Twin Palms, Palm Springs

[PaulKaplan]

Twin Palms was the first neighborhood built by the Alexander Construction Company in Palm Springs, CA. The 33 homes were designed by William Krisel and built around 1958. It was revolutionary in that it featured homes with the same floorplan, however the roof lines varied from lot to lot. The result is a feel of a more custom built neighborhood, rather then the typical "tract" housing of post-war America.

The homes featured post & beam construction, with tongue and grove ceilings.

Krisel's favorite roof line was the "Butterfly Roof." Its one of the iconic mid-century designs, that is most popular in Palm Springs. He designed the more standardized Gable Roof as well, to appeal to the more traditional buyer, however, he personally did not like that design, we're told.



Part of the marketing for the development called, "Twin Palms" included two plam trees planted in the front yard. When driving through the neighborhood, its still possible to see many of the "twin palms" thriving in the desert sunshine! Of course most of these palms are now 40' tall! Krisel also designed the landscaping for these homes, which consisted of a graphic presentation alternating shapes of lawn mixed with rock and desert plantings. Some of the homeowners have recently restored their landscaping to reflect the original designs intended for these properties.

[Mod' i-fy]