  The Park Imperial South was a popular sold-out tour during Modernism Week 2011.

Modernism: The New Tradition from Russ Spencer on Vimeo.

For more information on this complex or available units for sale, please contact The Paul Kaplan Group.  We specialize in architectural real estate.