A celebration of everything Modern is coming to Palm Springs, Feb. 17th to the 27th. I’ll be highlighting some of the key events that will be featured this year as part of the Modernism Week event, over the next few days here on our blog.

Not to be missed:  For the first time, the Park Imperial South community will be showcasing their unique mid-century style community.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Park Imperial South, the property is featuring home tours and a poolside cocktail reception on February 19th as part of the sixth annual Palm Springs Modernism Week. Begin with home tours from 3 – 5 p.m. then join us poolside for live jazz and cocktails under the stars and an exclusive presentation by Barry Berkus A.I.A., the original architect of the property.

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE BEFORE THEY SELL OUT!

For more events featured during Modernism Week, click here.
Looking for a modern home to own yourself? Stop by our booth at the Modernism Show, Feb. 18th to the 21st, or vist our website, www.MidCenturyModernPS.com

I’m excited to be sponsoring this  rare opportunity to see some really cool architecture in the Mojave Desert above Palm Springs:

For more info, visit Palm Springs Modern Committe.
Take lots of water and a floppy hat! Look forward to seeing you there.

Paul

Check out my new listing in  Palm Springs’ Racquet Club Road Estates, designed by William Krisel, FAIA, built by the Alexander Construction Company

First open house:  Sat. April 24, 12 to 3 PM 
Offered at $430,000

“An Alexander on Alexander” located at 600 E Alexnader Way, Palm Springs

Mid-Century Modern Las Vegas Architecture – Exhibit Opening

(Riviera Hotel Lobby, 1957)

The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas is hosting an opening reception for its newest exhibit, “Mid-Century Modern Las Vegas,” on Saturday, April 24 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The exhibit will feature photos of Mid-Century Modern architecture, as well as domestic and decorative art from the era.

Throughout the 1950s and ‘60s when Las Vegas was polishing its image as a premier resort destination, architects from throughout the country were drawn to the city by its free-wheeling, forward-looking modernism. These architects, such as Paul Revere Williams, Palmer and Krisel,

(Paradise Palms, Las Vegas, by Palmer and Krisel)

 Zick and Sharp, Wayne McAllister and Welton Beckett, designed some of Las Vegas’ most notable structures: St. Anne Catholic Church; the parabolic lobby of the La Concha Motel; the sleekly angular Sands Hotel; the futuristic terminal at McCarran International Airport; homes in Mason Manor; and the flying saucer-shaped Las Vegas Convention Center. Dozens of schools, banks, shopping centers, and medical and government buildings throughout Las Vegas were built in a variety of Mid-Century Modern styles.

(La Concha Hotel Lobby under construction, 1961)

Most of the photos featured in this exhibit are from the collection of noted photographer Jay Florian Mitchell. After a successful career in New York, Mitchell came to Las Vegas in the late 1940s and spent more than two decades documenting life in Las Vegas. With most of Las Vegas’ Mid-Century Modern architecture now lost to development, Mitchell’s collection provides an invaluable visual record of the city’s past.

The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas is located at 700 Twin Lakes Drive in Lorenzi Park. The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults and free to museum members and ages 17 and under.

The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas is one of seven museums managed by the Division of Museums and History, an agency of the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs. The Department serves Nevada’s citizens and visitors through cultural and information management, presentation and promotion of cultural resources, and education. The Department also includes the State Historic Preservation Office, Nevada State Library and Archives, and the Nevada Arts Council. For more information, call Teresa Moiola at (775) 687-8323 or visit the department’s web site at www.NevadaCulture.org.

Reposted from the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs

April 14, 2010
Contact: Stacy Irvin: 702-486-5205 ext. 227
David Millman: 702-486-5205 ext. 231

Ran across this in the March Palm Springs Life’s site- (Republished from the August 1964 Issue of Palm Springs Life Magazine),  a series of interviews with architect, William Cody- 

These are some of my favorite “timeless” quotes noted in the article:

“”It is sickening,” he said, “that we are plagued with pseudo  Roman medal-stamp columns, large imitation wine jugs and Grecian villas and neo (and sub-neo)  classic design better fitted for a Hollywood back-lot ‘B’ picture.”

“Architecture must guide the future of our culture, a three-dimensional sculptured concept  conditioned by proportion, the secret of great building. Father to the arts, it embraces man’s  finest endeavors and, since the inception of time, has inspired progress and served to formulate  a better way of life”

 ”Fine architecture is not a product of automation. Great talent in any field is limited to the  very few. Therefore, some of today’s buildings are bad examples of contemporary design. The  demand for talent exceeds the supply. This is unfortunate because it has bred mediocrity. It is  appalling that 80 percent of the buildings constructed in this country are designed without  benefit of architects. The construction industry, largest in the nation, is lagging for behind  the advances in other fields.”

“Good contemporary architecture is a world wide expression, conditioned by the geographic  location, politics and economics of the various countries throughout the world. Here, on the  desert, it should flourish.”

Click here to read the full article on William Cody.

Not far from Palm Springs, can be found the latest design by prefab pioneer,  Jennifer Siegal of the Office of Mobile Design  whohas ventured inland to install its latest design, the Prefab Showhouse. Formerly located in Venice, CA where it served as OMD’s showroom for inquisitive clients, the diminutive modular maison was just recently moved from its coastal location to be installed in the desert community of Joshua Tree where it will be the new home to Hollywood film producer Chris Hanley.

The 720 sf, 1 bedroom home is located on a generous Joshua Tree-sized lot of 80 acres. Besides solitude, tranquility, and expansive views of the surrounding desert, the home offers the very best in new technologies and luxurious details. The central kitchen/bath core divides and separates the sleeping space from the public eating/living space in a compact assemblage of form and function. The steel frame structure was trucked into the site and simply set on a temporary foundation.

With this desert pied-a-terre, OMD proves that ideas of prefabrication, flexibility, portability and compact spaciousness can be combined to make off-the-grid living perfectly comfortable

See the full post.