One of the most intact residences by architect Albert Frey will be on view to the public for the first time ever.
Last year, Modernism Week presented the Hidden Frey. But this year, the discoveries continue in spectacular fashion. The Forgotten Frey, also known as the Cree Residence, is the most intact Frey-designed residence other than the architect’s own home. Since the home has been owned by the same family since the 1970s, it has quietly existed on its hilltop perch, overlooking the desert floor, largely forgotten and never before seen by the public…until now.
“Being one of the first great architects to bring the international style to Palm Springs and the wider region, Frey is widely recognised, way beyond his death in 1998, as one of the true pioneers of the area’s remarkable architectural legacy; his buildings often acting as the visual shorthand for what has been known ever since as Desert Modernism.” – Wallpaper* magazine
Palm Springs Life has partnered with the owner to preserve, restore, and reinvigorate this midcentury modern gem. From a recent story about the Cree House: Throughout the past year, the owner has meticulously preserved and restored the house to nearly its original 1955 condition. The Cree house is abundantly clad in identifying characteristics found in other Frey projects: strong, jutting balconies with corrugated fiberglass railings, asbestos exterior walls, industrial materials and thin roof overhangs. A fascinating study in siting, the building is elevated primarily on pilotis, leaving the mountain beneath virtually untouched. Wildly contrasting its environment in materials and forms, it also seems to blend into it. Its colors and shapes evoke the surrounding granite hills and desert foliage as much as contrast them.
The Forgotten Frey: The Cree House is open to the public February 14 to February 24 from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tickets are selling quickly, but tours are still available. Be sure to check the times closely here.
