Every year, design enthusiasts descend on Palm Springs for Modernism Week in February. A little dry heat in the bones doesn’t hurt either.

The goal of Modernism Week is to celebrate the area’s standout midcentury architecture and design. From CAMP Central Headquarters, you can head to special parties, lectures, films, night or day tours. We had heard great things about the Double Decker Architectural Bus Tour – a 2.5 hour guided tour of residential properties, civic and commercial buildings – so we donned hats, stocked up on free water and climbed up to the top of the bus. It was worth it.

Our guide offered up pithy architectural history and Old Hollywood gossip. We saw famous buildings from architects like Donald Weller, Albert Frey and Richard Neutra. Our sights included:

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Coachella Valley Savings & Loan #2, now Chase
E. Stewart Williams. 1961

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Frey House II
Albert Frey, 1963

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House of Tomorrow
Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway
William Krisel. 1962

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Enco/Tramway Gas Station
Frey & Chambers. 1963 

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Robot Sculpture Garden
Artist Kevin Irwin Jr’s House

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Twin Palms
Frank Sinatra Estate
E. Stewart Williams. 1947

Written by Elizabeth Newton
www.creatorsvancouver.com