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

~ Andrew Danish (Author), (Author) "Even in the nineteenth century, Palm Springs bore the seeds of a twentieth-century town..." (more)
Key Phrases: palm springs weekend, smoke tree, Smoke Tree, Palm Canyon, Blue Skies (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Palm Springs Weekend could have been just a breezy look at the celebrity culture of this California desert playground. Instead, Alan Hess offers an authoritative yet refreshingly nondoctrinaire view of the various ways European and American architects--some famous, some not--adapted the canons of modernism to suit the desert climate, landscape, and lifestyle. With evocative vintage photographs and an engagingly retro design by Andrew Danish, this is one of the most enjoyable popular architecture books in years.

The story begins with "the panorama of brown rock... peppered with ever-changing shadows and the unexpected desert plants that turn this great natural wall into a tapestry of texture and color." Then came the wealthy industrialists and Hollywood royalty who wanted vacation homes and were more or--at least initially--less amenable to modern design. Car culture and casual living morphed the international style into new silhouettes and textures fit for a modern oasis.

Swiss émigré Albert Frey designed minimalist houses "like tents staked in the desert." Richard Neutra's famous Kaufmann House has polished glass walls, flat, floating roofs, and luxury finishes, while John Lautner's Elrod House--seen in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever--is a futuristic concrete cave. Tract homes by William Krisel and Dan Palmer for the Alexander Company offered a mass-market modernist solution, with butterfly roofs and patterned concrete block walls crisply defined by the intense sun.

By the early '50s, local projects also included civic and commercial buildings. Memorable nonresidential projects range from William Cody's Huddle Springs restaurant, with its bold angled beams, canvas awnings, and open plan, to Victor Gruen's City National Bank, on which a sweeping curved roof reminiscent of Le Corbusier's Ronchamp chapel meets the desert opulence of gold filigree. --Cathy Curtis

From Publishers Weekly

Streamlined modernist design arrived on the West Coast in the early '20s with architects weaned on the Prairie School, and spawned a new type of city. In Palm Springs Weekend: The Architecture and Design of a Midcentury Oasis, San Jose Mercury News architecture critic Alan Hess (Rancho Deluxe) and veteran magazine art director Andrew Danish document, in 260 color and b&w photos, the process by which giant sand lots in the shadow of Mt. San Jacinto became sets of private, family-sized resorts. From the giant roadside Cabezon dinosaurs to the rustic Smoke Tree Ranch (repeatedly visited by Cary Grant), the House of Tomorrow (a retreat for the newly married Elvis and Priscilla) and the slender-columned Robinson's department store, this grand (and environmentally dubious) architectural experiment continues to retain its unique character.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 180 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811828042
• ISBN-13: 978-0811828048
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #494,994 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable historical and architectural tour, February 11, 2002

By	Jon Warshawsky "Sinatra Guru" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While I initially bought Palm Springs Weekend as a coffee table book, it is much more substantial -- a great read, with the historical perspective necessary to appreciate the architectural legacy. Hess and Danish provide a tour from the beginnings of the desert resort in the 1930s, through the Hollywood migration of the 1940s and '50s and continue with the decline and then reawakened interest in modernism. And yes, it is a handsome book to have out for guests.

PSW earns high marks for balance, not focusing unduly on celebrity homes but instead providing a survey of significant commercial buildings, architectural trends and the personalities (Cody, Frey, the Alexanders) that brought the modernistic vision to life. Because of this, most readers interested in architecture will find it more useful than glamour-shot books of multi-million dollar homes behind gated walls. Several of the buildings noted are readily observable to visitors.

In addition, the authors illustrate the aspects of the culture that spawned Palm Springs. It is a remarkable journey because it is only recently that we have begun to view the 1950's, for example, as a period that has left us 'historic artifacts' worth appreciation. Less affected than neighboring LA or San Diego by overwhelming population growth, Palm Springs is something of a monument to the way things were. Hess and Danish do not overlook this.

While it is disappointing to see the cookie-cutter tract homes being built as the desert communities expand eastward, Palm Springs retains many of its unique homes, many of which are accessible to those of moderate means. PSW helps us appreciate the imaginative architects of the 'midcentury oasis', in their successes and even manages to evoke a bit of appreciation for some of the eyesores. A must read for anyone restoring or considering the purchase of a special home in this fascinating place.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Palm Springs Local, April 22, 2002

By	James St James (Palm Springs, CA) - See all my reviews

well as an avid collector of Mid-Century artifacts. I was very impressed by the book. Palm Springs is an amazing city and to just drive around in your car and look at the fascinating architecture is so awesome. To me being here and loving that style of design is just a bonus. But when some tourist saw me driving my beloved 62 Valiant wagon yelled out of their window "We saw you in Palm Springs Weekend" I asumed that they ment with my band. Until they said "With this car" That is when I realized The photograph I had candidly posed for a year before. I got a hold of the book and sure enough there I was. It makes me proud to be in the book. And I hope that Alan Hess and Andrew Danish Have great success with their careers. And I pray that the book will open peoples mind to the likes of Albert Frey and Richard Neutra and the many other designers who have shaped the deserts amazing style which needs to be preserved and not demolished as society grows. An awesome book and a must have for every Mid-Century modern enthusiust.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than a weekend, July 4, 2001

By	"houseseller" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

If you like mid-century architecture you'll love this book. Showcases not only on the 'finest' (and familiar) works of some extraordinary architects/builders in this resort town, but also offers up a bit of kitsch too. Often neglected but valuable nonetheless and is part of what makes Palm Springs the town it is. Very well written with lush photographs. I came away with insights into the making of an American resort town. Almost as good as being there.