Palm Springs Modernism Week 2024: a guide for your winter desert escape

Palm Springs Modernism Week 2024 is upon us, celebrating all things midcentury in the Californian desert; it's also the perfect excuse for a Palm Springs winter escape (if you're in the midst of the northern hemisphere's cold months), and one that combines hot climes, modernist architecture and plenty of opportunity for a poolside cocktail. Festivities run from 15 – 25 February 2024, spanning tours and house visits, talks and exhibitions. For ideas beyond the beaten track, our experts' hot tips for lesser-known desert architecture finds from 2023’s Palm Springs Modernism Week are still valid – and they enrich the bevy of new offerings in this edition's official programme. Scroll down for 2024's highlights. 

Palm Springs Modernism Week 2024: the highlights

House of Tomorrow tour

Can't get enough of Elvis, following the release of two movies surrounding the music legend's life – Priscilla and Elvis – in the last year or so? You might want to add the newly renovated Alexander Estate, known as the House of Tomorrow, to your to-do list. 

The House of Tomorrow was originally built in 1960 by well-known developer Robert Alexander for his family when they moved to Palm Springs. It was their dream home, built in four circles on three levels with four bedrooms and five bathrooms. Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned there in May 1967, as part of their stay in Palm Springs, later nicknaming the residence the ‘Honeymoon Hideaway'. 

Poolside at the historic Casa Cody Hotel

A behind-the-scenes tour of this lesser known Palm Springs property in San Jacinto Mountains will be matched with brunch dishes and cocktails at Casa Cody Hotel during the festival's first week. This is a new addition to the Palm Springs Modernism Week festivities and it puts the spotlight on the hotel, which was created by Harriet Cody. The owner, a female pioneer and cousin to the legendary Buffalo Bill, founded it in the 1920s, and celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin, American Opera Singer Lawrence Tibbett, and AnaÏs Nin stayed there over the years. Today, the business is still operating on 175 South Cahuilla Road – and is, famously, the oldest working hotel in town, and now thoughtfully refreshed by Casetta Group and featuring interiors by Electric Bowery and landscaping by Terremoto. 

An Evening Soirée at Frank Sinatra’s Twin Palms Estate

The Twin Palms Estate, designed by architect E Stewart Williams in 1947, is one of the most famous, celebrity loved addresses – as well as the former residence of Frank Sinatra. Exclusivity and high design meet in this home – and while its daytime tours book up fast, this evening event, courtesy of hosts and Save Iconic Architecture (SIA) founders Jaime Rummerfield and Ron Woodson, offers a further chance to glimpse inside, and get an exclusive tour, followed by a festive soirée there. 

Francisco Artigas at Midcentury: Modern Houses of the Mexican Miracle

Renowned Mexican architect Francisco Artigas was a modernist pioneer working tirelessly in his home country – but his influence, and output, spread far beyond the Mexican borders. Prolific in the 1950s and 1960s, Artigas has left a lasting legacy in midcentury style, and the presentation of his oeuvre at Palm Springs Art Museum during Modernism Week 2024 is an exciting new entry this year. 

Garden Tour of the Kaufmann Residence

If you're a midcentury modernism aficionado, you will no doubt be familiar with Richard Neutra's Kaufmann Residence – but how much do you know about its garden? This tour focuses on the landscaping around the famous Palm Springs home's near 2-acre estate, which includes the 'Orchard,' a tennis court and tennis house, and 100-year-old specimen cacti – one of which was personally gifted by Frank Lloyd Wright to the Kaufmann family, as the Palm Springs Modernism Week's website highlights. 

Modular House prototype display

Palm Springs Modernism Week 2024 sponsor First Wave Development is showcasing a full-scale, prefab prototype during the event – the Modular Front Facade Showstopper. The structure, which will be on display for the first time at the entrance of the Convention Center, will be open and available to tour 16 – 19 February. The design features First Wave Development’s ZS2 Technology panels, and DIRTT Residential interior finishes inspired by Palm Springs style. 

modernismweek.com