It was the city where the Rat Pack partied, Elvis honeymooned and Eisenhower swung the only hole in one of his life. Palm Springs, California's fabled desert oasis, has long been a winter playground for the Hollywood set; the city lies just 100 miles (160 km) east of Los Angeles. But it is also home to an extensive array of beautifully preserved Modernist structures that have turned this golf-and-cocktails resort town into a must-see destination for devotees of architecture.
For several decades in the middle of the 20th century, internationally renowned architects such as Richard Neutra and John Lautner--who is currently...