Susan's Cabinet: Palm Springs Modern

View of Palm Springs from the Tramway Mountain Station

Here are some more examples of fabulous midcentury modern architecture in Palm Springs:

Originally the City National Bank, inspired by Le Corbusier’s chapel in Ronchamp, France

William F. Cody (1916-1978) was another of the Palm Springs-based architects who created the Desert Modern style. His work included homes, hotels, country clubs, churches, restaurants, schools, office buildings, and a library. He was born in Ohio; his family moved to California when he was a teenager; and he obtained his architecture degree from USC. He focused on simplicity of form, natural light and large windows with a smooth connection between the interior and exterior.

This design by William F. Cody, 1947, won an American Institute of Architects prize.

Glass House by William F. Cody, 1967 - You can't see much from the street. Next time I need to fork over the money for the interior tours during Modernism Week!!

Glass House photo from CaliforniaHome+Design

Franz Alexander House by Walter S. White, 1954

Merito Manor Condos, by Barry Berkus, 1961

Checkout that doorknob plate!

Palm Springs Post Office, 1970. Originally built as City National Bank, designed by Victor Gruen Associates. Stucco, wood, steel and glass with a curved roof line supported by sculpted walls.

My last bit of architectural sightseeing was at the Tramway: the Valley Station and the Mountaintop Station. The last time I rode on the Tramway was in 1992, but even then I didn't notice the architecture. Now, I went just to see the architecture (and the bonus of gorgeous sunset and evening views, along with the opportunity to see some snow).

The tram was opened in 1963. It is a 10-minute ride from the Valley Station at an elevation 2,643 ft to the Mountain Station at 8,516 feet. Before the construction of the tramway, the only way to get to the cooler temperatures of the Alpine forest at the top of Mt. San Jacinto (one of the sheerest mountain faces in America) was by hiking. The tramway was considered an engineering marvel and dubbed the “eighth wonder of the world,” due to the use of helicopters in erecting the support towers – 23,000 flights (one of the first uses of helicopters in construction). No public funds were used for creation of the tramway.

The same two Swiss-built tram cars were used from 1963 to 2000; they are now on display in the parking areas. I had heard there were new cars, but what I didn’t know was that these new cars are circular and the floors rotate 360 degrees (twice) during the ride to provide views in all directions. They are 18 feet in diameter and hold 80 passengers. There are only three such rotating aerial trams in the world and this is the largest (the others are in South Africa and Switzerland).

The Valley Station was designed by Albert Frey. A plaque reads, “The bridge-like structure straddles a gully, allowing water, and the occasional boulder, to pass underneath without damaging the building. The walls of glass offer a view of the mountain. The interior ceiling is of perforated and corrugated aluminum, a trademark of Frey’s work.”