Donald Wexler's house is for sale, asking $1.75 million
The house that famed Palm Springs architect Donald Wexler built for his family in 1955 is on the market.
Donald Wexler's house is for sale, asking $1.75 million The house that famed Palm Springs architect Donald Wexler built for his family in 1955 is on the market. Check out this story on desertsun.com: https://desert.sn/1NvG16k
Rosalie Murphy, The Desert Sun Published 5:51 p.m. PT Nov. 5, 2015 | Updated 5:30 p.m. PT Nov. 6, 2015
Donald Wexler's Palm Springs house
Donald Wexler built this house for his family in 1955. Photos by Lance Gerber, provided by Rick Grahn
Photos by Lance Gerber, provided by Rick Grahn
Donald Wexler built this house for his family in 1955.(Photo: Used with permission from Redfin.com)
The house that famed Palm Springs architect Donald Wexler built for his family in 1955 is on the market, with an asking price of $1.75 million.
Wexler, of course, was one of the desert's leading architects during the midcentury modern period. He designed the Palm Springs International Airport and commercial buildings throughout the Coachella Valley, as well as the famous strip of steel-framed houses in Racquet Club Estates.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house in Ruth Hardy Park features some of Wexler's architectural trademarks: floor-to-ceiling glass walls, post-and-beam construction and an open, L-shaped floor plan. Beams that support the roof extend a few feet past the walls, creating covered spaces outdoors.
In 2008, o2 Architecture founder Lance O'Donnell and Wexler himself oversaw a complete remodel of the house. The 2,424-square-foot house now features a modernized kitchen, saltwater pool, desert landscaping and car port.
The current owner wanted to "turn it into a really private estate," O'Donnell said. "It has a big front yard, which was probably great when Don's boys were growing up, but you start thinking about, well, how do I achieve a level of privacy in an all-glass house?"
Now, a privacy wall and high hedge surround the home, and a motorized gate opens to let the owners inside.
Additionally, the owner asked O'Donnell and Wexler to shed a bedroom in favor of a large bathroom. He lived alone, O'Donnell said, and didn't need the space where Wexler, his wife and three children lived for 38 years.
"Don could see, just, the level of love and care and respect people brought to his architecture," O'Donnell said. "He was never a stickler... he's not 'my way or the highway.' It's a utilitarian shell for a multitude of things — and that's a great definition of modern architecture, it's adaptable and changeable without a lot of fuss."
In Palm Springs, Donald Wexler's last house takes shape
Wexler died in June at age 89 at his Palm Desert home after a brief illness. During his decades-long career, he helped establish the midcentury modern style of architecture for which Palm Springs has become famous.
Unlike many of his peers, including William F. Cody, E. Stewart Williams and his mentor, Richard Neutra, Wexler seldom built outside the Coachella Valley. His notable buildings include Palm Desert High School (1990), the Palm Springs Police Department (1985), the Royal Hawaiian Estates condo development (1960), Rancho Mirage Middle School (1966) and the Dinah Shore residence (1964), which actor Leonardo DiCaprio bought in 2014.
"Wexler ... never really sought fame or publicity in his career," said Alan Hess, an architectural historian who has often written about Wexler and his peers, in a recent interview. "He's equal to any other California architect, and we've only recently been able to recognize that on a wide basis."
The house is listed by Rick Grahn of Deasy/Penner & Partners. View the listing at wexlerhome.com.
Rosalie Murphy covers real estate and business at The Desert Sun. Reach her at rosalie.murphy@desertsun.com or on Twitter @rozmurph.
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