I can never stay away from Palm Springs long and have recently come to regard it as a second home. I have been lucky enough to begin to make some connections in the area and none more special than artist, photographer and all-around Palm Spring ambassador Everette Solomon…known by his Instagram handle JevPic. He is a dear soul and an immense talent and we always try to find time to shoot together when I’m there. I finally had a chance to visit Palm Springs during Modernism week, and to mark the occasion Jev and I decided to shoot with some of the modernist architecture. Its no secret I’m a super fan of all things Midcentury so the buildings are just as much celebrities to me as glitterati who have and still do call Palm Springs their playground. We chose to highlight three stars of architecture in the downtown area; each one unique in design, but originating from the same moment in time when a modernist boom was taking over the Coachella Valley.
All Photos: Jevpic
All Fashion: Vintage 60’s
Coachella Valley Savings & Loan Building
The original Coachella Valley Saving & Loan building was completed in 1961 during the city’s modernism boom designed by E Stewart Williams, who is one of the influential modernist architects credited with shaping Coachella Valley. Although it has a simple cube shape, it’s dramatic scooped white columns have always drawn my eye whenever I visit the area. The bright turquoise hue of the water that flows underneath through a second row arches also adds an element of an oasis in the heat of the desert. The building currently houses a Chase Bank branch however they have not altered it original design.
The Del Marcos Hotel
The Del Marcos Hotel was built in 1947 and designed by architect William F. Cody for original owners Samuel and Adele Marcus. The building was Cody’s first independent commission in Palm Springs, and launched his solo career in the desert. The Del Marcos is Built of native stone and redwood and surrounds a shimmering pool. Stand-out architectural features include luxurious suites, an asymmetrical entrance doorway, and floor-to-ceiling glass. The two-story building features a U-shaped plan centered on a courtyard that encourages socializing among guests.
J.W. Robinsons Department Store Building
This building was originally constructed as a J.W. Robinson’s Department store by architects William Pereira and Charles Luckman in 1958. The pavilion-style modernist building is dramatically elevated from the street level by four long horizontal concrete steps that create both a sense of arrival and impart a sense importance to the building. I’m always charmed by diamond shapes of the overhang of its flat roof and how this is echoed in the yellow diamond pattern of the concrete masonry walls. Half of this building houses a BevMo and the other half of this building currently stands empty.
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