Alan Hess is a nationally recognized architect, historian and has written twenty-two books on Modern architecture, including his newest book The Palm Springs School 1934-1975, launching at this year’s Modernism Week.

At this lecture, Hess will talk about how and why he chooses his subjects, how he researches, and how the act of writing leads to new discoveries and insights into those subjects. Reflecting on his years of writing, he says “I’ve been writing one big book over the last 35 years—one subject has led naturally but unexpectedly to another in ways that make weird sense, if only to me!” Hear more about these unexpected connections as he shares insights and stories about several of his books. Learn firsthand what it takes to be a modernist writer! A selection of his books will be for sale at the event courtesy of the Best Bookstore in Palm Springs.

Alan Hess has written monographs on architects Oscar Niemeyer, Frank Lloyd Wright, and John Lautner, as well as architectural histories of Las Vegas and Palm Springs. Some of Hess’ other books include Googie: Ultramodern Roadside Architecture, Forgotten Modern, The Ranch House, and Hollywood Modern: Houses of the Stars with Michael Stern. Hess was a National Arts Journalism Program Fellow at Columbia University's School of Journalism and received a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts to research the work of Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. He has a MA degree from the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning, UCLA. Hess has been active in preserving post-World War II architecture, qualifying several significant buildings for the National Register of Historic Places.

Presented by and proceeds to benefit the Friends of the Palm Springs Library, a non-profit organization established in 1971 to support the Library.

https://friendsofthepalmspringslibrary.org