Mid-Century Modern Architecture Tour: Vista Las Palmas, Twin Palms, Kaufmann House & 'That Pink Door'

Between 1945 and 1965, visionary architects Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, Donald Wexler, E. Stewart Williams, William Krisel, Dan Palmer and William Cody, alongside developers George and Robert Alexander, turned Palm Springs into the premier showcase of Desert Modernism. Characterised by V-shaped 'Butterfly' roofs, folded-plate rooflines, concrete 'Breeze-Block' walls, floor-to-ceiling glass and pastel doors, the finest neighbourhoods can be explored free on a 90-minute cycle or car loop (see bike hire options), or on a guided tour during Modernism Week in February and October.

1. Stop 1 (North of Downtown): 'Vista Las Palmas' & 'Old Las Palmas'

Start west of North Palm Canyon Drive along Via Monte Vista, Crescent Drive and Via Lola:

1. Richard Neutra's 1946 'Kaufmann Desert House' (470 W Vista Chino, Street View): designed by Richard Neutra for Edgar J. Kaufmann and immortalised in Slim Aarons' 1970 photograph 'Poolside Gossip'.
2. The 1960 'House of Tomorrow / Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway' (1350 Ladera Circle): designed by William Krisel with a batwing roof where Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned in 1967; check the official site for interior tours.
3. Vista Las Palmas ('Swiss Miss' A-Frames & Butterfly Roofs along Rose Ave & Via Miraleste): developed by the Alexanders between 1958 and 1961 (once home to Dean Martin, Marilyn Monroe and Debbie Reynolds), featuring triangular 'Swiss Miss' A-Frames and butterfly roofs beneath Mount San Jacinto.

2. Stop 2 (South of Downtown): 'Twin Palms' & 'Indian Canyons'

• Twin Palms Neighbourhood (1956, South of East Twin Palms Dr): the first modernist tract by the Alexanders and William Krisel, planted with two twin palms in every front garden.
• Frank Sinatra's 1947 'Twin Palms Estate' (1145 E Via Colusa): designed by E. Stewart Williams with a piano-shaped pool.
• Indian Canyons ('That Pink Door' at 1100 E Sierra Way & 'The Lion's Gate' at 1043 E Sierra Way): admire famous pastel front doors along East Sierra Way from the public kerb.
• Albert Frey's 1965 'Tramway Gas Station' (Visitor Center, 2901 N Palm Canyon Dr): pick up a printed Self-Guided Modernism Map beneath the flying-wing roof.