Neutra-designed “crown jewel” of Palm Springs lists for $25M

Kaufmann Desert House was built in 1940s, commissioned by department store magnate

Kaufmann Desert House (Courtesy Coastal Luxury Living)
Kaufmann Desert House (Courtesy Coastal Luxury Living)

One of modernist architect Richard Neutra’s most famous homes is hitting the market in Palm Springs.

The Kaufmann Desert House, located at 470 West Vista Chino in Palm Springs, has listed for $25 million, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The home was built in 1946 for Edgar J. Kaufmann, the department store magnate who also happened to be a huge fan of modern architecture. (He also commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater.)

Gerard Bisignano of Vista Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing.

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Kaufmann commissioned the Palm Springs property as a summer home, and Neutra — who started his career working for Wright — created what has since become an example of desert modernism. The five-bedroom, six-bathroom house is anchored by a central living and dining room, with four wings that extend out from the center. One holds the master bedroom, while another is home to a guest suite, and another has a pool. The home spans about 3,200 square feet and is set on a two-acre property.

Its current owners, who bought the property in the 1990s, worked with design firm Marmol Radziner on an intense renovation of the home, according to the Journal. Several out-of-character additions were made over the years, so the firm consulted the Neutra archives at UCLA to ensure it was being restored to its original mid century glory.

Two decades later, the home is considered the “crown jewel” of Palm Springs, The Agency’s Jeff Kohl told the Journal. If it sells for the full ask, it would be the most expensive property sold in the area, according to the Journal. [WSJ] — Amy Plitt