While it’s most known as the place where Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned in 1967, the House of Tomorrow in Palm Springs’ Vista Las Palmas neighborhood is a marvel for architecture fans all around the world.
Designed in 1960 by architect William Krisel for Helene and Robert Alexander of Alexander Construction Company, the home featured a number of gizmos and gadgets of the time, including electronic controls to manipulate the indoor climate, lava rock walls and Jetson’s-style furniture. Its architecture is another thing to gawk at: The house design features four living spaces within four 12-sided polygons, or dodecagons.
But as the home changed ownership over six decades, wear and tear, poor upkeep and foreclosure struck. In December 2020, Seattle-based architects and investors Paul Armitstead and Dan Bridge purchased the home and set out to renovate and restore it. During Modernism Week – October, which runs through Sunday, the co-owners welcomed some of the first visitors since the restoration work was completed — and they got to see how the past and present collide.
