Boston Sunday Globe - Travel Section, October 14, 2001
Excerpt by Diane Daniel - Globe Staff

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Who said this town was all about golf? If you play it right, you might never notice that the city, incorporated in 1938, is surrounded by more than 100 golf courses, most of them in nearby Palm Desert and other Riverside county communities. What you should notice is that this desert oasis, a former backyard playground for Hollywood's rich and famous from the late 20s to the '60s, is spilling over with fabulous examples of mid-century architecture.

Palm Springs is doing for modernism what South Beach in Miami did for Art Deco, and the city's examples of the now-trendy architecture are reason enough to visit. For several years, there has been a restoration boom, turning old and often vacated buildings into boutique hotels, restaurants, and galleries. Like South Beach in the late '80s and early '90s, the overall scenery is still splotchy - a rehabbed gem here, a shuttered- up monstrosity there. But nor has it fallen victim to itself, as has the South Beach of late. For now, it's a wonderful work in progress.

The architect most connected with the area is Albert Frey (pronounced FRAY), who died there in 1998 at age 95, just as the modernist rebirth began. Frey saw architecture as a means to social liberation through egalitarian, affordable (at least back then) designs using massed produced materials. His buildings are constructed primarily of aluminum, glass, and cables. In keeping with the modernist tradition, they emphasize their natural surroundings. Some critics dismiss the sleek, spare style as industrial and ugly, particularly as translated by commercial builders, but to others, the aesthetic is cool and inviting.

If you're driving in from Los Angeles (100 miles away) or other points west, the first structure you see coming into town is Frey's famous Tramway Oasis Gas Station building from the mid-1960s. After many years of vacancy and disrepair, it was restored (with Frey's input) and reopened in 2000. *It is now the home of the Montana St. Martin Art, Design and Sculpture Gallery. The famous wedge-shaped structure has a roof that is a hyperbolic paraboloid of steel I-beams and corrugated metal that juts out over what used to be the gas pumps. Though gallery owners Montana St. Marin and Clayton Carlson put a low-lying stone wall around the building, the roof can still be seen from the road. The gallery is open by appointment only.

If you've been to Palm Springs, you've probably driven by the gas station, as it's on the way to the area's leading tourist attraction, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The two cars transport passengers from an elevation of 2,643 feet to 8,516 feet, passing from desert to alpine terrain in 10 minutes - the second steepest ascending tram in the world. Frey's work is here as well - he designed both the valley and mountain tram stations, the latter leading to the 13,000 acre Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness area, which has 54 miles of hiking trails. There also are hiking paths that lead right from town. Another way to visit outdoor sites is by going on a jeep tour that takes visitors to canyons and rock formations they otherwise couldn't reach.

On your way into town, stop at the Palm Springs Visitors Center* and pick up "A Brief History and Architectural Guide", a booklet published by the City's Historical Preservation Board**. It lists 38 sites that are the architectural jewels unto themselves, particularly the restored sites (hotels are not included). The visitors center has a list of 18 Frey buildings.

Though many of the mid-century are clustered near the downtown area, some you will need a car to reach, such as the privately owned steel homes designed by Donald Wexler in 1961; the Shell Gas Station, built in 1964 by Willliam F. Cody; and the Wexler-designed Palm Springs International Airport. If you do fly into the city, the minute you're off the plane, you'll know you're not in the 21st century anymore. In fact, much of the smallish airport is pleasantly open-air.

Unfortunately, many of Palm Springs' top architectural wonders are privately owned, set high in the mountains, and frequently inaccessible. There are occasional home tours, including one this November as part of the "Great Alexander Weekend." George and Robert Alexander were housing developers who pursued the modern architecture market in a huge way, and, like Frey, are closely associated with Palm Springs. By helping to usher in the era of mass housing, the Alexander Co. changed the face of the desert.

Palm Springs' main drag is Palm Canyon Drive, and much of the action takes place at and around the intersection of Arenas Road, where there are scores of shops, galleries, restaurants and bars. The sidewalks are filled with families, retirees, hipsters from LA and San Francisco, and gay couples, giving the city a Provincetown sort of feel.

In the same area the Tennis Club District, a block off Palm Canyon at the foot of the San Jacinto Mountains, which border the city, is where many of the area's small inns and hotels have been remodeled. One getting much attention is the Orbit In, recently renovated to its former late-'50s glory, if not surpassing it. The boutique hotel is a showcase for the work of such home-furnishing designers as Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi, and Harry Bertoia. Everything from the couches to the clocks to the poolside chaise lounges is swank and sleek. And if Sinatra or Ricky or Lucy stopped by, they would fit right in. The décor, along with the little touches - themed rooms, a complimentary video library and cocktail hour snacks, and a poolside bar - make the Orbit a vacation unto itself. A special treat: From the pool, you can see one of Frey's famed personal homes high in the hills. Known as Frey House II, it recently was bequested to the Palm Springs Desert Museum. The museum holds architecture symposiums throughout the year. A symposium on mid-century hotels, which includes a tour, will be held November 30.

* The Tramway Gas Station, designed by Albert Frey, is currently (2004) the home of the Palm Springs Visitors Center
** The Palm Springs Historical Preservation Board is currently (2004) known as the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation.

More Modernism Articles

Palm Springs: Hip, Hot and '50s - Oregonian Travel Section

Wexler Steel Houses - Architectural Record

Where Architecture and Aura Rival the Greens - Boston Globe

A House Designed to Expand From Within - Los Angeles Times