DESCRIPTION

PS ModCom opens two neighboring iconic modern homes for tour, allowing visitors to see both residences in just one stop. The companion open house is the Edris House. Tickets to each house are sold separately.

Palevsky Residence, Craig Ellwood (1970)
Commissioned by Max Palevsky, this house represents the ultimate symbol of minimalism, providing a very private totally enclosed compound.  The design provided a stark contrast for Palevsky, enabling him to escape from the reality of the technical world that was his everyday life.  As one of the first computer designers he moved to Packard Bell in 1957, formed SDS in 1962 which he sold to Xerox and then became a major investor in Intel.  As an avid art collector, the house was created to showcase his collection of art and sculptures.  Close friend Charles Eames, who was working at IBM at the time, introduced Palevsky to Craig Ellwood, a self taught architect who specialized in semi modular, symmetrical, simply balanced homes. This is a rare opportunity to see a house that makes no attempt to follow the rules of desert integration while still providing the freedom of open space and was the last residential commission for Ellwood.