Take a deep dive into The Palm Springs School ahead of the region’s Modernism Week

New book ‘The Palm Springs School: Desert Modernism 1934-1975’ is the ultimate guide to exploring the midcentury gems of California, during Palm Springs Modernism Week 2025 and beyond

Albert Frey House l a.k.a. Frey I with Albert Frey Seated, Albert Frey, 1940. Photographer Unknown. part of the palm springs school
Albert Frey House l, a.k.a. Frey I, with Albert Frey Seated, Albert Frey, 1940
(Image credit: Courtesy of Palm Springs Art Museum, AlbertFrey Collection)
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If you're after a one-stop-shop for all things midcentury ahead of Palm Springs Modernism Week 2025 this week, The Palm Springs School: Desert Modernism 1934-1975, a new book launch by Rizzoli, is for you. The tome, authored by design historian Alan Hess, offers an immersive and detailed deep dive into the Californian modernist architecture genre and the International Style's distinct expression within the arid landscapes of the West Coast.

Albert Frey House II a.k.a. Frey II, Albert Frey, 1964. Photographer Julius Shulman. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles

Albert Frey House II, a.k.a. Frey II, Albert Frey, 1964

(Image credit: Julius Shulman. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles)

Flick through 'The Palm Springs School: Desert Modernism 1934-1975'

The book looks at the region's significant 20th-century architectural offering and discusses the concepts, aesthetics and experimentations that unite projects and typologies. Covering diverse buildings and settings, from housing to commercial and from urban/suburban to more rural, standalone structures, this is a publication that looks into common threads and what might make this movement into a 'school'.

Edgar J. and Liliane Kaufmann House a.k.a. Kaufmann House, Richard Neutra, 1946. Photographer Julius Shulman. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles.

Edgar J and Liliane Kaufmann House, a.k.a. Kaufmann House, Richard Neutra, 1946

(Image credit: Julius Shulman. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles)

Building types include residences, gas stations, hotels, airports, restaurants, and spas. Highlighted architects are Richard Neutra, John Lautner, Albert Frey, William Cody, William Krisel and Donald Wexler, among many more. The book is illustrated by drawings and archival photography (including by legends such as Julius Shulman).

Steel Development Homes (nowAlexander Steel Homes), DonaldWexler and Richard Harrison,1962. Photographer Dan Chavkin.

Steel Development Homes (now Alexander Steel Homes), Donald Wexler and Richard Harrison, 1962

(Image credit: Dan Chavkin)

'From our 21st-century vantage point, we can look back and discern that a group of 20th-century Palm Springs architects formed a cohesive yet diverse Palm Springs School of Architecture. Each arrived in this astonishing landscape for a different reason. Their creative dreams spanned three continents and two oceans, from Zurich to Shanghai,' writes Hess in his introduction.

Arthur Elrod House, John Lautner, 1968.Photographer Leland Lee. Courtesy of Palm Springs Art Museum.

Arthur Elrod House, John Lautner, 1968

(Image credit: Leland Lee. Courtesy of Palm Springs Art Museum)

'In Palm Springs, the challenges of the terrain and atmosphere reshaped the work of these architects over time – these circumstances created a specific school of architectural ideas that inspired them all.'

Enco Gas Station a.k.a. Nichols Service Station a.k.a. Tramway Gas Station (now Palm Springs Visitors Center), Albert Frey and Robson Chambers, 1965. Photographer Bill Anderson. Courtesy of Palm Springs Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Dorothy M. Anderson

Enco Gas Station, a.k.a. Nichols Service Station, a.k.a. Tramway Gas Station (now Palm Springs Visitors Center), Albert Frey and Robson Chambers, 1965

(Image credit: Bill Anderson. Courtesy of Palm Springs Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Dorothy M. Anderson)

Take a plunge into the rich and layered built environment of Palm Springs; and its lasting and far-reaching influence, which spans far beyond the Californian city's relatively boutique size.

Hill House a.k.a Raymond Cree House II, Albert Frey, 1955. Photographer Lance Gerber

Hill House, a.k.a Raymond Cree House II, Albert Frey, 1955

(Image credit: Lance Gerber)

'The Palm Springs School: Desert Modernism 1934-1975, Rizzoli, 2025

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Ellie Stathaki

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).

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