Tramway Gas Station (Palm Springs Visitors Center)

To pay tribute to its architectural heritage, Palm Springs celabrate annual Modernism Week filled with many fun events such as films, lectures, bus tours, Frey House II tours, a vintage car show and much more. This year’s Modernism Week is scheduled for February 12-21, 2010.

For more information, visit modernismweek.com

 
Alexander Steel Houses

3100 Sunnyview Drive

1961

Donald Wexler

Bank of America (City National Bank)

588 South Palm Canyon Drive

1959

Victor Gruen & Associates, Rudi Baumfeld

Del Marcos Hotel

225 West Baristo Road

1947

William F. Cody

House of Tommorrow (Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway)

1350 Via Ladera Circle

1962

William Krisel

Kaufman House

470 West Vista Chino

1947

Richard Neutra

Orbit In

562 West Arenas Road

1955

Herbert W. Burns

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Valley Station

1 Tramway Road

1949 – 1963

Albert Frey, John Porter Clark, and Robson C. Chambers

Palm Springs City Hall

3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way

1957

Albert Frey, John Porter Clark, and Robson C. Chambers

Tramway Gas Station (Palm Springs Visitors Center)

2901 North Palm Canyon Drive

1957

Albert Frey and Robson C. Chambers

Washington Mutual

499 S. Plam Canyon Drive

1960

E. Stewart Williams

Photo Credit: House of Tommorrow & Washington Mutual by Jennifer Remias

Tramway Gas Station (Palm Springs Visitors Center)

It is not uncommon to hear a news about great mid century modern architecture being on the verge of demolition. Some are saved, restored and preserved, but unfortunately, many are demolished. The former Tramway Gas Station in Palm Springs, California was one of the fortunate ones – it has been restored and now serves as the Palm Springs Visitors Center, welcoming the visitors as soon as they enter the city on Highway 111.

As the name implies, The Tramway Gas Station once stood as the Enco service station. The building was designed by Swiss-born architect Albert Frey and Robson Chambers. Completed in 1965, this 2300-square-foot mid century marvel soon became a landmark of the city with its dynamic soaring roof (referred to as a hyperbolic paraboloid roof) and sleek lines. However, the city suffered an economic downturn, closing many businesses in the 1970s and 1980s. The Tramway Gas Station was not an exception and closed its doors by the early 1990s. The building was then boarded-up and defaced with graffiti.

A Hyperbolic Paraboloid Roof

In 1996, a private developer bought the Tramway Gas Station to demolish and turn it into a gateway to a subdivision. When the residents protested, the city council designated the structure as a historic site, which disallowed the developer from altering the building’s exterior without the city council’s approval. The designation was later removed when the developer opposed to the decision, however the Tramway Gas Station was saved from demolition after all when the developer’s plan simply fell through. The building was up for sale once again.

Restrooms Behind the Building

In 1998, two San Francisco men, Montana St. Martin and Clayton Carlson bought the property. They restored the building respecting its original integrity as much as possible. The building reopened as an art gallery in early 2000 and remained as such until it was sold to the city for $638,000 in December 2002. The city spent another $500,000 for a restoration project, including adding a separate restroom area and updating landscaping. The restored building has been serving as the Palm Springs Visitors Center, standing proudly just as once it had been.

Twin Palms Art by Nat Reed

Nat Reed’s artwork features reinterpretations of the the architecture, artifacts, and visions of the atomic age of the 1950s and 1960s in rich, vibrant colors. Visit Googierama for a wide selection of products featuring his artwork. If you are visiting Palm Springs, California, stop by at a store called Just Fabulous at 515 North Palm Canyon Drive to see his original art and other products.

Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, California

The Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, California was built in 1946 by Richard Neutra, the Viennese-born architect who moved to the United States in the 1920s. This house is considered one of Neutra’s greatest works and one of the most important examples of International Style in the United States as well.

The Kaufmann house was designed for the Pittsburg department magnate, Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr. as a desert retreat from harsh winters. The house, once brought into light (= made famous?) by Julius Shulman’s photography in 1947, sat vacant for several years after Kaufmann’s death in 1955. The house then went through different owners including the singer Barry Manilow and had undergone a series of renovations. Such renovations disturbed the original integrity of the house – a patio was enclosed, a wall was removed to create a media room, some bedrooms were wallpapered, and the sleek roof lines were altered when air conditioning units were added.

Today's Kaufmann House from the Street

Today the house is fully restored to its original design by Brent and Beth Harris. The Harrises bought the property for about 1.5 million in 1993 and sought for a full restoration, but the original plans for the home were not available. However, the couple was able to obtain many clues to the original design by examining the Neutra archives at the University of California, Los Angeles, the detailed sketches by Neutra, the documents in the architectural collections at Columbia University and the never-printed photograph of the interior of the home by Julius Shulman. The Harrises hired two architects Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner to restore the Neutra’s design using these clues. They were able to locate the original paint and fixtures providers and reproduce the sheet metal fascia that lined the roof by purchasing a metal-crimping machine. They even reopened a long-closed section of a Utah quarry to excavate the stones for the chimney and walls.

The total restoration cost the Harrises about $11 million, including the house purchase, restoration, landscaping and the purchase of several adjoining plots. The property was put up for an auction at Christie’s in May of 2008. It was sold for $19.1 million at auction, but a deal fell though. In October 2008, the property was listed for $12.975 million.

Kaufmann House by Richard Neutra

Palm Springs is a prime destination of travelers from all over the world. It is located on the Western edge of the Coachella Valley in Riverside County, California. Many people visit this desert oasis to enjoy year-round sunshine and a wealth of indoor and outdoor activities. To mid century modern enthusiasts, Palm Springs is a Mecca for all things mid century modern – it is the oasis filled with numerous mid century modern architecture, shops and galleries.

Palm Springs Visitors Center (a.k.a. Tramway Gas Station)

Palm Springs has one of the largest concentrations of modern architecture in the United States. As early as the 1930’s and into the middle of the 20th century, many visionary architects were drawn to Palm Springs to create many public, commercial and residential buildings. A taste of the International Style was introduced to Palm Springs by European-born architects such as Robert Neutra and Albert Frey. Architects (e.g. Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, John Porter Clark, William F. Cody, E. Stewart Williams, and Donald Wexler) in Palm Springs developed their own regional style called “Desert Modernism.”

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Valley Station

The unique style of Palm Springs architecture can be spotted as soon as you enter town. If you are driving into Palm Springs from east, you will be welcomed by Albert Frey’s (with a collaboration with Robson Chambers) Tramway Gas Station, now the Palm Springs Visitors Center. If you are flying into Palm Springs, you will be welcomed by Donald Wexler’s Palm Springs Airport building. Other notable landmarks include: Palm Springs City Hall (1967), Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Valley Station (1963), Kaufmann House (1946), Del Marcos Hotel (1946), Palm Springs Tennis Club (1946), and so forth. There are also many neighborhoods such as Twin Palms Estates, Racquet Club Road Estates, Las Palmas Estates that feature mid century modern tract homes that are now sought after by many mid century modern enthusiasts.

A Map of Modern Palm Springs

You may take a self-guided tour to see these Desert Modernism/mid century masterpieces in your own eyes. A printed map called “A Map of Modern Palm Springs” by the Palm Springs Modern Committee is available at the Palm Springs Visitors Center, located on 2901 North Palm Canyon Drive and a store called “Just Fabulous,” located on 515 North Palm Canyon Drive. You may also try “PS Modern Tours” run by Robert Imber (760-318-6118) who provides a three-hour van tour that hits the hot spots and some hideaways. If you are unable to visit in person, there are many books on Palm Springs Modernism are available.

Tramway Gas Station (now the Palm Springs Visitor's Center)

Albert Frey (1903 – 1998) was a Swiss-born architect who had contributed in introducing a modern architecture style that came to be known as “desert modernism” around Palm Springs, California. Born in Zurich, Switzerland, Frey was trained as an architect at the Institute of Technology in Winterthur, Switzerland. Frey worked on various architectural projects in Belgium until he landed on a position in the Paris atelier of the International Style architect, Le Corbusier in 1928.

Frey came to New York in 1930. He was the first Le Corbusier disciple to practice architecture in the United States. In New York, he became partners with A.L. Kocher in developing the innovative Aluminaire House for an exhibition in 1932. It was 1934 when Frey was introduced to the California desert. He came to Palm Springs to supervise a construction project of the Kocher-Samson Building. Frey briefly returned to New York, but permanently relocated to Palm Springs in 1939.

Palm Springs City Hall

In Palm Springs, Frey worked on many structures including residential, commercial, institutional, and civic buildings, often partnering with other architects such as John Porter Clark and Robson C. Chambers. Significant structures by Frey include: Frey House I and II; Palm Springs City Hall, Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Valley Station, and Tramway Gas Station (now used as the Palm Springs Visitor’s Center). These iconic buildings became the landmarks of Palm Springs and attract many visitors from all over the world today.