‘Modernism Week 2025’

If you love modern—and we know you do—anticipation is running high as modernist lovers from all over the world plan for Palm Springs' popular annual festival, 'Modernism Week 2025.'

This year, the unique event celebrates 20 years of mid‐century love from its ultramodern desert headquarters. Running February 13‐23, the 11 days feature more than 350 individual activities, from tours to films to soirees.

For many, Modernism Week is a modernist's dream‐come‐true, an invitation to appreciate MCM style and culture in every imaginable way. (Check the schedule for cocktail parties in iconic homes, enjoy museum tours and the myriad showcases of art and architecture.)

Since individual events sell out quickly, it's best to plan and reserve in advance. Ditto for hotel accommodations, particularly for favorites like Palm Springs Caliente Tropics Resort, with its poolside Reef cocktail lounge and restaurant, a popular (and affordable) tropical island getaway.

While pulling into town, consider dropping by the Palm Springs Visitor's Center on North Palm Canyon Drive. There you'll find the soaring architecture of Albert Frey's 1965 design, and find maps and souvenirs from Palm Springs' 'Rat Pack' days. Ascend the heights on the famous Tramway, an excursion many have likened to visiting the Swiss Alps.

A top tour, offered this year on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), is the 'Sandpiper Circle 3' neighborhood tour, where you'll explore six time‐capsule homes built between 1958 and 1969. Architect William Krisel's extraordinary vision features 24 residences arranged in a pinwheel to afford privacy and mountain views. Its unique design earned the Sandpiper community a landscaping award from the American Institute of Architects.

Also much anticipated is a presentation featuring archival materials from Architectural Pottery: Ceramics for the Modern Landscape, the new book that documents the company's history, co‐authored by presenters Dan Chavkin, Jeffrey Head, and Jo Lauria.

Founded in 1950 by Rita and Max Lawrence with John Follis and Rex Goode, the Architectural Pottery company has become a celebrated name among designers, and its output was featured in architectural homes designed by Richard Neutra and John Lautner, in the Case Study Houses, and alongside works by Ray and Charles Eames and Alexander Girard.

Also of note is a tour of the historic Villa Roma community, recently designated by the City of Palm Springs. Enjoy the 'leisure lifestyle' designs of architect James Schuler. Eight featured homes showcase 'The Caesar' and 'The Cleopatra' floorplans, and the many original architectural elements that defined Villa Roma Garden Homes as envisioned in 1964.

There, you'll also find a fountain, and a 'Temple of Venus' underneath a floating oculus supported by Ionic columns. Temple 'ruins' and statuary all add to this inspired example of desert modern architecture.