Modernism and the Future of Housing: A Symposium

Palm Springs Art Museum, in partnership with Palm Springs Architectural Alliance, presents a symposium on early Modernist design principles and how they can influence the future of housing.

Los Angeles architects Brooks + Scarpa, AIA Gold Medal award recipients, will provide the keynote presentation. Silvia Perea, Curator, Architecture and Design Collection, University of California, Santa Barbara, will discuss the receptiveness to experimentation that has inspired both architecture and science fiction in the California desert. Christopher Hawthorne, Senior Architecture Critic at Yale University, will present noteworthy examples of contemporary modernist housing, and architects Bassam/Fellows will share their experiences in updating and preserving Modernist architecture.

Together, these experts will offer fresh insights into contemporary design while envisioning the future of modern living by revisiting the architectural innovations that defined early Modern housing: good design, affordability, innovative construction, and scalable solutions. From Levittown’s mass-produced tract homes to Palm Springs’ climate-conscious prefabricated modernism, these mid-century experiments used new materials, technologies, and design strategies to make quality housing accessible, responsive to place, and achievable at scale. By looking back to these early models, the symposium invites a conversation about how architects can once again shape housing futures that are inventive, well-designed, sustainable, and responsive to the demands of our time.

Following the morning symposium, an optional afternoon self-driving tour (Symposium PLUS Home Tour Ticket) will feature significant individual and multiple dwellings of noteworthy Modernist design.

Symposium: 9:30 AM–12:15 PM
Self-Driving Tour: 1:00 PM–4:00 PM

Self-guided Tour sites

These homes are distinctly different examples of Desert Modernism offering a variety of remarkable solutions. Home Tour map and instructions will be provided at the symposium.

Rancho Mirage:

• Echo development (2020), Sean Lockyer, architect - private residence
• Sunny Lane Uno (2020), H20 Lance O’Donnell architect - private residence

Palm Springs:

• Rosa Gardens (2011), Brooks and Scarpa, architects - Coachella Valley Housing Coalition
• Aloe Palm Canyon (2025), Wil Carson, architect - Public / Private Senior housing project
• Aluminaire (1931), Albert Frey - Modular housing prototype
• Sagewood (1972), Donald Wexler, architect - condominium development
• Hundred Mile House (1954, 2016), Duane Smith – private residence