Designed by Swiss-born architect (and former Le Corbusier student) Albert Frey in 1955, the Cree House is often referred to as “The Forgotten Frey”—not because it was forgotten, but because it was privately held for years and no one got to see it. Raymond Cree, former school superintendent turned real estate developer, commissioned Frey to design the simple two-bedroom structure.

After being privately held by just a handful of owners, the Cree House—which only cost $40,000 to build—was finally revealed to the midcentury-loving public during 2019's Palm Springs Modernism Week. The home recently underwent a total renovation that meticulously restored all of the original building materials to nearly their original condition. This includes the exterior and interior wall panels, fluted fiberglass deck pieces, kitchen appliances, cabinetry—and even the original glass shower door.

Painted encelia green—the color of desert flowers—the 1,124-square-foot, one-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath home sits on an 8.2-acre hillside. The single-story residence is supported by thin steel columns, and it appears to float over the rocky terrain. A spacious 600-square-foot deck is wrapped with bold yellow fiberglass siding. The design bears similarities to Frey’s own residence, Frey House II, and it's also perhaps the best representation of his training under Le Corbusier and his work on the iconic Villa Savoye.

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67389 East Palm Canyon Drive, Albert Frey's Cree House is currently listed for $2,500,000 by Andy Linsky, Sven Vennen, and Kevin Bass at ASK Palm Springs. Virtual tour: www.ForgottenFrey.com

Related Reading: Transformers of the Modern House: Albert Frey and Lina Bo Bardi

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