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

Modernism Week is an exciting 11-day celebration of mid-century modern design, real estate,  architecture, and culture in Palm Springs, California.  February 6-16, 2012

 This design aesthetic originated in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, and was typified by clean, simple lines which came to define desert modernism.

Modernism Week is filled with a variety of events including architectural tours, films, lectures, an architectural symposium, educational events, and chic, fun parties in cool mid-century modern homes and boutique hotels.

The Paul Kaplan Group has been an active sponsor and participant of Modernism Week over the years.  This year, we’ll be hosting our Mid-Century Real Estate  information booth again at the Modernism Show at the Palm Springs Convention Center:

$15

10 AM-6 PM, Saturday, February 18 & 19th

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.

We had a great turnout Saturday night for our One Year Anniversary Party.  It was wonderful seeing so many of our friends and past clients.

After running my own real estate biz since 2002, I decided to form The Paul Kaplan Group in 2010.  All of our Buyer’s Specialists were chosen to join our team, because of their expert customer service, knowledge of Palm Springs real estate, and extensive experience.  Since forming our team, we have sold more homes in Palm Springs in 2011, then any other real estate group in town!  Thank you to all of our wonderful clients as well as our team, for a very successful and fun year.

We were fortunate to be able to host this year’s event  at our latest listing, at 1910 Berne Drive, a spectacular updated mid-century home located in the Racquet Club Estates neighborhood of Palm Springs.  We’re currently scheduling private viewings of the home for anyone that’s interested in seeing it. Just call me at 760-285-8559.

To see more party pictures, please click here.

Special thanks to architect, James R. Harlan who donated a copy of his 2011 Alexander Tribute journal, which high-lights the work of  The Alexander Construction Company in Palm Springs.  (Click here to purchase a copy from the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation).

Other gifts that were raffled off, included gift certificates from Wil Stiles, Trio and Koffi, and items from Not Nuetral, all located in the Uptown Design District.

Thanks to everyone that attended to join us in our first year’s celebration!

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

In Palm Springs, we’re fortunate to have one of the greatest collections of mid-century modern architecture in the world.  Modern architects continue to explore Palm Springs and the desert with new ideas and innovations-  thus is the case of Desert One, built by Jim Jennings, AIA.  At The Paul Kaplan Group, we specialize in Mid-Century and Modern Architectural Real Estate in Palm Springs, and share unique listings with our clients.  Listed at $725,000, this is truly one of the architectual gems of Palm Springs.  Here’s info from the listing from the Desert Area MLS:

Desert One, Jim Jennings, AIA 2005: Architectural Digest, September 2009. Rarely, dating back to ‘Case Study’ houses of the midcentury, do we find a new but timeless expression of architectural art that truly captures the essence of the era, one that is sure to be appreciated well into the next century. At first look, a sculpted monolith rising from the desert floor, perfectly sited and firmly rooted into 2/3 acres of untouched natural desert terrain. Private, protected behind tall walls, ‘Desert One’ is a 2,800 sq ft compound of seamless indoor-outdoor living and entertaining space, executed in concrete, steel and glass, constructed with exacting fit and finish. Once inside the wide front door that automatically clicks shut with precision, you’re in another world. Here, Jim Jennings created a tranquil modern sanctuary, ideally suited for one or two, that is Palm Springs: Open and Exciting!

Photography courtesy of Joe Fletcher Photography via the Desert Area MLS

Jim Jennings has been twice honored by Architectural Digest as one of the “AD 100″ [the top international architects and interior designers]. ‘Desert One’ was featured in the USA edition of Architectural Digest, September 2009, and here in an international edition in October 2009 was the cover

For more information on this stunning property, please call or text Paul at 760-285-8559.

Listed by Architecture Properties.

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

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