Ever find yourself wondering what kind of strange building is that? Who could have built such a structure?
Well, I do, and lately I find myself asking these questions more often than not.
The recent Palm Springs Mod Com Home Fall Tour recently stirred up my latest interest, and long-time fascination with architecture. The tour featured architecturally significant homes in the Coachella Valley, featuring the celebrated work of architects William Krisel to E. Stewart Williams.
But what about those not-so famous architects?
My quest for a greater understanding on what’s considered significant architecture, and what’s consider unusually quirky, and off the grid wondrous, has led me to cover four architectural sites.
The first two, well known in their own right, include Frank Lloyd and son Lloyd Wright’s Joshua Tree Retreat Center in Joshua Tree, and John Lautner’s Hotel Lautner in Desert Hot Springs.
The third and fourth lesser-known sites spotlight Floyd D’Angelo’s rotating home, and John Van Pelt’s gingerbread home in Snow Creek.
In the Wright’s collaborated creation of iconic (no 90 degree angle) concrete, metal, stone buildings stretching across a 400-acre site of vortex energy, you’ll discover or rediscover how he uses elements of his buildings to co-exist naturally with its landscape.
Lautner’s small and intimate design of four distinctly unique interlocking units, set against the backdrop of a modern day oasis, allows the viewer to fall in love with the charm, peacefulness and timeless beauty of this remodeled vintage property.
Floyd D’Angelo’s rotating high-tech and futuristic desert retreat, and the John Van Pelt gingerbread storybook design home offer a sense of intrigue and inspired ingenuity that anything is possible.
For more in-depth coverage on each featured property: http://valley-wonders.tumblr.com
For your own personal self-guided driving tour of the properties, click on the Google map below. (please note the Snow Creek properties are private homes).
Google Map Guide: http://goo.gl/maps/1Vlyi
A – D’Angelo Rotating Home, Snow Creek, B – Van Pelt Gingerbread Home, Snow Creek, C- Hotel Lautner, Desert Hot Springs, D- Joshua Tree Retreat Center, Joshua Tree.
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VIDEO: Get a glimpse at the four structures and what makes them special.
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