Preservation Mirage, Rancho Mirage celebrate Modernism Week with panel - Desert Sun
- Mar 23
- 4 min read
A large, eager Modernism Week crowd gathered at Eisenhower Health on Feb. 21 for a panel discussion by four contemporary masters shaping the future of desert modern architecture. Presented by local nonprofit Preservation Mirage and the City of Rancho Mirage, "From Inspiration to Innovation" was two years in the making and marked the city's first formal involvement in a Modernism Week event.
Rancho Mirage Mayor Lynn Mallotto kicked off the event, noting the city's rich architectural history and its growing commitment to protect it. The city recently updated its Historic Resource Survey, identifying more than 50 additional homes plus multiple commercial properties and five districts now eligible for historic designation. Among the properties newly included in the survey was the site of the event itself, the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences, designed by renowned architect E. Stewart Williams in 1981.
The four architects — Lance O'Donnell, Leo Marmol, Barbara Bestor and Sean Lockyer — each shared personal stories about what drew them to desert modern architecture, what influenced their work and what issues they are grappling with as they design buildings for the future.
O'Donnell recounted stories about growing up in the Coachella Valley, where his grandfather lived on the Muñoz Ranch in Indio. Time on the farm in the 1960s taught him the importance of natural resources, water, soil and micro-climates. O'Donnell's design approach was further shaped by his exposure to the durable architecture of College of the Desert, where his father worked. Having celebrities like Hopalong Cassidy as neighbors also left a lasting impression of how celebrity
culture influenced design here.
As the founder of o2 Architecture, O'Donnell approaches design as a dialogue between environment and site, emphasizing a sustainable approach to modern design, reinforcing the essence of place. He designed seven buildings on Sunnyland's administrative and operations campus in Rancho Mirage, experimenting with low energy day lighting and cross-ventilation, plus water recycling. In addition, O'Donnell restored seven steel houses designed by Donald Wexler.
In contrast to O'Donnell's desert roots, Lockyer grew up far from the Coachella Valley in a neighborhood of traditional homes in Staten Island, New York. But staying overnight at Palm Springs' Frey House II, which sits in the landscape with a visual and physical connection to the exterior, was an early formative experience. Lockyer's Studio AR&D Architecture explores the poetic relationship between space, material and the natural environment. One of his current Palm Springs projects, the Sheepfold Residence, is an example of how he works to integrate structures into their sites. He is particularly interested in how materials and form shape our daily experiences and emotional connections to place.
Like Lockyer, Bestor grew up far from the desert in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before studying in England. Citing the architecture of Rem Koolhaus, Frank Gehry, Frank Lloyd Wright and Rudolph Schindler as influences, she recalled being drawn as a young professional to California's "funky, experimental" modernism, which she regarded as more vibrant than East Coast minimalist modernism. Her work today spans inventive restorations, such as an update of John Lautner's Silvertop residence in Los Angele, Napa's Ashes and Diamonds Winery and an Albert Frey structure that is now the Trina Turk Store in Palm Springs. More recently, she completed a new residence at Sunnyland to serve as the president's home. Bestor said she believes good design enhances everyday experiences as in her 2015 housing cluster known as Blackbirds, in L.A.'s Echo Park.
Marmol recounted his introduction to the joys and challenges of working as an architect in the desert when his firm, Marmol Radziner, was hired to restore Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House in Palm Springs. As an architect especially concerned with how restoration can extend a building's life, Marmol noted the project removed many additions and improved its efficiency. Similarly, he was able to create a vital new use for the Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan building in Palm Springs, now the Palms Springs Art Museum's Architecture and Design Center. Marmol also helped guide the design team reconstructing the Aluminaire House at the Palm Springs Art Museum. He is concerned with the U.S. housing crisis and believes we all have a duty to create equitable communities.
Julie Makinen, a Preservation Mirage board member and former executive editor of The Desert Sun, facilitated an engaging panel discussion with questions from the audience. The architects expressed dismay over how hard it can be to get approval to build projects and agreed that fewer bureaucratic government layers would help alleviate the housing crisis. O'Donnell, however, expressed optimism that AI might speed such reviews in the future. Architects, he added, have a role to play in advocating for change. "Architectural wisdom accumulates over years, and architects must be fearless!" he said. Preservation Mirage is a nonprofit that fosters an appreciation for Rancho Mirage's architectural and social legacy through tours, educational programs and architectural scholarships. The group has launched a historic bronze plaque program to make the public more aware of the renowned buildings of Rancho Mirage.
The first such plaque was shown at the event, recognizing the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences. The E. Stewart Williams building was the first on the Eisenhower Health campus not directly intended to be used to deliver health care. Ambassador Walter Annenberg and his wife, Leonore, donated $5 million to "establish an unmatched facility for leaders in education, medicine, government and industry to gather to contemplate issues of the next century."
Beyond its educational work, Preservation Mirage advocates for the protection of significant architecture and provides resources for those seeking historic designations. To become a member, visit preservationmirage.org.
Retired from the fashion industry, Suzanne Fromkin serves on the Tools for Tomorrow board and is an avid art and theater lover.
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