Worth The Wait: The Last Wexler, $6.6M

by Philip Ferrato

In over six decades of architectural practice—Donald Wexler (FAIA, 1926-2015)—had a profound influence on what we now admire as Desert Modernism. Starting with a brief stint at Richard Neutra’s office in L.A., Wexler moved to Palm Springs to embark on a career that would encompass public commissions, hospitality, multi-family and private residential work—all in an aesthetic that managed to be both rigorously modern and eminently liveable. Now, as a (perhaps) final tribute—Wexler’s last work has just been built on the edge of Palm Springs at Desert Palisades—is a rocky, rugged enclave of exceptional architecture.

Coaxed out of retirement in 2010 by an admirer who commissioned a home for herself to be built in a meadow at East Hampton, Wexler partnered with Lance O’Donnell and his firm, o2 Architecture to produce the plans, but ultimately it was never built. The dream finally became a reality this year under O’Donnell’s direction, partnered with the development team at Marc Sanders Restoration Design, and with staging by Sheri Zeller at Vesta Home.

It has the hallmarks of a Donald Wexler dwelling—broad expanses of glass, steel and masonry, immaculately fitted together into a very livable plan—and looking outward with a Mondrian-esque clarity from its perch on boulder-strewn site overlooking Palm Springs. Below, a signature Wexler detail, an entry walkway framed with steel spider leg outriggers and a masonry wall just high enough to frame the view.

Visit the listing for additional details and more images. An extraordinary opportunity to acquire a work by Donald Wexler and Lance O’Donnell—two of Desert Modernism’s most esteemed practitioners–represented by luxury specialist Marc Sanders of Compass (here wearing both his developer and realtor hats) who has said about the property “… it sets a very high bar for living well in the desert.”