AN INTACT 1955 RESIDENCE BY ARCHITECT ALBERT FREY
Presented by Nicholas Lawrence Interior Design
MODERNISM WEEK – FEBRUARY 14-24, 2019
TOUR THE FORGOTTEN FREY: THE CREE HOUSE
Palm Springs Life has partnered with the homeowner to unveil The Forgotten Frey during MODERNISM WEEK, FEBRUARY 14‒24, 2019.
Other than his own home, this is Albert Frey’s most intact residential work. It was commissioned by a prominent desert family at a time when little if anything had been built nearby. Since the early 1970s, it has been owned by a single family and thus, has quietly existed on its hilltop perch overlooking the desert floor, largely forgotten and never before seen by the public. Throughout the past year, the owner has meticulously preserved and restored the house to nearly its original 1955 condition. The Cree house is abundantly clad in identifying characteristics found in other Frey projects: strong, jutting balconies with corrugated fiberglass railings, asbestos exterior walls, industrial materials and thin roof overhangs. A fascinating study in siting, the building is elevated primarily on pilotis, leaving the mountain beneath virtually untouched. Wildly contrasting its environment in materials and forms, it also seems to blend into it. Its colors and shapes evoke the surrounding granite hills and desert foliage as much as contrast them.*
INTERIOR PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION: The homeowner has taken great care in preserving and restoring the interior and exterior areas of the home to original 1955 condition. The kitchen appliances and countertops, bathroom fixtures, tilework, and windows remain intact. Extensive research has been devoted to locating authentic replacements for a few items that were beyond repair, while others are still in progress. Some that are still needed are replacements for cracked asbestos tile, wall-to-wall carpet, accordion folding doors in the pass through area of the kitchen, draperies, period correct furniture and accessories, and landscaping. Nicholas Lawrence Interior Design will furnish the home mostly with Knoll Furniture, along with other vintage objects to create a faithfully-curated design for ticketed touring during Modernism Week, February 14‒24, 2019.
The home unveils during MODERNISM WEEK, FEBRUARY 14‒24, 2019, providing tour goers the opportunity to be among the first to view the interior preservation and restoration.
THE FORGOTTEN FREY HOME TOUR TICKETS ON SALE NOW – CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS
Do you want to learn more about the house and architect Albert Frey?
Join Robert Imber, architectural expert and co-founder of Modernism Week, as he conducts guided tours of the home on Thursday, February 14‒Sunday, February 17, at 6 and 6:45 p.m. and Thursday, February 21‒Sunday, February 24, at 6 and 6:45 p.m. – CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS
Parking & Check-In Address:
BMW of Palm Springs
3737 E Palm Canyon Dr.
Palm Springs, CA 92264
Instructions:
This event is for all ages.
This dwelling has exterior or exterior steps and is not handicap accessible.
Please plan to arrive 20 minutes before your tour’s scheduled start time to allow for parking and transportation. Please follow signage within Porsche of Palm Springs for directions on where to park. Shuttles will be provided to transport guests to and from the home. Tickets will be checked before boarding the shuttle.
Current ticket holders should contact [email protected] regarding exchanges.
*Palm Springs Modern Committee’s Palm Springs Modern: Mid-Century Architecture Tours
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