Palm Springs – Oddities

 Posted by on May 13, 2011
May 132011
 

This is one of my favorite types of architecture.  Scavenger, innovative, a tad crazy and an absolute representation of the person that built it.  This is the home of Cabot Yerxa.  He was the son of a fabulously wealthy family that lost it all.  He was a creative, innovative and wealthy man by his own right, but when it all went south, he went to the desert.  He was 17 when he headed off to the 1898 Gold Rush to make his fortune, he met Teddy Rosevelt there who later made him the Postmaster General in the Pasadena, California area, he made a fortune on oranges and lost, not just the fruit, but all his trees to the freeze of 1913, his mother was a Cabot of the Cabot Lodge fame, and his life was rich and full.

This home is an homage to the Pueblo Indian life style and beliefs and is made from anything he could scavenge from the desert.  It had thick walls and dirt floors, and air flow system that kept it a cool 80 degrees, even in the dead of the summer.  He rediscovered the Agua Caliente by digging down 60 feet, after tireing of hauling water by burro for 14 miles most every day.

I love this kind of “eccentricity” and I loved this house.  It is now the Cabot’s Pueblo Museum in Desert Hot Springs.

Palm Springs – Art Moderne

 Posted by on May 13, 2011
May 132011
 

This little Depression Era “Art Moderne” gem is at 342 North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs.  There is very little known about it.  It is assumed to be built around 1935-1936, the first actual knowledge of its existence is a listing in the 1937 phone book.  At that time is was Simpson’s Radio and Fridgidaire.  Clarence Simpson was a local civic leader that passed away in 1944.  It has been the Cork and Bottle since 1950.

Art Moderne, also called Streamline Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s. Its architectural style emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements.  The Double and Triple bands of horizontal “streamline” mouldings are the Cork and Bottles’ essential shout out to this style.

Palm Springs – Gothic Revival

 Posted by on May 11, 2011
May 112011
 

Over the years I have walked by this little church on my way to downtown Palm Springs.  It has always caught my eye.  A Gothic Revival made of CMU is a big hmmmm? in my book.  It is in fact that only surviving Gothic Revival Building in Palm Springs.  Completed in 1935 is was designed by Charles Tanner.  A Canadian that emigrated to the U.S. he began his working life as an illustrator of children’s books.  He moved to Riverside, California and began supplementing his work as an artist and art teacher by working as a draftsman for architect G. Vincent Palmer.

In Palm Springs Tanner is credited with the design of the Carrie Birge Residence – now the Ingleside Inn (1922), George Roberson House – now Le Vallauris Restaurant (1924), the O’Donnell House (1925), and the  reconstruction of The Desert Inn (1922-27). All four of these projects were designed and built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style.  How he managed to transform his skills as a painter into what it would require to be an architect of such prolific output is unknown.  He died at 83 in 1960.

The Community Church, located at 284 S. Cahuilla, is closed and now owned by a developer, but it is was designated as a Class 1 Historic Site in 1989.

Palm Springs – Ship of The Desert

 Posted by on May 10, 2011
May 102011
 

“Ship of the Desert” is classic Art Moderne due to its “nautical” elements.  This home, located at 1995 S. Camino Monte in Palm Springs, was built in 1936.  However, the original (designed by Earl Webster and Adrian Wilson) was seriously damaged by fire.  The owner, clothing designer, Trina Turk hired Marmol Radziner, an architecture firm in Santa Monica, to restore and modernize the 4,400-square-foot, five-bedroom residence. The new design stays true to the original nautical look, with curved walls and redwood balconies that resemble a ship’s decks.

The home was given the name “Ship of the Desert” by Sunset Magazine in 1937.  There is a fun and somewhat “gossipy” article by the Construction Manager here if you are interested in learning more.

 

Here a few more random shots of Modern Architecture around town.

Elvis in Palm Springs

 Posted by on May 9, 2011
May 092011
 

Okay, I don’t know if this one would be rated up there as one of the best examples of Modern Architecture, but I had to use it because it has ties to Elvis Presley.  This is called the House of Tomorrow and was designed in 1962 by William Krisel.  It was commissioned by Robert Alexander, a developer, for his wife Helene.  The house is designed in four circles on three levels.  It incorporates glass and “peanut brittle” stone work to allow the indoor/outdoor living the desert is so famous for.  It has simple post and beam construction, sloping roofs with deep overhangs, and an open floor plan.  The Alexander’s led a fascinating life, tragically cut short by a plane crash.  More information about them is here.

In September 1966 Elvis leased the estate at 1350 Via Ladera Circle.  Since gossip columnist Rona Barrett was living just around the corner, she surmised that Elvis and Priscilla were going to get married.  On May 1st 1967, the rest of the world found out, and instead of a nice quiet poolside reception, the couple fled to Las Vegas (in Frank Sinatra’s private jet)  for a quickie marriage.  They did, however, return the same day for their honeymoon in the house.  You can take guided tours of the house, or rent it out for parties.  There is a lot more fun “Hollywood” gossip on their website here.

William Krisel was born in Shanghai, and received his architectural degree from USC.  He came to the Coachella Valley to design the Ocotillo Lodge for the Alexander Construction company in 1956, followed by modernist tract homes for Alexander.

The house sits at the end of a cul-de-sac, so baring gardeners trucks and housekeepers cars parked in front it is easy to access and easy to photograph.  The plaque on the lower left near the walkway gives you the phone number to contact if you would like to hold your wedding and honeymoon there.

Palm Springs – Modern Architecture

 Posted by on May 8, 2011
May 082011
 

I loved this building.  To me it epitomizes everything you think about when you think 1960’s architecture.  It’s square lines, its concrete tilt-up panel walls and its austereness.  It was built in 1969 and designed by Robert Ricciardi.  I have found absolutely no information about this building, one little blurb mentioned that the “failure” of the corduroy concrete was discovered when the boards were removed, but that they embraced the failure.  If you are interested in learning more about tilt-up concrete construction go here.

 

Palm Springs – Modern Architecture

 Posted by on May 7, 2011
May 072011
 
 

Palm Springs is the home of the Modernism movement, especially “desert modernism”.  While modernism is not my favorite architecture style, when it is done right, it really does sing.  This is the Del Marco Hotel.  It is located at 225 W. Baristo Road in Palm Springs.  The architect was William Cody.  In 1947 Cody moved to Palm Springs from Los Angeles, where he had graduated from USC and worked for Cliff May. This was his first desert project, it began a post war modernism style all on its own.  The Modernism society of Palm Springs is excellent, and in fact holds an annual conference, that is really incredible.  Sadly, their research covers the architects of the area very thoroughly, but I was unable to find any history about the Del Marco itself.

 

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