William Krisel left a strong mark on the city of Palm Springs—one that particularly resonates in the iconic subdivision of Twin Palms, the first modern tract neighborhood in town. A collection of about 90 homes, Twin Palms was a shared project of the celebrated midcentury architect and the George and Bob Alexander Construction company.

Chris Menrad, the listing agent for the property at 1042 E. Apache Road and author of William Krisel’s Palm Springs: The Language of Modernism, notes, “The genius of Krisel is that he was able to show the Alexanders (his customer and the builder of Twin Palms) how to offer a product to the buyer that looked like a custom home, but was quasi-assembly line built with almost a modular concept of commonality of floor plan and construction technique.” From the street, each home looks unique, but the floor plans are essentially the same. This winning combination was a hit for the Alexander Construction Company, propelling them to construct almost 2,000 additional units which forever changed the look of Palm Springs.

Originally built in 1957, the home features many of the architect’s signature touches. “Krisel's long gable design presents a rugged facade of carefully masoned desert stone,” says Menrad.

At the rear of the home, however, Krisel employed a different design narrative, and the home opens up “with delicate panes of glass bracketing the massive stone fireplace.” This expansive wall of glass gives the home a true indoor/outdoor connection and floods the living space with natural light, magnificent mountain views, and a rooted sense of place in the California desert.

Shop the Look

1042 E. Apache Road is now being listed for $1,195,000 by Chris Menrad of TTK Represents.

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A William Krisel-Designed Midcentury in Palm Springs Lists For Under $1.2M