Architecture enthusiasts Ronnie Sassoon, an art historian, designer, and film producer, and James Crump, a film director, had visited Palm Springs for years and were drawn to its rich legacy of Midcentury Desert Modernism. A chance discovery led them to the Burgess House, set high on the rocky slopes of the San Jacinto Mountains, above downtown Palm Springs.

Completed in 1958, it was the first house built on Palisades Drive. Builder Joe Pawling sold the site to William and Clara Burgess with a young Hugh Kaptur already involved in the design of the residence. Kaptur conceived a modest 1200-square-foot cabana, defined by walls of glass, deep overhangs, and a pool overlooking the valley. It was the perfect weekend getaway for the Burgesses and their two young daughters.

The Burgesses soon fell deeply in love with Palm Springs and, roughly 10 years later, asked the now-neighboring architect Albert Frey to commence a series of expansions that increased the size of the house by an additional 2000 square feet. Frey's contributions also include an arched balustrade atop the stone embankment, vaulted shade structures of stretched canvas and finally the extraordinary, mirrored guest pavilion, completed in 1989. Perched above the main residence, its reflective glass captures the surrounding mountains, palms, clouds, and desert sky, while massive natural boulders, a Frey signature, incorporated into both structures make the rugged site part of the architecture itself. Sassoon designed and led a careful restoration, removing years of overgrowth and later alterations to bring its architecture back into focus. The refined interiors, modern furnishings, and art collection now allow the house, and its sweeping views across the Coachella Valley, to take center stage.

This rare tour offers an intimate look at a Palm Springs landmark shaped by two of the desert's most celebrated architects.

A portion of the proceeds from the tour directly benefit the Palm Springs Modern Committee (PS ModCom), a non-profit organization dedicated to the appreciation and preservation of Desert Modern architecture and design. We accomplish this through education, advocacy for threatened buildings, promotion of heritage tourism, and the celebration of successes in preservation and adaptive reuse.

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