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Sandpiper: A Midcentury Oasis Neighborhood Home Tour

Tour the homes and enchanting grounds of Sandpiper, a William Krisel masterwork and one of the most important Desert Modern concentrations in the Coachella Valley.

$100 (1 hr), 6 homes on this tour

Category: Tour (Exterior), Tour (Interior), Tour (Neighborhood), Tour (Walking), Self-guided

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Details

Come tour six (6) homes in this iconic desert community! Built between 1958 and 1969, the Sandpiper is considered one of William Krisel’s masterpieces. He designed both the architecture and the landscaping of the 306-home 40 acre Sandpiper, resulting in an unusually elegant and cohesive community. You will get an intimate inside look at the 24 home Sandpiper Circle 3 from 1960 which commands the highest elevation in the entire Sandpiper community and encompasses: 

• Three acres of lush grounds featuring flat-roofed homes of varying heights arranged in a pinwheel around the pool and Ramada to maximize mountain views and privacy.
• Dramatically angled block steps that drape across higher elevations to visually cradle the unfenced pool and grounds.
• All homes with “front patios” facing the common grounds with views unmarred by the sight of cars, garages or overhead wires.

Sandpiper is a midcentury desert oasis–for which Krisel won a landscaping award from the American Institute of Architects. The homes themselves are remarkably preserved time capsules of intelligent and elegant midcentury design: post and beam construction allowing for spacious living areas and extensive use of glass and sliders, and “all-electric kitchens,'' earning each home a Live Better Electrically gold medallion encased in its front entranceway. The transcendent and striking design of the early Sandpiper circles were featured in numerous publications and were photographed by acclaimed architectural documentarian, Julius Shulman. “...My architecture is not a ‘style’; it is a ‘language.’ I call that language–'Midcentury Modern’–where problem-solving and function along with scale, materiality, a cultural relevance meld together to produce ‘Architecture.’” -William Krisel, AIA.

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$100

Things to Know
There are six (6) homes on this tour.

This event is for ages 21 and older.
Parking on Pitahaya St. off Highway 74
No children, no pets, no smoking, no food or drinks allowed.
No restrooms available in homes. (Portable toilet available)
Photography at the discretion of the homeowner.
The organizer of this event is Sandpiper 3 on El Paseo.

Event Check-in Location
Sandpiper Community on El Paseo
Circle 3 “Pitahaya St. gate", off Highway 74 St—Pitahaya St gate.

Palm Desert, CA 92260
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Photo Credits: Sandpiper 3 on El Paseo

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