One city. Remarkable architects. Houses that changed the way America imagined desert living.
Climb aboard a Modernism Week open-top double-decker bus for a fascinating journey through the residential architecture that helped make Palm Springs an international destination for Modern design.
The Homes That Define Palm Springs focuses on the houses, neighborhoods, architects, and developers that transformed a small desert resort into a laboratory for Modern living. From modest post-and-beam homes designed for the growing middle class to dramatic custom residences created for Hollywood celebrities and wealthy winter residents, Palm Springs offers an extraordinary collection of residential architecture—all within a few remarkable square miles.
Along the way, discover the work of celebrated architects and designers including Richard Neutra, Donald Wexler, William Krisel, Albert Frey, E. Stewart Williams, Hugh Kaptur, and others who responded creatively to the desert’s intense sun, dramatic mountains, and indoor-outdoor lifestyle.
From butterfly roofs and clerestory windows to breeze blocks, walls of glass, swimming pools, and sweeping mountain views, you’ll learn why these homes looked so radically different when they appeared—and why their influence continues today.
Travel through some of Palm Springs’ most celebrated neighborhoods while hearing the stories of the architects, builders, homeowners, and personalities behind the houses.
This isn’t simply a tour of beautiful homes. It’s the story of how residential architecture helped create the Palm Springs we know today—one remarkable house at a time.