Exploring The Kirk and Anne Douglas Estate – A Masterpiece by Donald Wexler

Join USModernist, the folks behind America's largest non-profit open digital archive for midcentury Modernist houses, on a tour of the former Kirk and Anne Douglas estate, a beautiful Modernist 1954 house designed by architect Donald Wexler in the tony Old Las Palmas neighborhood. According to the Desert Sun, "Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy carried on an affair there. Frank Sinatra occasionally cooked meals in the kitchen. And when the house behind it belonged to Dinah Shore, the families installed a gate between their properties so they and their guests could travel back and forth." You’ll tour the iconic property and meet fellow architecture fans and preservationists who love what you love. 

This is a self-guided tour with a USModernist team member giving a brief talk about the property's history - then you are free to roam about the amazing house and beautiful grounds.  Funds benefit USModernist's nonprofit mission for the documentation, preservation, and promotion of residential Modernist architecture. 

USModernist is the largest non-profit open digital archive for midcentury Modernist houses in America. With documentation on 7,000 amazing houses, including nearly every Neutra, Wright (Sr. and Jr.), Lautner, Schindler, Wexler, Cody, Clark, Frey, Kaptur, Chambers, and Williams (E. Stewart and Paul), the group provides innovative research and preservation strategies for Modernist houses. The group produces the wildly popular USModernist Radio podcast, interviewing Modernist architects, fans, owners, authors, and influencers from across the world – including keynote speakers from Modernism Week. Learn more at usmodernist.org.

$65

Things to Know

Please arrive five minutes before entry time. After a short introduction by a USModernist team member, you are free to wander the house and grounds.
Parking is quite limited along the street. Please consider arriving by carpool, Uber, Lyft, cab, or by walking. For the safety of the community, do not park blocking driveways, fire lanes, or fire hydrants.
Photography is OK everywhere.
Please no smoking, food, or drink in the house or grounds. 
The organizer of this event is USModernist. 

Event Check-in Location

Kirk and Anne Douglas Estate, 515 West Via Lola, Palm Springs, CA 92262
View Map

Photo Credits: Kirk and Anne Douglas Estate, Kirk and Anne Douglas and Family, Architect Donald Wexler, USModernist www.usmodernist.org, Kirk and Anne Douglas Estate at Night