Desert Modernism 101 - Sunnylands
Sunnylands: A Desert Masterpiece by a. quincy jones
Looking back at all of the historically significant examples of mid-century architecture that I’ve had the pleasure of photographing, I can easily pick a favorite experience: my visit to Sunnylands. Almost impossible to explain, even with photographs, it seems out of time and place, as if you could be told that you’ve traveled back to some hazy past, and for a second, believe it. And the Mayan influence pushes that feeling even further! While I was able to thoroughly visit both inside and out, my assignment (and clear directive…) was exterior photographs only, so that’s what I have to share here…although, I HIGHLY recommend that you make the time and effort to score an interiors tour if you’re ever in the area!
The Sunnylands Estate
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. The home features a striking pink pyramidal roof, selected to echo the rosy glow of sunrise and sunset on the surrounding San Jacinto Mountains, along with deep overhangs for sun protection, floor-to-ceiling glass walls that blur indoor-outdoor boundaries, concrete ceilings, steel beams, and battered pink site walls. Interiors were executed by legendary Hollywood designers William Haines and Ted Graber with a sense of light-filled elegance. Nicknamed the “West Coast Camp David,” Sunnylands hosted U.S. presidents, royalty, and celebrities; today it operates as Sunnylands Center & Gardens, a public venue for tours of the meticulously preserved historic house, nine acres of gardens, and reflection on its cultural and diplomatic legacy. It remains one of Jones’ most significant and intact commissions, highlighting his innovative approach to climate-responsive desert modernism. (For an extensively detailed and quite beautiful telling of the entire story, I highly recommend this coffee table book, which you can grab directly from the Sunnylands site.)
A. Quincy Jones
Jones was born in 1913 in Kansas City, Missouri - raised in California, he was a highly influential Los Angeles-based architect and educator who helped define postwar mid-century modern architecture in Southern California. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1936, and after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Jones established his own practice and later formed a long partnership with Frederick E. Emmons. He is celebrated for his innovative residential designs, including participation in the iconic Case Study House program (unbuilt house #24…) and groundbreaking tract housing for developer Joseph Eichler, popularly known as Eichler homes. Jones also served as a professor and dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Southern California from 1951 to 1967, championing modernist principles, urban planning with greenbelts, and accessible modern design. His work on Sunnylands stands as the pinnacle of his career, blending grandeur and integration with the natural desert landscape.