Palm Springs Weekend: The Architecture and Design of a Midcentury Oasis

The mention of Palm Springs usually evokes notions of Hollywood glamour and leisure. But there is another side to Palm Springs that serves as a powerful locus of interest to the reemerging purveyors of modernist design and architecture. Palm Springs is where Bauhaus architect and Le Corbusier compatriot Albert Frey built signature homes, office buildings, and the City Hall. Some of the legendary Case Study Houses of the 40s reside here. Stars like Bob Hope and Elvis Presley had custom homes in the modernist style. Palm Springs Vernacular is where postwar design, Hollywood glamour, and the drama of the desert coalesce, with a thorough historical and architectural historical overview by Alan Hess and copious vintage and contemporary illustrations.