Palm Springs is an oasis of Mid Century Modern design. Architects working in Palm Springs drew inspiration from the landscape, building structures that fit perfectly into the desert setting while allowing for comfortable living. One of the buildings in Palm Springs that best captures the grandeur of the desert is the Palm Springs Art Museum by E. Stewart Williams.
The Long Search for a Home
The Palm Springs Art Museum was founded in 1938, but E. Stewart Williams’ building wasn’t completed until 1976. During those intermediate years, the museum was housed in many different locations. The first was La Plaza. Others included a library, a unique house constructed out of railroad ties, a Quonset hut, and a 1958 structure by Williams, Williams, and Williams (E. Stewart Williams’ firm), John Porter Clark and Albert Frey.
Originally, the Palm Springs Art Museum was called the Palm Springs Desert Museum. During the 50s, it began leaning more toward art. Its collections spanned art, archaeology, and natural science. The museum needed more space, however. So, the museum contracted E. Stewart Williams to design a new structure at a site donated by Home Savings & Loan.
A Modernist Expression of the Desert Landscape
The museum is situated right at the foot of Mt. Jacinto. The city did not allow it to surpass 35 feet in height. But it needed to capture the mountain’s scale, not be dwarfed by it. Drawing influence from Scandinavian architects, Williams shaped the lines of the building to mimic those of the mountain, and closely matched its color as well. As a result, it feels almost like it is part of the mountain itself.
The museum’s façade features volcanic rock from Inyo County, California. Williams said, “Such material, fired long ago by nature’s cauldron into volcanic cinder, comes in wondrous earth colors of mauve, cinnamon, burnt umber, gray, and black — color that permeates the entire thickness and will never fade under the rays of a harsh desert sun.” Moreover, it was “compatible with the sunburnt patina on the hillside rocks.”
The museum has three floors. Inflation in the 1970s resulted in the third floor not being completed until 1994. It was supposed to be at the front, but ultimately Williams redesigned it to go in back.
If you want to visit the Palm Springs Art Museum, it is open Thursdays from noon until 8:00pm, and Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5pm. Along with this main museum, PSAM operates the Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion, which is located in another E. Stewart Williams building that used to be the Santa Fe Federal Savings & Loan. They also oversee the Aluminaire House, the Frey House II, the Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden, and the restaurant Livs Palm Springs.
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