Vista Las Palmas
Buying or selling in Vista Las Palmas?
Midcentury modernism at the foot of the mountains.
Vista Las Palmas sits against the San Jacinto foothills, immediately west of Old Las Palmas. The mountains form a close backdrop to the neighborhood’s residential streets, pools and gardens.
Uptown’s cafés, restaurants, galleries, design stores and shops are walkable from the neighborhood. The route east takes you through Old Las Palmas before reaching North Palm Canyon Drive, with the distance depending on the home.
Alexander homes, pools and indoor-outdoor living.
Vista Las Palmas is defined by its concentration of midcentury homes developed by the Alexander Construction Company. Post-and-beam construction, walls of glass and open plans connect living spaces with private pools, patios and gardens.
Lots are generally around a quarter to a third of an acre. Original houses, carefully restored homes and extensively updated properties sit alongside one another, making the quality and extent of previous work an important part of any purchase.
Typical features
- Post-and-beam construction
- Walls of glass
- Butterfly, folded-plate and low-pitched roofs
- Swiss Miss A-frame designs
- Private pools and outdoor living areas
- Mature landscaping
- Mountain views
Useful property details
- Original architect and builder
- Original floor plan and roofline
- Year built and historic designation
- Original versus altered architectural features
- Renovation and permit history
- Lot size and orientation
- Mountain-view corridors
- Previous sale history
The Alexander era helped define modern Palm Springs.
The Alexander Construction Company began developing Vista Las Palmas in 1956, close to the established Las Palmas estates. Construction continued in several phases through the late 1950s and into the early 1960s.
Charles DuBois and the architectural firm of Dan Palmer and William Krisel gave the neighborhood its distinctive identity. Their varied rooflines and house orientations brought visual variety to a development built around modern construction and desert living.
Robert and Helene Alexander also made their home here, at the House of Tomorrow on Ladera Circle. The house later became closely associated with Elvis and Priscilla Presley.
Butterfly roofs, Swiss Miss houses and walls of glass.
Vista Las Palmas has one of Palm Springs’ best-known concentrations of Alexander homes. The steep A-frame Swiss Miss houses by Charles DuBois stand alongside the butterfly roofs and post-and-beam designs associated with Palmer & Krisel.
Common forms
- Midcentury modern
- Post-and-beam construction
- Butterfly and folded-plate roofs
- Low-pitched and flat rooflines
- Swiss Miss / dramatic A-frame designs
- Custom modernist residences
Architects with documented work here
- William Krisel
- Dan Palmer
- Charles DuBois
The House of Tomorrow at 1350 Ladera Circle is a distinctive Palmer & Krisel design, with clustered circular living spaces beneath a dramatic roof.
Modernist homes with a Hollywood history.
Vista Las Palmas has long attracted actors, musicians and entertainers. Former residents and notable visitors associated with the neighborhood include:
- Elvis & Priscilla Presley
- Robert & Helene Alexander
- Dean Martin
- Peter Lawford
- Debbie Reynolds
- Joan Collins
- George Hamilton
- John Phillips
- Trini Lopez
Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s honeymoon stay in 1967 made the House of Tomorrow one of the neighborhood’s best-known addresses.