Literally one of THE most architecturally significant homes in all the world. Known as The Elrod House, this John Lautner-designed home was commissioned by designer Arthur Elrod in 1968 and has been featured in numerous books, magazines and museum exhibitions. It is the iconic home perched at the very tip of the Southridge enclave, easily viewable throughout Palm Springs. Organic shapes, monumental construction and world class design create an extraordinary experience of space that Lautner himself described as ”timeless” architecture. The 60 ‘ wide circular living room has a conical dome that fans out in nine petals between nine clerestories angled up to bring in light. Retractable curved glass walls open the entire living room and pool terrace to panoramic views of Mt San Jacinto, Mt San Gorgonio and the full sweep of the valley below and mountain ranges beyond. The very rock of the ridge is incorporated into the design thru out the home
Great video from the James Bond classic featuring Thumber and Bambi, highlighting the John Lautner Elrod House in Palm Springs
Interesting article about Palm Springs life, in 1959….Posted in TheMercuryNews.com
By Christopher Reynolds
Los Angeles Times Posted: 02/23/2010 05:23:05 PM PST Updated: 02/23/2010 05:23:07 PM PST
PALM SPRINGS — President Dwight D. Eisenhower, on holiday from the White House, whips a golf club beneath a blue October sky. Frank Sinatra, driven indoors by a December rainstorm, schmoozes with Peter Lawford and sings with Ella Fitzgerald.
Meanwhile, other rich and famous folk are partying at the Chi Chi Club or pulling up their Cadillac coupes in front of the Riviera, a new modern hotel. All over the Coachella Valley, architects and builders are seducing tourists with butterfly roof lines, space-age appliances, minimalist graphics and backlighted starbursts.
Yes, 1959 was a swinging year in Palm Springs. And it’s not over yet.
Thanks to preservationists, entrepreneurs, publishers and design-driven travelers, the cult of Desert Modernism gets bigger and bigger, drawing retro pilgrims to Palm Springs. Inspired by books about Palm Springs and the 1950s, I spent three October days in the desert, all dedicated to 1959.
I consulted Peter Moruzzi’s “Palm Springs Holiday,” a volume of vintage postcards, menus, brochures, matchbooks and old photos. For further kicks, I consulted “1959: The Year Everything Changed,” in which author Fred Kaplan proposes that year as an unheralded pivot point in history.
Kaplan asserts that 1959 “was the year when the shock waves of the new ripped the seams of daily life … when categories were crossed and taboos were trampled, when everything was changing and everyone knew it — when the world as we now know it began to take form.”
Racquet Club Estates is the neighborhood where Alexander Construction Co. and architect William Krisel put up their first vacation-house subdivision in 1959. Picture a ‘hood of soaring roofs, clerestory windows, carports, screens of concrete blocks, pebbles and palms in the yard, and living rooms begging for Dean Martin on the hi-fi. New, these houses sold for $19,000. Now, with classic features bathed in avocado green, bold orange and powder blue, vacation rentals run $200 to $300 a night.
“Nineteen-fifty-nine was a good year for architecture here,” said Jade Nelson, 33, the manager of Orbit In hotel. The city “has made this resurgence because of its architectural legacy,” Nelson said. “But it lost the glamour that era brought with it. All the celebrities. There were hundreds of them.”
Palm Springs, which has about 48,000 year-round residents now, had about 13,000 then. The main drag, then as now, was Palm Canyon Drive.
For a view of the future, drive to the tall, ultramodern City National Bank building, which horrified some and transfixed others when completed in 1959.
The building, designed by Rudy Baumfeld of Victor Gruen Associates, was an homage to a tall, ultramodern chapel that modernist pioneer Le Corbusier had designed in Ronchamp, France. Now it’s a Bank of America. But it’s also a reminder that builders and architects then were thinking outside the box.
So was architect Albert Frey. In addition to a number of startling private homes and a compound now known as the Movie Colony Hotel, Frey collaborated on the low-slung City Hall and Fire Station No. 1 in the mid-’50s. By 1959, he was working on the city’s aerial tram, which would be completed in 1963.
Later came Frey’s pointy-roofed Tramway gas station, near the northern entrance to town. It now houses Palm Springs Visitor Center. A $5 map offers 75 local modernist landmarks, including many designed by Frey, William F. Cody and E. Stewart Williams.
Overnight visitors in 1959 had plenty of options: El Mirador (opened in the 1920s, closed in the ’70s) with its red tile roof; the brand-new Spa Hotel, or the Riviera, which opened in 1959 with guest buildings radiating out from the central pool like spokes from the hub of a wheel.
As the 50th anniversary approached, the owners spent $70 million on a renovation that has added Hollywood Regency promiscuity to the old minimalism with red chandeliers, portraits made of Guatemalan coins, colorized posters of bathing beauties.
In the Riviera’s new incarnation, the main pool’s edges curve gently, flanked by fire pits and cabanas. The 406 guest rooms are a riot of brown and orange and white, (like the Vegas Strip, but no casino.
Not everybody wants to stay in a big hotel, and by 1959 Palm Springs was full of tiny ones. In the Tennis Club district, a short stroll from downtown, was the Town & Desert (built in 1947, designed by Herb Burns). The Village Manor (1957, Burns again) was a few doors away.
After restoration and relaunches in the early 2000s, the Town & Desert is now the Hideaway (10 rooms) and the Village Manor is the Orbit In (nine rooms). With their prime locations, period furnishings, prices beginning at less than $150 and playful retro interiors, the two are stars in the modernist tourism revival.
“That chair came from a dumpster. It had pink upholstery,” said Nelson, pausing at a reclaimed retro armchair at the Hideaway.
The refurbished Chase Hotel (26 rooms), which went up in the late 1940s, used to be the Holiday House. A few blocks over are the stacked boulders and off-kilter angles of William F. Cody’s Del Marcos Hotel (16 rooms), a brilliantly designed but somewhat bedraggled 1947 spot with some renovation.
On the bending stretch of East Palm Canyon Drive that used to be called Indio Road is another sleek Herb Burns design from 1951: the Desert Riviera (11 rooms), a stark, U-shaped outpost with a pool in the middle.
Across the street is the bohemian Ace Hotel (which opened as a Howard Johnson’s hotel in 1965, with a Denny’s next door) and the quiet Alexander Inn, which was probably apartments in 1959.
With the recession knocking down rates, these small hoteliers would rather see adult couples than kids. Families are more welcome at the bigger resorts.
The former 1959 Holiday Inn sits at the south end of town on East Palm Canyon Drive. Since 1959, multiple owners have nudged the property upscale, including Gene Autry and Merv Griffin. Since 2004, it’s been known as the Parker Palm Springs. The midcentury bones of the 13-acre, three-pool, 144-room compound are amended with designer Jonathan Adler’s eclectic whimsy — knights in armor, butterfly chairs. Mister Parker’s is the hotel’s upscale eatery. The extremely low light (a flashlight comes with menu) and the groovy 1960s and ’70s art, are reflected by mirrored ceilings.
The reborn Parker’s, Moruzzi writes, is proof “that Palm Springs truly is the face-lift capital of the desert.”
Of course, plenty of ’50s Palm Springs landmarks have been lost, including the Desert Air (a fly-in hotel) and the Chi Chi Club (closed in the ’60s).
And up and down the valley, scores of new hotels and restaurants and golf courses and condos and water parks and such have arisen. But in a territory that’s so mutable, it’s a great comfort to lie in the shade of the rediscovered buildings that endure.
In February, Texas Instruments seeks a patent for the integrated circuit, aka “the microchip.”
Alaska and Hawaii gain statehood. The U.S. and Russia rush their space programs forward. G.D. Searle seeks approval for Enovid as a contraceptive “” “the pill.” The first Barbie doll is unveiled at a New York toy show. “The Sound of Music” opens on Broadway.
New film releases “Ben-Hur,” “Some Like It Hot” and “North by Northwest” do boffo box office. Francis Truffaut releases “The 400 Blows.”
Bobby Darin is on the pop-music charts with “Mack the Knife” and “Dream Lover,” as is Frank Sinatra with “High Hopes.” Chubby Checker introduces “The Twist.” Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson die in a plane crash. Miles Davis records “Kind of Blue.” John Coltrane records “Giant Steps.” Dave Brubeck records “Take Five.”
Norman Mailer publishes “Advertisements for Myself.” D.H. Lawrence”s “Lady Chatterley”s Lover,” written more than 30 years earlier but blocked over alleged obscenity, debuts in the U.S. and becomes a best-seller.
In October, the Los Angeles Dodgers, only two seasons removed from Brooklyn, defeat the Chicago White Sox to win the World Series. Meanwhile, on a seven-day vacation in greater Palm Springs, President Dwight D. Eisenhower plays golf six times at El Dorado Country Club.
In December, Frank Sinatra tapes a TV special in Palm Springs with guests Ella Fitzgerald, Juliet Prowse and Peter Lawford “” but a surprise rainstorm forces filming indoors.
Enjoy a martini with your fellow hipsters…as you watch the sun set…from the Arthur Elrod House, one of the world’s most acclaimed examples of modernist architecture.
Designed by architect John Lautner in 1968, the Elrod House entered the popular culture in 1971 as the setting for a famous scene in the James Bond “007” movie Diamonds are Forever.
Purchase your tickets early – the Retro Martini Party is the “hot” ticket of Modernism Week and tickets are limited. Remember, last year’s Retro Martini Party sold out early and this year’s incomparable venue will surely do the same.
A new book I discovered this weekend: LITTLE BOXES: The Architecture of a Classic Midcentury Suburb is a fascinating visual journey through the Westlake District of Daly City, California, one of America’s first and most iconic postwar suburbs. Located just south of San Francisco, Westlake has frequently been compared to Levittown, New York, the first major postwar suburb in the United States
Little Boxes documents this important suburb’s meticulous development process and celebrates its classic midcentury style.
The Willows Historic Palm Springs Inn located in the center of town up against the mountains, was recently featured in The Desert Sun. The home hosted many celebrities over the years, including Albert Einstein, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, Marion Davis, among others.
The current owners, Tracy Conrad and Paul Marut did an amazing job restoring it back to its original grandeur.
A must have for the mid-century fan’s library!
Very cool vintage retrospective of Palm Springs in its golden years, from 1910 to the 1960s. Represented through vintage photographs and postcards, it highlights the days of mid-century Modern architecture, resorts and swinging nightlife.
For those of us that live in historic neighborhoods, here are some useful tips for preservating the architectural and historic value of your homes. Preservation can increase prestige and quality of life, and may increase property values. Often there are tax breaks available for those living in neighborhoods declared historic.
Palm Springs is filled with many historic neighborhoods. (Click here for a map) If you’re interested in preserving yours, please read on…..
Tips for preserving your neighborhood
From the pages of the CA-Modern magazine
By Dave Weinstein
Reach out for supporters. Build support among neighbors by demonstrating the architectural and historic value of your homes. Sponsor tours, hold block parties, mount exhibits. Provide sign-up sheets to recruit supporters. Bring in speakers with enthusiasm, a sense of humor, and a non-threatening manner. Include everyone. Being non-threatening is crucial. Most people don’t want to give up control over their homes. Make sure to include everyone in the process.
Educate the neighborhood. Start ‘community education’ early on, says Cindy Olnick, communications director of the Los Angeles Conservancy. “It can take years to educate your neighbors and get consensus on it,” she says. “It won’t work without consensus.”
Shoot down myths. Be prepared to combat ‘rumors and misinformation’ about the ill effects of preservation rules, advises Dwayne Howard, who pushed for the historic designation at Mar Vista in Los Angeles. Olnick emphasizes the point by pointing out one common myth: “Some people say you won’t be able to change your curtains if you live in a historic district.”
Emphasize value. Focus on how preservation can increase prestige and quality of life, and may increase property values as well. For ammunition, check out the paper ‘Historic Designation and Residential Property Values.‘
Form a committee. To spearhead the effort, “Organize a small committee to set direction and to handle most of the legwork and document preparation,” advises Suzanne Shea, who followed this strategy in creating a single-story overlay for her Eichler neighborhood in Sunnyvale.
Get online. Start a neighborhood website.
Review CC&Rs. Consult neighborhood CC&Rs to see if they call for architectural review. Ditto city zoning codes.
Recruit diverse volunteers. If new architectural guidelines are needed, Denise Jerome of River City Commons in Sacramento suggests to “find volunteers…willing to work for two years on the guidelines, with varying skills or hobbies such as landscape designer/architect, horticulturist, architects, logical design, handyman, writing, organizing, project management, photography, document management, perseverance, legal areas.”
Appraise home exteriors. Survey your neighborhood house by house to determine how architecturally intact it remains. For survey forms and instruction, contact your local planning department or the state Office of Historic Preservation. Also, find out if someone has already done such a survey or plans to do one. The city of Los Angeles is gearing up for SurveyLA, a citywide survey of potentially significant structures. Caltrans is also surveying neighborhoods throughout the state that may be affected by future highway work. And some local preservation organizations have surveyed historic areas.
Use surveys as educational tools. Don’t let your completed survey molder! Use it to increase appreciation for your neighborhood’s assets. Publish it with photos and put it on the web. Place copies in libraries, community centers, and at city hall.
Win over government. To win backing of city or county government, Doug Kramer of Rancho Estates in Long Beach suggests: “The key thing is to have an association and to ensure that association is communicating effectively with their council person, with their homeowners, with their neighbors.”
Anticipate opposition. “Shortly before the planning commission and city council hearings, go to city hall and check in the file for your application, note if anyone is objecting and what their concerns are,” Shea says. “Also, read the planning staff analysis and recommendations, so you can be prepared to respond to any concerns at the hearings.”
Get supporter turnout. “Make sure to have a large turnout at hearings,” Shea says. “Have many people speak, but keep it brief and each cover a different aspect. Don’t repeat yourselves.”
Dramaticize your case. At public meetings, dramatic presentations help. To illustrate why two-story homes wouldn’t work in their neighborhood, Sunnyvale residents displayed a slide of one of their neighbors trying to enjoy pizza at home — while waving through his wall of glass at what a neighbor in a proposed two-story home would be able to see — everything!
Investigate registries. To seek a spot on the National Register of Historic Places or the California Register of Historic Resources, contact the state’s Office of Historic Preservation. Applications are reviewed by the office’s staff, then by the Historical Resources Commission. The commission makes recommendations for national recognition to the National Park Service.
Review prior successes. Talk to residents of other neighborhoods who have created overlay zones or instituted architectural review to find out how they did it. Several of these neighborhoods have been profiled in CA-Modern. Stay strong. And, Denise Jerome urges, “Be persistent, and don’t give up hope.”
Recently, the City Council and Mayor voted once again against saving an architecturally historic site, the Town and Country Center, http://www.friendsoftcc.com/ , failing to recognize its value to the city.
I just wanted to take some time to remind people what Historic Preservation is and why it IS important- Unfortunately our Palm Springs leaders couldn’t recognize the importance of the Town and Country Center in a recent decision, despite preservationists efforts, but perhaps this will assist other groups trying to save their historic gems in their cities. The following was taken from the City of Costa Mesa’s historic quidelines, which I think are relevant:
“The Costa Mesa City Council recognizes the importance of protecting historic resources for the following reasons:
To encourage public knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the City’s past.
To foster civic and neighborhood pride and a sense of identity based on the recognition and use of cultural resources;
To preserve diverse and harmonious architectural styles and design preferences reflecting phases of the City s history and to encourage complementary design and construction;
To enhance property values, and to increase economic and financial benefits to the City and its inhabitants; and
To protect and enhance the City’s attraction to tourists and visitors, thereby stimulating business and industry.”
Best wishes to other preservationists in the world! Obviosuly I’m an avid architectural historian and preservationist myself- so if I can assist you and support you in your causes, please drop me a line!
Meanwhile, other rich and famous folk are partying at the Chi Chi Club or pulling up their Cadillac coupes in front of the Riviera, a new modern hotel. All over the Coachella Valley, architects and builders are seducing tourists with butterfly roof lines, space-age appliances, minimalist graphics and backlighted starbursts.
Racquet Club Estates is the neighborhood where Alexander Construction Co. and architect William Krisel put up their first vacation-house subdivision in 1959. Picture a ‘hood of soaring roofs, clerestory windows, carports, screens of concrete blocks, pebbles and palms in the yard, and living rooms begging for Dean Martin on the hi-fi. New, these houses sold for $19,000. Now, with classic features bathed in avocado green, bold orange and powder blue, vacation rentals run $200 to $300 a night.
Later came Frey’s pointy-roofed Tramway gas station, near the northern entrance to town. It now houses Palm Springs Visitor Center. A $5 map offers 75 local modernist landmarks, including many designed by Frey, William F. Cody and E. Stewart Williams.
The refurbished Chase Hotel (26 rooms), which went up in the late 1940s, used to be the Holiday House. A few blocks over are the stacked boulders and off-kilter angles of William F. Cody’s Del Marcos Hotel (16 rooms), a brilliantly designed but somewhat bedraggled 1947 spot with some renovation.
