Palm Springs will receive a special Valentine Feb. 14 when the historic 1931 Aluminaire house arrives, just in time for Modernism Week 2017.
The free arrival celebration will take place at 10 a.m. Feb. 14 at the Palm Springs Visitors Center, formerly the 1965 Tramway Gas Station designed by the same architect of the Aluminaire House, Albert Frey.
Showcased will be the container in which Aluminaire was shipped from New York, boldly wrapped with images of the house and Frey – a ‘moving billboard’ across the country. The event will feature short presentations by a member of the Palm Springs City Council, and two Aluminaire House Foundation Board members, Tracy Conrad, COO of Smoke Tree Ranch and owner of the historic O’Donnell House and the Willows Inn, and Mark Davis, Modernism Week board member and treasurer.
After the celebration, the container holding the house will be parked on south Palm Canyon Drive throughout Modernism Week, February 16-26, and will be illuminated as part of Modernism Week’s Illuminated Modern nightly event. After Modernism Week concludes, the container will be stored in the Palm Springs City Yard.
Aluminaire is one of the components included in the plans for the new Downtown Park. Once the park is completed and the site for Aluminaire prepared, the home will be reassembled and opened to the public to tour.
“We are thrilled that this day has finally arrived,” said Davis. “Our committee has worked passionately over the last two years to have Aluminaire shipped to Palm Springs and will continue the work required to have it displayed permanently in Palm Springs and available to the public. Now that the house has arrived in Palm Springs, we are one step closer in achieving our goal of reassembling it in a location that will be a year-round attraction and will significantly contribute to Palm Springs thriving architectural tourism focus. Once Aluminaire is reassembled, the full arc of Albert Frey’s career in America, from 1931 to 1986, can be experienced.”
Additional Modernism Week events celebrating Aluminaire include an informative talk, entitled “Albert Frey’s 1931 Aluminaire House” by Professor Michael Schwarting and Associate Professor Frances Campani, both architects, who have worked tirelessly for 29 years to save Aluminaire from destruction. The talk, followed by a panel moderated by renowned National Public Radio journalist, Susan Stamberg, will be held on from 1:30-3 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Palm Springs Art Museum Annenberg Theater. Tickets are $12 and are available at modernismweek.com.
The talk will be followed by a reception fundraiser from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Feb. 25. This exclusive afternoon reception fundraiser will be held at the iconic Siva House, designed by Hugh Kaptur, and located high above Palm Springs on Palisades Drive and Frey’s own ‘Frey House II.’ The reception will honor Professor Schwarting and Associate Professor Campani to thank them for their tireless work in saving Aluminaire, and Stamberg.
Tickets for this event range from $250 – $1,000 and can be purchased at modernismweek.com or RSVP to [email protected]