Take a spin through time on this tour “70 years of Modern Living: Architecture of Tahquitz River Estates” Feb. 18 in Palm Springs.
This neighborhood features some of the oldest modern homes in Palm Springs (built from 1947 to 1956) in the neighborhood by Paul Trousdale, architect Hugh Kaptur, and architect/developer Sam Pascal. New this year is a stunning modern house built in 2017 on a parcel developed by the former Dr. Scholl of footwear fame.
The property had languished since the crash of 2008, but now showcases a series of Desert Eichlers from original floor plans by Joe Eichler, as well as the stunning steel and glass Donald Wexler-inspired home on the tour designed by Paul and Monika Haryn.
The Trousdale homes in Tahquitz River Estates are among the oldest in Palm Springs to be designed with expansive walls of glass, covered lanais, and breezeways hidden behind the unassuming ranch-style facades. The December 1948 real estate news in The Villager magazine noted:
“...the swank, nationally touted residential development of Tahquitz River Estates (are) now being developed by Paul W. Trousdale and Associates of Los Angeles. Over $200,000 in residential and income property sales during the past two weeks in Tahquitz River Estates has brought out opin- ions that the community is destined to become somewhat of a movie colony judging from the large number of stage, screen and radio personalities who are buying there...”
Each of the four Trousdale homes on the tour have a different floor plan number (from the original choices of seven models) and three maintain the original footprint, including a covered lanai which the 1948 sales brochure poetically named a “sky-covered parlor”. The breezeways inside the Trousdale homes between house and garage were often enclosed in remodels through the years, but one house new to the tour in 2019 retains the original open breezeway to this day. Past owners have made it a focal point of the house, creating a lush tropical garden which is an unexpected surprise when you enter the front door.
This walking/driving tour includes the interiors of houses ranging from contemporary to meticulously restored decor. Most of the homeowners will be on site to answer questions. Several car clubs will have vintage cars at the homes that are matched to the era of the house. Get your souvenir time travel passport stamped at each stop for a gift and “modern mimosas” at the journey’s end.
Trousdale Estates tour, 10 and 11 a.m. Feb. 18. For tickets, visit modernismweek.com. Several other buildings of note are in the neighborhood including the Albert Frey designed First Church of Christ, Science, a block of “Desert Eichlers” built in 2017-2018 on Sonora Road, and the newly re-opened and re-designed Villa Royale Inn.