A Glimpse Back in Time at William F. Cody’s Now-Lost Desert Modern
The first monograph devoted to one of the key architects who helped shape postwar Palm Springs revisits his widely recognized early-1960s Shamel Residence before it was demolished.
Like many homeowners in the Eldorado Country Club development, Jennings and Anna Shamel built their fairway home as a winter residence for relaxed living and recreation, notably golf.
A Julius Shulman photo of the motor court and front entrance of the Shamel Residence by William F. Cody shows the fieldstone wall juxtaposed with wood beams, steel columns, and stucco walls.
Photo by Julius Shulman photography archive © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10), courtesy Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody (Monacelli, 2021)
On a lot bordered on three sides by the 10th and 13th fairways, Cody created multiple layers of space to guarantee privacy without sacrificing the clients’ desire for an open, informal interior. The slender structure of the house, composed of four-inch-square steel columns on a 12-by-12-foot grid, was all but invisible, allowing Cody maximum flexibility in planning.
The steps and landing were integrated with the pools and planters. Cody designed the sculptural exterior light fixture next to the entrance doors as a housewarming gift for the Shamels.
Photo by Julius Shulman photography archive © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10), courtesy Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody (Monacelli, 2021)
The pool extended under the entry wall to the exterior, similar to the pool at the Palm Springs Spa Bath House, which Cody helped design alongside Donald Wexler, Richard Harrison, and Phillip Koenig. (That project is also now demolished.)
Photographer unknown, courtesy Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody (Monacelli, 2021)
The screen-covered entry court at the core of the house served as a sheltered, semi-outdoor room and also provided access to the bedroom, living, and service zones. On the west side of the house, a portico offered protection from the afternoon sun while also creating a buffer between the fairway and the glass-walled living room. As mandated by Eldorado’s bylaws, no barriers were permitted between the house and the fairways—a stipulation that Cody had first introduced for the master plan at Thunderbird Country Club—which allowed exceptional views of the golf course and mountains. The roof appeared to float above the interior, supported by slender columns and extending outward to frame views and provide shade.
The entry court, partially roofed with screening, could be opened to the living areas through the full-height glass doors seen to the left. Behind the stone wall was the primary bedroom suite and another bedroom.
Photo by Julius Shulman photography archive © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10), courtesy Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody (Monacelli, 2021)
The back of the house faced the 10th and 13th fairways, without architectural features to interrupt the views of the Eldorado Country Club’s golf course and the mountains beyond.
Photo by Julius Shulman photography archive © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10), courtesy Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody (Monacelli, 2021)
Throughout the house, Cody designed distinctive details, ranging from the direct-set glass of the kitchen windows to the entry lamp beside the front door. Interior materials such as teak, travertine, slate, and indigenous stone created rich textures and warm colors that contrasted with the steel columns and large areas of glass. The living room fireplace in particular showed off this strategic juxtaposition of materials: four panels of travertine hovered above the fireplace opening, while the rough stone wall in the background could be seen through the tempered glass that filled in the space between the steel columns and the fireplace.
Matched paneling was used throughout the kitchen and dining room to form continuous planes of beautifully grained wood. The glass of the kitchen windows extended directly into the ceiling above and countertop below, eliminating visual obstructions between inside and outside.
Photo by Julius Shulman photography archive © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10), courtesy Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody (Monacelli, 2021)
The glass doors of the dining area led to a covered walkway that connected to the poolside patio. As in other parts of the house, the orientation of the ceiling boards alternated with each bay.
Photo by Julius Shulman photography archive © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10), courtesy Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody (Monacelli, 2021)
The Shamel Residence was one of Cody’s most widely recognized residential projects, featured in the Los Angeles Times and Architecture/West, among other publications. It was also chosen as one of 11 winners of the 1965 American Institute of Steel Construction Architectural Awards of Excellence. The award jurors wrote, "its design reflects the infinite variety of life that takes places (sic) in a house of this kind. It is an unpretentious and straightforward solution to a beautiful location—simple, direct, straight to the point." The Shamel Residence also garnered a 1964 Homes for Better Living award from the AIA. Unfortunately, the house has been razed and the lot remains empty.
Outside the living room, a palm tree grew through an opening in the roof.
Photo by Julius Shulman photography archive © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10), courtesy Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody (Monacelli, 2021)
The living room fireplace was faced with travertine and flanked by glass. In front of the fireplace, the slate floor dropped to create an intimate seating area.
Photo by Julius Shulman photography archive © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10), courtesy Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody (Monacelli, 2021)
Seen from just inside the front door, the fireplace and a garden separated the living room on the left from the stone wall of the primary bedroom to the right.
Photo by Julius Shulman photography archive © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10), courtesy Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody (Monacelli, 2021)
Buy the book
Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody
Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody is the first, long-overdue book on this key Palm Springs architect, abundantly illustrated and detailed. Of the architects who made Palm Springs a crucible of midcentury American modernism, William F. Cody (1916–1978) was one of the most prolific, diverse, and iconic. Directing a practice ranging from residences to commercial centers and industrial complexes to master plans, Cody's designs are so recognizable that they provide visual shorthand for what is widely hailed as Desert Modern. While his architecture was disciplined and technically innovative, Cody did not practice an austere modernism; he imbued in his projects a love for social spaces, rich with patterns, texture, color, and art. Though the majority of Cody's built work was concentrated in California and Arizona, he had commissions in other western states, Hawaii, Mexico, Honduras, and Cuba. From icons like the Del Marcos Hotel (1946), to inventive country clubs like the Eldorado (1957), to houses for celebrities (Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Walt Disney), Cody's projects defined the emerging West Coast lifestyle that combined luxury, leisure, and experimental design. Cody also pushed the boundaries of engineering, with beams and roof slabs so thin that his buildings seemed to defy gravity. Master of the Midcentury is the first monograph devoted to Cody, authored by the team that curated the acclaimed exhibition Fast Forward: The Architecture of William F. Cody at the Architecture and Design Museum in Los Angeles: his daughter, Cathy Cody, design historian Jo Lauria, and architectural historian Don Choi. Replete with photographs of extant and now-lost structures, as well as masterful color renderings and drawings for architectural commissions and plans for vanguard building systems, Master of the Midcentury is the authoritative resource on Cody.
ShopExcerpted from Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody by Catherine Cody, Jo Lauria, and Don Choi, with a foreword by Wim De Wit, published by Monacelli. © 2021.
Top photo courtesy Julius Shulman photography archive © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)
We love the products we feature and hope you do, too. If you buy something through a link on the site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Related Reading:
Photo Essay: Revisit the Midcentury Classics of Palm Springs and Beyond
A Rare William F. Cody Midcentury Just Listed in Palm Springs for $12.9M
11 Celebrity Homes That Showcase Desert Modernism in Rancho Mirage
Published
Last Updated