Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 28, 2026

Frey House II

Frey House II is a modernist house in Palm Springs, California United States designed by noted architect Albert Frey and completed in 1964. The house was also his personal home, the second in Palm Springs. The house incorporates many elements of the International Style such as and open floorplan and thought to the structure's relationship with the landscape. The New York Times said the house "encapsulated the man in [its] spare elegance perfectly attuned to the landscape."

Last revised
Jul 28, 2026
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Frey House II is a modernist house in Palm Springs, California United States designed by noted architect Albert Frey and completed in 1964.1 The house was also his personal home, the second in Palm Springs. The house incorporates many elements of the International Style such as and open floorplan and thought to the structure's relationship with the landscape.2 The New York Times said the house "encapsulated the man in [its] spare elegance perfectly attuned to the landscape."3

History

Frey's first home in Palm Springs, Frey House I, was built in 1940. In 1964, he sold it to a developer who demolished the house and built a multi-unit development that went bankrupt.4 Frey House II was built in 1964. At the time, the home was at the highest elevation of any home in Palm Springs.1 Frey spent five years selecting the site and one year to measure the movement of the sun at the site.1 The Palm Springs local government called the design "crazy" but gave approval.1

Design

It is 800 square feet (74 m2).1 The base is a concrete block and it has a steel structure with large glass floor to ceiling windows.1 It incorporates a large boulder into the design, which acts as a divider between the main bedroom and living room,1 the glass exterior was cut to enclose the boulder.5 There is a lower terrace with a pool and Frey used a sliding glass curtain between the pool and living room.5 The living room has built in furniture, and a yellow curtain that Frey chose because of the wildflowers on the site5, such as brittlebrush flowers.2 The roof is made of terra cotta colored corrugated metal.5

The house is on an east-west orientation, which allows for passive solar heat and cooling.2

A guest bedroom of 300 square feet (28 m2) was added in 1967.1

Status Today

Frey bequeathed the home to the Palm Springs Art Museum upon his death in 1998.6 It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 2015.7 It is available occasionally for tours. It is located at 686 West Palisades Drive8, part way up San Jacinto Mountain.1

Frey House Official Site, with tour information

References

References

  1. "Frey House II". Palm Springs Art Museum. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  2. Nash, David (Fall 2022). "California Design Classics: The Frey House II". C Magazine. No. Men's Edition. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  3. Iovine, Julie V. (December 3, 1998). "Albert Frey, a Modernist and Minimalist Architect, Dies at 95". New York Times. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  4. Ahrens, Ronald (January 29, 2024). "Look Inside Midcentury Architect Albert Frey's First Desert Home". Palm Springs Life. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  5. Mindel, Lee F. (February 10, 2016). "How Albert Frey Changed the Face of Modern Architecture A tour of Frey House II shows how the midcentury master made magnificent use of Palm Springs' desert landscape". AD. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  6. Reiner-Roth, Shane (March 26, 2024). "America's first all-metal-and-glass house is reborn in Palm Springs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  7. "NPGallery Digital Asset Management System". National Park Service. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  8. Stewart, Elizabeth (February 25, 2001). "Inside Palm Springs; In The Frey". New York Times. Retrieved 3 June 2026.