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Architecture 101
Winner of the 2023 IPPY Bronze Medal for Architecture
Architecture 101: Palm Springs, California and Desert Cities was researched and written by PSPF board members Ron & Barbara Marshall who have authored several Class 1 Historic Site nominations for the city of Palm Springs. This soft-touch 88-page booklet, with concealed Wire-O binding and accompanying maps, helps the user design a self-driving tour of architecturally significant buildings in the local area. The guide contains both new and historic photographs, architectural renderings, and vintage postcard images. Architecture 101 is a major update of the sold-out Architecture 100 (published in 2017) and not only includes newly-designated historic resources but also features an identification guide of local concrete screen block patterns. Already a best-seller, this indispensable guide is a favorite of tourists and locals alike.
$23.95 (includes book, shipping and handling, U.S. Shipping Only)
Tom O’Donnell: Generous Spirit of Palm Springs
Winner of the 2023 IPPY Bronze Medal for History
Tom O’Donnell: Generous Spirit of Palm Springs, by Steve Vaught, Steven Keylon, and Tracy Conrad, chronicles the many contributions of Palm Springs philanthropist Tom O’Donnell and his profound impact on the city’s built environment. Designed by graphic artist, Stephen Brogdon, the lavishly illustrated, 120-page book contains numerous rare vintage photographs that animate this fascinating history.
$43.95 (includes book, shipping and handling, U.S. Shipping Only)
Archi-"DECK"-ture Playing Cards
The 2022 edition of the Archi-“DECK”-ture playing card deck features 52 different Palm Springs and Coachella Valley area midcentury properties. Each card includes a photo and four interesting facts about the property. The cards are smooth finish premium paper stock and are Made in the USA.
$13.95 (includes card deck, shipping and handling, U.S. Shipping Only)
The Modern Architecture of Hugh Michael Kaptur
Winner of the 2021 IPPY Gold Medal for Architecture
The Modern Architecture of Hugh Michael Kaptur, by architectural historian and PSPF board member Steven Keylon, explores the life and many-faceted career of Palm Springs architect Hugh M. Kaptur. Kaptur, the last remaining architect of the legendary school of Palm Springs Modern architects, began his career working as a designer at General Motors in Detroit, before arriving in Palm Springs in 1956, just as the first wave of modernist design was taking off. He worked first with architect Donald Wexler before launching his own career. This 152-page book showcases the major themes in Kaptur’s work, from early post-and-beam Desert Modern; his bold organic sculptural architecture; his exploration of Brutalism, and designs utilizing strong geometric forms. Designed by graphic artist Gary Wexler, the book is lavishly illustrated with drawings from the Palm Springs Art Museum, Architecture and Design Center archives, as well as never before seen photos and renderings from Kaptur’s own personal archives.
$53.95 (includes book, shipping and handling, U.S. Shipping Only)
The Design of Herbert W. Burns
The Design of Herbert W. Burns by landscape historian and PSPF board member Steven Keylon. Burns’ fascinating life and multiple talents (from his early years as a lighting designer/fabricator, to stockbroker, to contractor, and finally to architectural designer) have earned him Keylon’s informal nickname “The Charismatic Chameleon.” Published in 2018, this 84-page book represents the most comprehensive and scholarly overview of Herbert Burns’ career to date, and includes hitherto unseen archival material from the Burns family.
$23.95 (includes book, shipping and handling, U.S. Shipping Only)
Sentinels in Stone: Palm Springs’ Historic Tennis Club Neighborhood and its Iconic Walls
Sentinels in Stone: Palm Springs’ Historic Tennis Club Neighborhood and its Iconic Walls by historian Steve Vaught. Published in 2015, this 48-page tribute journal chronicles the early history and architecture of Palm Springs as told by the stone structures including elegant residences, artist cabins, walls of all descriptions, even lowly turn-of-the century irrigation ditches. Many of the rare vintage photographs in the journal reveal spectacular vistas of Palm Springs before the city’s incorporation in 1938.
$23.95 (includes tribute journal, shipping and handling, U.S. Shipping Only)
Desert Spanish: The Early Architecture of Palm Springs
Desert Spanish: The Early Architecture of Palm Springs by author and architectural historian the late Patrick McGrew. Published in 2012, this 80-page tribute journal is illustrated with rare vintage photographs from the Gail B. Thompson Collections (Courtesy The Willows Historic Palm Springs Inn). This PSPF effort represents the most comprehensive and scholarly overview of Palm Springs’ beautiful Spanish-influenced architecture to date.
$23.95 (includes tribute journal, shipping and handling, U.S. Shipping Only)
Retail Locations
Our books and playing cards are also available at the following retail locations:
Destination PSP, 170 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Just Fabulous, 515 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Palm Springs Art Museum, Architecture and Design Center, 300 South Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Palm Springs Historical Society, 221 South Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Palm Springs Visitors Center, 2901 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262