Donald Wexler, Palm Springs Modernist

Education:

University of Minnesota, 1950

• 1955: Wexler House, Palm Springs, California
• 1958: Spa Hotel Bath House, Palm Springs, California
• 1960s: Royal Hawaiian Estates, Palm Springs, California
• 1961: Alexander Steel Houses, Palm Springs, California
• 1962: Union 76 Gas Station, Palm Springs, California
• 1963: Palm Springs Medical Clinic, Palm Springs, California
• 1964: Dinah Shore Residence, Palm Springs, California
• 1965: Palm Springs International Airport
• 1971: Merrill Lynch Building, Palm Canyon, California
• 1985: Hope Square Professional Centre, Palm Springs, California

Other prominent architects of the period included:

• Albert Frey
• John Lautner
• E. Stewart Williams

• Desert Modernism
• Tiki
• International Style
• Alexander Houses

Working with Richard Harrison, Donald Wexler had designed many school buildings using new approaches to steel construction. Wexler believed that the same methods could be used to build stylish and affordable homes. The Alexander Construction company contracted Wexler to design prefab steel houses for a tract neighborhood in Palm Springs, California. After seven houses were built, rising prices made the project impractical. However, Wexler's steel houses set a new tone for prefabricated home construction and inspired similar projects across the country.

_References

• Video: Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler
• Donald Wexler Tribute Journal: Publication from the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation