This Midcentury Home for Sale Is the Grandest Palm Springs Has Ever Seen
Designed in 1966 by modernist architect Howard Lapham, 650 East Tachevah Drive is a sprawling, one-level residence with 10 bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and two half-baths located in Palm Springs’ historic Movie Colony neighborhood. The grand residence comes in at just under 10,000 square feet and is also rumored to be the largest midcentury modern home in town.
Large-scale rooms, high ceilings, and walls of glass were all trademarks of architect Howard Lapham.
Long and low with classic midcentury lines, the home sits on a three quarter-acre lot that includes green lawns, gardens, and an entertaining area with a lanai, lounge, and swimming pool. Lapham, who is known for having designed the Thunderbird Heights home in Rancho Mirage (a frequent vacation spot for the Obamas), favored large-scale projects: accordingly, 650 East Tachevah Drive features capacious rooms, high ceilings, and walls of glass. There are also cantilevered roofs, poured terrazzo floors, and brightly colored interiors.
The eat-in kitchen is painted turquoise, and the formal dining room is painted purple to match the bloom colors of the twin orchid trees on either side. In the kitchen, the current homeowners display their colorful collection of vintage pyrex bowls, which remind them of their childhood. The kitchen features marble tile flooring which was added at some point over the years.
The purple formal dining room enjoys high ceilings and sliding doors.
The home’s colorful interiors are thanks to one of the current owners, a former New York fashion designer, who also outfitted the interiors with an extensive collection of Arthur Elrod–designed furniture and accessories.
"The home exemplifies the indoor/outdoor living experience that Palm Springs is famous for," says listing agent Rick Distel of Compass. "The property provides the perfect backdrop for lavish entertaining, but it is equally welcoming and enjoyable for intimate gatherings for just a couple of friends."
The living room connects to a lanai, blurring the divide between inside and outside.
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The living room retains the home’s original, poured terrazzo floors. There are oversize Fleetwood sliding glass doors on both sides. Most of the original doors have been upgraded to newer, energy-efficient glass, but their size and placement match what was original to the home.
The original, functional fireplace is on a scale rarely seen in midcentury homes.
The game room features colorful fabric panels on the walls, added by the current owner.
A cheerful color palette continues in the bedrooms, which have outdoor access.
The home has always had two pools: the large "summer" pool outdoors has a lounge area that can be accessed via the oversized glass sliders in the living room. The "winter" pool is located indoors.
The home is also perfectly sited with unobstructed views of the San Jacinto Mountains from its serene central courtyard. "It really epitomizes Palm Springs midcentury modern architecture on a grand scale," Distel concludes.
Unfortunately, this 1969 Mustang GT convertible in a rare shade of Playboy Pink with White Pearl interiors is not included in the sale.
650 East Tachevah Drive is currently being listed for $4,250,000 by Rick Distel of Compass.
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