Little Tuscany

Little Tuscany is a neighborhood in Palm Springs, California. Little Tuscany mostly features large homes that are high value. This community dates back to 1937 and has continued to develop over the years.  Located in the rocky northwest corner of Palm Springs, just south of Chino Canyon on the edge of the Little Tuscany neighborhood, sit half a dozen or so architecturally significant private homes built between the mid 1940s and the late 1960s. Although some of the houses are not as visible from the street as most modernists would prefer, there’s still enough to see and appreciate in this area to make a bicycle ride or leisurely drive worthwhile.  Here are but a few of the stand out homes in this beautiful neighbothood:

Carey/Pirozzi House (651 W. Via Escuela) – Palm Springs modernist architect Albert Frey designed this compact classic in 1956, which he inventively perched on stilts due to the sloping hillside it sits on.

Alexander/May House (424 W. Vista Chino) – California modernist architect Edward Fickett designed this home in 1951 for his friend and colleague George Alexander, of the Alexander Construction Co., who then sold it to Tom May, of the May Department Stores family.

Kaufmann Desert House (470 W. Vista Chino) – Considered by many to be one of the world’s most important mid-century modern structures, the “machine in the desert” as it’s called, was designed by legendary modernist architect Richard Neutra and built in 1946. Read more here.

Raymond Loewy House (600 W. Panorama Rd.) – Built in 1947 for famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy (who created Coca-Cola’s iconic soda bottle design), Albert Frey helped pioneer the desert modern style with this home. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places but is unfortunately not clearly visible from the street (therefore no photos).

Edna Root Shaprio House (711 W. Panorma Rd.) – San Francisco heiress and art collector Edna Root Shapiro commissioned architect Michael Black to design her home with a slightly quirky twist on the modernist esthetic – Black succeeded, circa, 1969.