Elrod House

The Elrod House, one of the most iconic midcentury houses, was one of my favorite projects over the past year. Located in Palm Springs, the Elrod House was designed by John Lautner in 1968 in collaboration with famed interior designer and commissioner of the house, Arthur Elrod. Arthur Elrod did much of his work in interior design in Palm Springs but completed projects across the country. Some of his most famous commissions were designing the interior of the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz house and redesigning the interior of the Kaufmann House, both in Palm Springs. His firm also received large commissions designing model homes for tract developments, where his inspiring designs helped potential year-round or winter residents of the city envision their Palm Springs lifestyle. 

The Elrod House, with its conical concrete roof, exposed board form concrete walls, an expansive retractable glass wall over the swimming pool, and excavated rocks built into the structure of the house, is an icon of mid-century modern and organic architecture by one of the most important architects of the twentieth century. 

All photos in slideshow by Leland Lee in 1968

The house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2016 as part of a Multiple Property submission “Residential Architecture of John Lautner in Southern California 1940-1994.” On January 28, 2021, the Palm Springs City Council approved the Historic Sites Board Recommendation that the property should be designated locally as a Class I Historic Site. I had the privilege of completing the nomination and was able to visit the property three separate times over the course of 2020 and 2021. The house is private and the owner is completing rehabilitation work. Unless they decide to open it to the public, most people will not get to see the interior in person so I hope these contemporary and historic photos allow you to experience this phenomenal piece of architecture.