The birth of desert modernism can be traced back to some fine print. In the early and mid-20th century, Hollywood’s rigid studio system reportedly kept some of its biggest stars contractually bound to remain within a two-hour drive from the set during production, and within that roughly 120-mile radius there was no more appealing escape than Palm Springs. In response to an influx of high-profile, creative, and free-spending clientele— everyone from Cary Grant to Frank Sinatra—a distinct style of architecture that
