The Bohn House - Historic Art Deco Architecture in Austin gets a 21st century update from Dick Clark + Associates

Built in 1938 by architect Roy L. Thomas for Herbert and Alice Bohn, and now recognized as one of the most iconic and architecturally striking homes in all of Austin, The Bohn House was originally designed as a modernist escape, evoking the mythical Shangri-La in Frank Capra’s Lost Horizon. Herbert, fresh from a voyage on the Queen Mary, wanted a home that captured the Streamline Moderne style of the era, complete with aluminum railings, porthole windows, and a prow-like rotunda that gives the exterior a ship-like silhouette.

Desert Modernism 101 - William F. Cody's Abernathy House

Palm Springs is synonymous with Midcentury Modern architecture and Desert Modernism, and among the visionaries who shaped this legacy, few are as prolific yet under-the-radar as William F. Cody. While names like Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, and E. Stewart Williams often steal the spotlight, Cody’s elegant, climate-responsive designs defined resort-style living in the Coachella Valley. Nowhere is his genius more perfectly captured than in the Abernathy House, a 1962 masterpiece that remains one of Palm Springs’ most celebrated private homes, and is very near the top of the list of my all-time favorite shoots.

Desert Modernism 101 - Richard Neutra's Grace Miller House

The Grace Miller house is one of those lynchpin historic homes that almost seems to exist only in theory. You can’t see it from the street, if you can even trust that the directions that you’ve found online are correct…hint, they aren’t. Tours seem to be non-existent. If it wasn’t for a segment in the absolutely wonderful 2008 documentary on the life of Julius Schulman, “Visual Acoustics,” (a must see for any fan of architecture BTW…) I wouldn’t have even been sure that it still existed! After a few years of shooting in Palm Springs, I’d yet to even catch a glimpse of it.

Desert Modernism 101 - Sunnylands

Completed in 1966 and located in Rancho Mirage, just minutes from Palm Springs in California’s Coachella Valley, it stands as a landmark example of mid-century modern architecture. Commissioned by publishing magnate and diplomat Walter Annenberg and his wife Leonore as a winter retreat and entertaining venue on a sprawling 200-acre site, the approximately 25,000-square-foot single-story residence exemplifies Jones’ mastery of integrating bold modernist forms with the desert landscape.

Desert Modernism 101 - Albert Frey

Desert Modernism emerged as a response to the harsh desert environment, emphasizing designs that harmonized with nature. Frey pioneered architecture that embraced the climate through features like large glass walls for indoor-outdoor living, shade structures to combat intense heat, and integration with the natural topography. His work focused on simplicity, efficiency, and environmental sensitivity, and influenced generations of architects and designers worldwide.

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