Modernism Week Kicks Off With Tours and Cocktails

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – Modernism week, an annual celebration of mid- century design and architecture, begins today with tours and cocktails. The first of three separate tours in Palm Springs starts Thursday at 8:30 a.m. A tour of The Mesa — a secluded neighborhood of hillside hideaways that were home to celebrities like Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner, Sonny and Cher, Suzanne Somers and music legend Johnny Mercer, and more — sold out. Two other tours that were set to begin at the same time were still available on Thursday. A tour of the collection of luxurious Modernist residences on the ancestral land of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians will take attendees through the views of the surrounding mountains and lush fairways. Celebrities like Walt Disney, Chuck "Rifleman" Connors, and David "Fugitive" Janssen lived and played at the 18-hole golf course there. The Twin Palms Estates Exteriors will take attendees through the desert neighborhoods that demonstrate the works of architect William Krisel and the Alexander developers. Celebrities like Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, Charlie Farrell and author Ray Bradbury lived in those homes. Each of the three tours costs $40 and presents only the exteriors of the homes. They last two or more hours and encourage attendees to wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen, hats and to bring water. No pets are allowed. At 9:30 a.m. Trevor O’Donnell, an architectural tour guide, will take attendees through an in-depth exploration of Palm Springs’ 10 most notable desert modernists. The tour will highlight the representative works by the designers whose work left a legacy that’s famous worldwide. The tour, priced at $130, will seat 20 people in a small motor coach to visit the representative works. Starting at 10 a.m., Bobby Berk — a design expert and Emmy-nominated host of Netflix’s "Queer Eye" — will open his latest project to the public for the first time. The showcase of the home, priced at $55 for Modernism Week attendees, will last 30 minutes. Located in Palm Desert, guests will be shuttled from a nearby location at the start time on each person’s ticket. There will be 10 time slots through 3 p.m. The evening will end with a Midcentury Mixology Cocktail Clinic at Mr. Lyons, featuring Steen Bojsen-Moller. Attendees can learn to make iconic, class cocktails from the midcentury era while enjoying a welcome cocktail. There’s two classes available at $75 each, one at noon and one at 3 p.m. for people over 21 years old. Modernism Week will host more tours and similar events through Sunday. Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc. CNS-05-12-2022 01:48