Open House Report, Palm Springs: Drag Yourself Away From The Pool, Check Out This Donald Wexler
Author:Philip FerratoSomeone once aptly described him as a “desert architect,” and Donald Wexler is responsible for much of Palm Spring’s iconic Mid-Century look over a long career. This classic Post & Beam he designed in 1961 is on the market and has an open house on Saturday, May 26.
620 North Camino Real, Palm Springs, $1.249M
On the market about four months, this 4-bed, 3-bath house was designed by Wexler as a spec house, and while it’s got some nice features, renovations over the years have not been especially kind. There’s still a glut of properties on the market in Palm Springs, and while this house would appeal to someone with a passion for the period, it’s probably simply too subtle for other buyers and too expensive, even with its pedigree. None of which should stop you from taking a look— it’s a nice example of his work and hasn’t been totally screwed up.
There are the classic features of his ’60s houses— natural stone, a low pitched roof and deep overhangs, plus walls of glass opening to walled, private spaces.
While it’s not possible to verify the realtor’s claim that the house once belonged to the equally mid-century jazz/pop singer Dinah Shore, she hired Wexler a few years later to design a spectacular house nearby that sold in 2011 for $4.9M after being on the market for almost a year. Open Saturday, May 26 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
