Uncovering the hidden gems of Palm Springs
Phaidon author Sam Lubell talks mid-century architecture fans through the town's highlights
It’s Modernism Week in Palm Springs, the annual celebration of the Californian resort’s beautiful mid-century architecture.
To mark the occasion, Wired staff writer and Phaidon author Sam Lubell joined photographer Darren Bradley and architect Alan Hess on Sunday to discuss the architectural treasures hidden within Lubell and Bradley’s book Mid-Century Modern Architecture Travel Guide: West Coast USA.
Their guide - the first ever to focus on the architectural wonders of the West Coast of the USA - provides visitors with an expertly curated list of 250 must-see destinations.
Lubell and Bradley talked through their picks from the Palm Springs section of the book before a ticketed audience at the town’s CAMP venue on 350 South Palm Canyon Drive.
Mid-Century Modern Architecture Travel Guide: West Coast USA focuses on both the populist Rat Pack-era butterfly roofs and Tiki flourishes common within Palm Springs, as well as more refined pieces of mid-century architectural heritage, such as John Lautner’s Pearlman Cabin (below), a tree trunk and plate glass construction in a wooded plot on Palm Springs' periphery, and Richard Neutra’s elegant, flat roofed Kaufmann House (above), built for the very same department store mogul who commissioned Fallingwater from Frank Lloyd Wright.
If you weren’t able to make it to the talk you can still benefit from Lubell and Bradley’s insight by buying a copy of their new book Mid-Century Modern Architecture Travel Guide: West Coast USA, here.
