Sommaire pour Spring 2021 de Atomic Ranch

Mid century love at first sight! Robert and Jaymi Gottfried knew right away that this was the house for them, though they understood just as quickly the work it would take to bring the 1965 low-gable home back to its mid century glory. “The minute we saw it, we knew we had to preserve all the wonderful original features that Don Wexler incorporated into this design and the Alexanders built so well,” they say. Since purchasing the home in late 2017, the couple has taken great care to do just that. Their home had had just one previous owner and was feeling its age, particularly in the kitchen. “It felt so dark,” they say. “The kitchen hadn’t ever been remodeled, with the exception of the flooring, but hadn’t been maintained…

The home had strong bones but was in need of more than a little TLC when Rod and Cindra Stolk first toured it nearly 20 years ago. “The home was in a condition of extreme disrepair,” they say. The 1947 house had not been properly maintained and was not in original condition, with multiple changes and add-ons throughout the years. The home’s Palm Springs neighborhood—the historic Tahquitz River Estates—was in a similar state when the Stolks purchased their home in 2003. In the years since, both the home and neighborhood have been revitalized. “Our neighborhood has gone through a tremendous amount of ‘upgrade’ over the past 17 years; there are now many beautiful refurbished/reimagined homes in our neighborhood,” the couple says. “We are in good company with many other homeowners…

With distinctive horizontal and vertical compositions, use of stone-clad pylons and just a dash of surrealism, the nonchalantly glamorous Late Moderne style is exemplified in the work of Herbert Burns. In The Design of Herbert W. Burns, author Steven Keylon examines Burns’ innovative designs and provides an in-depth look at his background and wide variety of careers. Steven, a board member of the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation who lives in his own Burns-designed home, writes, “Appropriate to their spectacular desert surroundings, Burns’ ground-hugging flat-roofed structures were inspired by the organic materials and horizontality of Frank Lloyd Wright and enlivened with novel detailing meant to delight the eye.” BACKGROUND Herbert Burns, born Herbert William Bromund, in 1897 in New Jersey, took quite a winding path to becoming an architect and, surprisingly,…

The biggest celebration of Modernism will be bigger than ever this spring. No longer bound by location and time, mod enthusiasts can attend Modernism Week programming from virtually anywhere in the world throughout the month of February. We’ll take a look at upcoming events and give you a sneak peek at the home tours! With the success of their virtual October Preview event, Modernism Week decided that instead of offering the traditional 11-day in-person festival, they would offer an expanded selection of online programs available throughout the month of February that include architectural film screenings, “Mod with a Twist” presentations, virtual conferences and even a performance of last year’s sold-out event, “Hollywood Revisited: A Glamorous Musical Theater Extravaganza.” A separate in-person event is tentatively planned for April, when pandemic conditions…

It’s quite a remarkable experience to travel from the hot and sun-soaked Palm Springs Valley up to the cool alpine climate of the San Jacinto mountains by way of a 10-minute tramcar ride. The journey transports you over 5,800 feet in elevation to temperatures that are roughly 30 degrees cooler than the desert below. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway was a long time in the making. Electrical engineer Francis Crocker first envisioned the concept in 1935 when he wanted to escape the heat by way of quick transport into the mountains. With many setbacks, ranging from political roadblocks to war, the project didn’t begin to take form until 1961. The steel carrier cable that would carry the passenger cars consists of five supporting towers, with four of them erected by…

World Architecture: Bosjes Chapel Built on a South African vineyard, this chapel’s undulating silhouette is only the beginning. Learn more about the design and inspiration of this stunning chapel. An Undersung Woman of Firsts Beverly Loraine Greene in her 41 years of life was very accomplished—including designing the UNESCO United Nations Headquarters building in Paris—and is the first known female African American architect. On the Market This historic-status 1962 home on 10 acres of Spokane lakefront is on the market. Which means we get to take a peek inside this sprawling Mid Century Modern gem! The Vintage Pivot An eye for design, a pandemic and the need for new furniture combined to form the vintage shop Curated Haus. Follow us online on Facebook , Pinterest and Instagram daily! LOOK FOR…

Tucked into the vibrant and picturesque Twin Palms neighborhood in sunny Palm Springs, this 1957 home was built by the Alexander Construction Company and designed by visionary and architect William Krisel. Over the years, the home had fallen into neglect and was in need of some work. When realtor, Twin Palms neighborhood resident, author and Krisel expert Chris Menrad saw the home on the market in late 2011, he envisioned an opportunity to honor the home’s original design while giving it a refresh. Chris collaborated with friend J.R. Roberts—board member of the Palm Springs Modern Committee and well-known in the area for his preservation and restoration work—on the restoration and renovation of the home, consulting with original architect William Krisel himself for the project. MID CENTURY HAVEN The three-bedroom, two-bathroom…

When Rod and Cindra Stolk purchased their Palm Springs home nearly two decades ago, they knew nothing about the history or prominence of the development where it was located, Tahquitz River Estates. “We didn’t buy to be in Tahquitz River Estates; we actually weren’t aware of the history of the neighborhood at the time and, honestly, the neighborhood was largely in disrepair,” the couple shares. “We didn’t know the developer and much about anything until we started to ask questions and research our home and area.” Through their research, the Stolks learned the history of their new home. Developed by Paul W. Trousdale & Associates beginning in 1947, Tahquitz River Estates features eight models of homes designed by architect Allen G. Siple (the Stolks’ home is a Model 4). Each…

After a visit to Palm Springs Modernism Week in 2011, Brian Eberhart, a retired orthodontist, and his wife, Lisa, quickly realized their one-time trip had turned into something much more. “We fell in love with the city, the architecture, the weather, the mountains and the varied outdoor activities. We were tiring of the harsh winter climate of northern Indiana,” says Lisa. By 2013, Lisa and Brian had met with a realtor from the Paul Kaplan Group, Gary Johns, who showed them several Mid Century Modern listings as well as an available empty lot in the Chino Canyon area of northwest Palm Springs. After a lot of thought, the pieces fell into place. “Brian had been following an architect that he admired for some time, Lance O’Donnell,” Lisa says. “When we…

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From tract home developments and well-planned condominiums to lavish custom-built houses, William Krisel’s work can be seen in more than 40,000 living units, with 1,500 of those structures in Palm Springs and Palm Desert. His impact on the area, and in Mid Century Modern design, is undeniable. In William Krisel’s Palm Springs: The Language of Modernism, editors Chris Menrad and Heidi Creighton—who chat with us about the renovation of Heidi’s own Krisel home in the previous pages—examine Krisel’s history, philosophy and works in an extensive chronicle of his 60-year career. MENTORS AND PARTNERSHIPS Driven to pursue architecture from a young age, Krisel began studying at the USC School of Architecture in 1941. Though his studies were interrupted by World War II, he finished his degree while gaining valuable insights from…

We recognize as a hero someone who demonstrates courage and saves the day. You could say that partners Jackie Thomas and DeeAnn McCoy, owners of Thomboy Properties, became heroes when they saved a 1948 Herbert Burns residence from demolition. After the house was nearly stripped of every signature architectural feature, Jackie and DeeAnn purchased the property and planned not only to renovate it, but also to restore the home to its past beauty. Originally built for Dr. George Gillman and his wife, Sadie, this Palm Springs home was in the process of being completely gutted by a group of investors—who didn’t appreciate the treasure they had purchased—when they ran out of money, and Thomboy Properties swooped in to save the day. “We got an email from a real estate agent…

Architect Lance O’Donnell, AIA of o2 Architecture, was raised in the Coachella Valley and grew up learning from his two rancher grandfathers low-tech ways of keeping spaces cool in the desert. Lance applies this knowledge and understanding to maximize passive solar energy use and sustainability in all his desert homes. Here are some ways Lance incorporated smart planning to utilize the surrounding elements in this home. • By understanding climatic conditions such as wind, sun, glare, heat, orientation and water, the home was sited at an optimal position on the lot. In this northern part of town, high winds were also a factor. “The home was designed to have indoor/outdoor living and create that indoor/outdoor living in a protected fashion from the prevailing winds, and try to bring as much…