For lovers of midcentury modern architecture, design, and culture, too much is never enough. And no city has embraced that notion more than Palm Springs, California, which hosts an annual Modernism Week each February that is akin to a religious pilgrimage for the faithful. The event is so popular that in 2011 the town began a new tradition—a Modernism Week fall preview that takes place over Columbus Day weekend, this year from October 9 to 12.
Among the offerings are tours of architect Albert Frey’s own residence, Frey II, which is perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Coachella Valley (Frey also designed Palm Springs City Hall and the Aerial Tramway Valley Station), of Frank Sinatra’s neighborhood (the famous Movie Colony), and of Deepwell Estates, an enclave that many old-time Hollywood stars called home.
One landmark on the Deepwell tour is the post-Hollywood hideaway of Loretta Young, at the corner of Manzanita and East Mesquite Avenues. The house, originally built in 1964 by architect Bill Dody, has a round living room, where Young loved to entertain a diverse array of guests, including politicians, movies stars, and artists. Linda Lewis, who is married to Young’s son Christopher, told me that Young once said, “I was chased by princes, kings, and movie stars, but when I moved to the desert, what I realized was important was to find someone who could drive at night.” Lewis adds that her mother-in-law liked to tool around town in a Chevrolet Caprice station wagon. “She would back into trash cans and go through red lights and tell people they’re not as important here in Palm Springs, where there’s less traffic.” (Other luminaries who lived in Deepwell include William Holden, Jerry Lewis, Carmen Miranda, Liberace, Eva Gabor, and Julie London.)
While those small-town days may be gone, there are still plenty of opportunities to revel in the city’s past—and to live in it, even if it’s just for the weekend. Many pilgrims decide to embrace the midcentury heyday by renting a historically significant home for their visit. In Deepwell, for example, you can stay in a private compound that was built in 1957 and conscientiously remodeled in the mid-1980s by Frey. “As a vacation-home rental, everything about this house resonates with those looking to immerse themselves in Palm Springs modernism,” says John-Patrick Flynn, branding specialist for Acme House Company, a rental agency that handles the house, now known as Frey Eight Five. “The outdoor spaces are just gorgeous—there are amazing unobstructed mountain views from the pool and an integrated waterfall spa. But I think my favorite part of the house is the bar that Albert Frey added.” Realtor Stewart Smith, whose firm currently has the $24.9 million listing for the John Lautner–designed Bob Hope estate, once owned the Frey house and several of his neighbors passed along the rumor that Julie Andrews spent time at the property in the 1960s and 1970s. (The house, which accommodates eight, rents for $2,655 to $5,555 per week.)
In addition to the Frey house, Acme’s inventory includes many other gems: the Old Las Palmas estate of Academy Award–winning film producer Sol Lesser, the Spanish-style home of actress Dorothy Lamour, and houses by such iconic architects as George Alexander and Donald Wexler (who died this summer at the age of 89). Not long ago, Shari Belafonte celebrated a birthday in Palm Springs, renting two Acme houses for her guests, including her father, Harry. One of the houses was the four-bedroom that Kirk Douglas built in 1955 ($1,920 to $4,170 per week). According to Flynn, Shari loved the midcentury pedigree of the place—which in no way distracted from its considerable creature comforts. “The bathtub,” she said, “was the perfect tub for me. I was in it every chance I got. I want that tub!”
Acme House Company, 1733 North Palm Canyon Drive, Suite D, Palm Springs, California, 760-650-0151, acmehouseco.com; Palm Springs Modernism Week fall-preview walking tours, modernismweek.com/walking.
