From Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin to Elizabeth Taylor; how Greater Palm Springs in California isn’t just a desert escape?

Famous residents and visitors included Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin, Elizabeth Taylor, and Elvis Presley, who frequented spots like the Ocotillo Lodge and the famous Vista Las Palmas neighborhood, which was home to their iconic homes.

Greater Palm Springs in California isn’t just a desert escape, it is an open-air museum of desert modernism, the definitive architectural style that’s been shaping the region since the 1930s.

Born from clean lines, daring rooflines, and walls of glass that dissolve the boundary between indoors and out, desert modernism is more than design, it is a lifestyle tailored to the desert’s extremes. The result? A timeless architectural movement that has lured celebrities, inspired generations of architects, and become a backdrop for films, photo shoots, and pop culture moments. Today, this legacy lives on in preserved homes, civic landmarks, and guided tours, making Greater Palm Springs not just a vacation spot, but a pilgrimage for design lovers worldwide.

To put it simply, desert modernism features elements and characters resonating with the desert climate, where glass windows and walls open a gateway into the incredible surrounding landscape with open spaces and materials suitable for the heat, as well as insulated interiors to combat the unforgiving temperatures outside. Desert modernism designs exhibit similar rooflines, such as the butterfly roof, the flat shed roof, or the post-and-beam interior ceilings. Patterned concrete breezeblocks, common in these homes, provide shade and privacy while allowing airflow and partial views.

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The history behind it

Today, mid-century modern commercial buildings are open to the public through year-round guided architecture tours. However, the perfect time to visit and experience desert modernism in Greater Palm Springs is during Modernism Week from October 16 to 19, during which hundreds of events are held throughout the region.

The earliest examples of desert modernism homes in the area emerged in the 1930s, including the Grace Miller House by architect Richard Neutra in 1937, featuring glass windows, clean lines, and utilitarian features. Neutra was later commissioned to design the famous Kauffman House in Palm Springs for Pennsylvania department store owner Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr. and his family. Featuring steel, stone, and glass, the unique pinwheel-shaped structure, complete with an outdoor entertaining space on the second story, later became renowned as the location of the 1970 “Poolside Gossip” image by photographer Slim Aarons.

Around the time of completion of the project, Frank Sinatra showed interest in building a Georgian-style brick mansion with local architect E. Stewart Williams. However, William’s alternate design of an understated and sleek 4,500-square-foot modern design was approved, and Sinatra’s “Twin Palms” house, a homage to the two trees in the yard, was built the same year.

Williams worked on many other notable residential and commercial projects such as the Kenaston Residence in Rancho Mirage, the site of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s photo shoot with W Magazine, the Edris House in Palm Springs, Coachella Valley Savings and Loan which is now Chase Bank, the Palm Springs Art Museum, and the Santa Fe Federal Savings which is now the Palm Springs Art Museum’s Architecture and Design Center.

Another important example of desert architecture, architect Albert Frey’s personal home, Frey House II, is a great representation of a modernist home comprising glass walls, steel framing, and aluminium sheets with a swimming pool and deck on the roof of the carport. Utilising built-in features, the 800-square-foot home was later handed over to the Palm Springs Art Museum for its preservation and care, where desert modernism can be experienced and studied to this day.

Frey’s work in the Greater Palm Springs began back in the mid-1930s, leading to projects such as the Wright Ludington House in Rancho Mirage and the San Jacinto Hotel in Palm Springs, the Palm Springs City Hall and the Lower Station of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway in collaboration with architect John Porter Clark. After the duo parted ways, Frey partnered with architect Robson C. Chambers to complete the 1965 Tramway Gas Station, which is now the Palm Springs Visitor’s Center.

Since the 1950s, celebrities as well as locals began taking an interest in desert homes as vacation getaways, which led to the Alexander Construction Company building over 2,000 homes in the area between the 50s and 60s, making modernist homes more accessible to homeowners at affordable prices. One of their early big projects was the 1956 Ocotillo Lodge, designed by architects William Krisel and Dan Palmer. Combining both long and short-term residential spaces alongside premium amenities, Ocotillo Lodge offered over 100 apartment units with private patios, earning the interest of many celebrities, including Elizabeth Taylor, Errol Flynn, Betty Grable, and Rock Hudson. The collaboration also led to the building of the Twin Palms Estates neighbourhood of south Palm Springs, featuring 1,200 square foot homes, in-ground swimming pools and two palm trees, all within attainable prices. The project garnered much popularity and sales, leading to the building of more home tracts throughout Palm Springs in Racquet CluSunmor Estates. Some of the common features of the homes included the iconic butterfly roof, in-ground pools, exterior details of stone, wood panels, and concrete blocks, carports, and breezeways.

The Alexanders continued their thriving business in the 50s with homes in the Las Palmas neighbourhood, a popular area for Hollywood stars. The majority of these large homes were designed by Krisel, while Charles DuBois designed the A-frames known as “Swiss Miss” homes. One of the houses in Las Palmas was owned by Peter Lawford, a member of the Rat Pack. Story has it that it lodged President Kennedy and facilitated setting up a meeting with Marilyn Monroe.

By 1961, Alexander began developing steel houses designed by architect Donald Wexler. These steel-and-glass structures combined off-site prefabrication with on-site assembly, of which seven were completed.

Interestingly, the “Honeymoon Hideaway” house, originally built by Bob Alexander as a family house in the early 1960s, served as Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s honeymoon home in 1967. Designed by Krisel, in the Vista Las Palmas neighbourhood, the futuristic exterior shape of the house gave it the name “the House of Tomorrow”.

Another notable residential project from the 1960s was the Annenberg Estate at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, by architect A. Quincy Jones with interiors by William Haines. Incorporating Mexican design elements, a pyramid roofline, and Mayan column sculpture, the 200-acre estate was an important part of that era’s pop culture, having hosted presidents, leaders, and celebrities.