In time for Modernism Week Fall Preview, taking place Oct. 14–17, Palm Springs Mod Squad Tours owner and Makerville co-founder Kurt Cyr shares his favorite, must-see midcentury buildings in Palm Springs.
Palm Springs City Hall
“It’s amazing piece of architecture by Albert Frey, John Porter Clark, and Robson Chambers, and Williams as well. That whole complex actually has references to the Chandigarh, the new capitol that Le Corbusier designed in the Punjab after the partition of India. Frey traveled there in the early ’50s. I hadn’t made that connection until recently.”
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY KURT CYR
Kurt Cyr gives his suggestions for your must-see itinerary during Modernism Week Fall Preview.
Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center
“Personally, this building, which used to be Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan, is my favorite one in Palm Springs. It’s by
E. Stewart Williams, 1960. It’s incredibly beautiful architecture that just seems to hover on the landscape. The other thing I like about it is that people can actually go inside, which can be challenging with many of our private homes.”
Palm Springs Visitors Center
“I can’t imagine a better introduction to Palm Springs than driving in on Highway 111 from [Interstate] 10 and encountering this soaring, hyperbolic paraboloid roofline atop what used to be a gas station. There’s a sense of grandeur, knowing this is special place where a tent-like, undulating roof welcomes you to the city. That says it all.”