About the property
Built in 1960 and nestled on 3.5 acres of prime desert landscape with unobstructed views of the San Jacinto Mountain Range, Park Imperial South is home to thirty identical units featuring folded plate roofs, decorative concrete blocks and complementing carports. Centered around the community’s central courtyard, pool and spa, Park Imperial South’s design features make it a perfect mid century paradise by highlighting the intersection of functionality and authenticity.
Unlike many mid-century developments, Park Imperial South’s emphasis on community and authentic modernist design is demonstrated in both the property layout and design of each home. From the communal spa oasis to the elaborate olive groves, Park Imperial South invites guests to explore its grounds, naturally.
Each 1426 square foot home features an identical floorplan with a terrazzo runway spanning the entrance of the home to the outdoor patio, globe light pendant, vibrant kitchen hood and shoji screens to divide living spaces.
These features transition seamlessly into the home’s design. Park Imperial South received its historic site designation in 2016.
The Architect
As an apprentice of William Cody and following the design principles of Richard Neutra and Conrad Buff , Barry Berkus conceptualized and designed Park Imperial South at the age of 25.
Park Imperial South is the first residential development in Palm Springs, California to sell the mid-century dream of luxury resort living. Berkus strived to design a space with dropped walls, and open spaces allowing people to live in a transparent environment without barriers.
Throughout his career, Berkus received more than 300 design and planning awards including being named the most innovative housing architect in the United States by Professional Builder. Berkus is also listed as one of America’s top 100 architects by Architectural Digest.
Berkus passed away in 2012 at the age of 77.
The Builder
Park Imperial South was built by the father and son developer team known as Trudy Richards.
The “Trudy Richards” name was a fictional character created solely for advertising purposes. To highlight this name, a quirky “Trudy Richards” ceramic tile was placed at the entrance of each Park Imperial unit. The Park Imperial South Architect, Barry Berkus, reported during his site visit in 2011 that “Trudy Richards” was a composite of the first names of Richard L. Weiss and his wife Trudy.
Much like Betty Crocker did for cooking, the Trudy Richards brand was created to sell the American family the idea of a new American architecture.
The Homes
Each of the 30 units located in the Park Imperial South community feature the same design elements, functional floor plans and innovative technology. Park Imperial South pioneered mid-century design principles for luxury living while successfully experimenting with the new ideals of form and function.
FOLDED ROOF PLATES
The linear folded roof designed by Barry Berkus is a signature design feature of Park Imperial South. These stressed skin folded plates made of wood are lightweight and require only permitter support. This allows for large expanses of open interior space with no interior vertical supports.
The Carport
Each Park Imperial South unit received a designated carport for easy access from car to home. The carports were designed to compliment the folded roof plate design of each unit and seamlessly connect the two structures.
The Living Room
The living spaces in each Park Imperial South home blur the boundary between the interior and exterior spaces. The extensive use of glass walls, terrazzo flooring, jalousie windows and indoor/outdoor planters in a deliberately asymmetrical composition are intrinsic to mid century architecture.
Furthermore, the functionality of the living spaces by the use of Shoji Screens allow spaces to flex as lifestyle dictates. Kitchens are fitted with four screens which could be opened or closed to suit your entertaining needs. The Den also featured these screens to create an added level of privacy for television viewing.
The Bar
The Bar is one of the most important design elements in Park Imperial South. Made from the same concrete blocking as the homes exterior, this highly trafficked area becomes the ideal beverage pouring spot while beautifully dividing the kitchen and living spaces.
The Terrazzo Runway
Each home at Park Imperial South features a terrazzo floor runway which extends from the front door to the back patio door.
This unique feature creates a seamless connection between the indoor and outdoor living spaces while remaining super durable in these high traffic areas.
To ensure continuity in materials, each Park Imperial home featured the same terrazzo material in the primary bathroom shower tray.
The Kitchen/ The Gold Medallion
Park Imperial South is considered the first all-General Electric Gold Medallion Condominium home in America. The Gold Medallion insignia proclaimed that the owner of the property would “live better electrically”.
To achieve this status, each home had to feature at least three built in electric appliances. A higher gold medallion status was achieved if electrical heat was included.
Celebrities such as Ronald Reagan, Betty Furness and Fran Allison were all hired to endorse the Gold Medallion standard.
GE APPLIANCES
As one of the first condominiums in Southern California to receive the GE Golden Medallion Seal, each Park Imperial South home featured six electric appliances to obtain this special recognition. This included the Dishwasher, AC, Refrigerator, Garbage Disposal, Quick-recovery Water Heater and the Mark 27 — a state-of-the-art which became a signature at Park Imperial South.
Promising enough room for four pies, one large turkey or eight TV dinners, this range was compact yet not crowded. With a custom range hood and the futuristic wall mounted control system, the kitchen at Park Imperial South was light-years ahead of the competition. To make it even more fabulous, each home featured a GE Electric Refrigerator in matching colors. Chic ce la vie!
The Garden Dining Space
A signature space showcased in two remaining Park Imperial South homes is the Garden Dining Court. These small patio spaces provided a unique dining experience for residents. Nestled between the decorative block walls, sliding screens and a pass through “meatloaf window”, this intimate space was perfect for morning coff ee, afternoon tea or evening cocktail banter. As time passed, many of these garden dining courts were converted to enclosed dining rooms within the living space, expanding the interior footprint.
The Patio
Each Park Imperial South features its own private patio, extending the living from inside to out. Each patio is enclosed in the signature blocking with an added breeze block trim detail. Residents have reimagined this space to create unique landscapes which blend both the desert oasis and the stylistic features of each individual home.
The Outdoors - Pool and Landscaping
The Park Imperial South pool and surrounding landscape was conceptualized around the notion of resort community living. The central pool and spa are connected by meandering walkways between olive trees, grassy knolls and desert cacti. The original pool design featured a diving board and cactus garden. Community benches and water fountains invited residents to take a seat and mingle under the desert sunshine. Community engagement and sociability are core design principles of Park Imperial South.
MODERNISM WEEK
As an official Palm Springs Modernism Week participant every February, Park Imperial South has set the trend for all things modernist. This sold out affair grants exclusive guest access to the pristine property grounds and ten exquisite homes while sipping on premium libations and featuring world famous performances by the Aqualillies and Hollywood DJ, Zen Freeman.
Be sure to visit www.modernismweek.com for the most up to date event details.
The Photo Archive
Directions
Off of 1-20 take a left on Araby Drive. Our community is about .25 mile x the turn off and is marked with signage. Please feel free to park along the street.