Frey House II, Palm Springs

Perched dramatically on the San Jacinto mountainside above Palm Springs, Frey House II is more than just a home-it’s an architectural statement that merges human ingenuity with nature’s raw beauty. Designed by celebrated modernist architect Albert Frey, this compact 800-square-foot residence became his retreat and remains one of the most iconic structures in the Coachella Valley.

Completed in 1964 after five years of site selection and a year of solar tracking using a 10-foot pole, Frey House II was considered radical at the time. Even Palm Springs City Hall initially deemed the design "crazy" before eventually giving it the green light. The result? A minimalist steel-frame structure anchored by a concrete podium sheathed in painted corrugated metal and oriented to harmonize with the desert climate.

One of the home’s most striking features is the integration of a large boulder into its layout-an homage to the surrounding rocky terrain. Rather than clear the site, Frey built the house around the rock, using it as a natural room divider between the bedroom and living space. The house unfolds from this centerpiece with low-profile built-ins and expansive floor-to-ceiling sliding glass walls that offer panoramic views of the Coachella Valley while maximizing energy efficiency through solar heating and cooling.

Inside, design meets restraint. The home’s east-west orientation, geometric lines, and functional layout reflect the core principles of modernism. Even the curtains and ceiling show Frey’s attention to the natural environment-the former chosen to match the desert’s yellow encilla blooms, the latter painted sky blue.

Albert Frey, who lived in Palm Springs from 1934 until he died in 1998, left an enduring architectural legacy that includes over 200 projects. His other major works include the Palm Springs City Hall and the Aerial Tramway Valley Station. Upon his passing at age 95, Frey bequeathed Frey House II to the Palm Springs Art Museum, which now owns and preserves the property.

Frey House II stands as both a personal vision and a public treasure-an embodiment of modernist ideals, a respectful nod to nature, and a permanent fixture in the desert’s cultural landscape.