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Palm Springs: The Hotbed of Midcentury Moderism.

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Photography by Joseph Pellegrini/courtesy the Beat Hotel

With all the recent attention paid to Palm Springs’ midcentury modern style in books, magazine photo shoots, commercials, and movies, you might think that most of the city’s architecturally significant buildings have been acknowledged and renovated.
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If these walls could talk, what would they be saying? I can’t help wondering that as I wait to meet the new owner of the Frank Sinatra compound in Rancho Mirage. Over the years, I’d heard stories about the wild parties held here; the famous houseguests, the goings-on. I can only wonder about the opulence inside.
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Steven Lowe had been working on The Beat Hotel for a couple of years when I met him. … My immediate impression of Steven — an impression that never dissipated — was that he was extremely intelligent, fascinating, and passionate.
Read more and view a photo gallery of the Desert Hot Springs Motel and Beat Hotel.

Postcards from the Edge of a Modernist Universe
From the collection of Palm Spring Modern Committee founder Peter Moruzzi.

Modernism at the Palm Springs Historical Society

More Modern from Palm Springs Life Home

You’ve seen Swiss-born Albert Frey’s Tramway gas station, Palm Springs City Hall, and Fire Station No. 1 on Indian Canyon Drive, among his other buildings of note. But venture inside Frey House II, the architect’s longtime hillside residence, and you’ll find yourself snug in a glass-and-steel cube perched high on the west end of Tahquitz Canyon Way.  Read more.

The modern style of Palm Springs and its environs might have been born in the 1950s and ’60s, but there is architectural evidence across the valley that, in the right hands, the style continues to grow and evolve. Read more.

The famed shapes and sizes of the 1950s and ’60s homes don’t appeal to everyone in the Coachella Valley. But for those who have caught the fever, it’s tough to shake. We’ve asked three experts in the business to share their insights and their best advice on what’s available, how to spot a bargain, and why they believe a portfolio of midcentury homes — or just one gem — is one of the best investments around. Read more

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