| Built on a five-foot dimensional module with thin steel columns placed at twenty-five foot intervals, this single-story building expresses a classic clarity of design. The structural columns do not interrupt the wall plane but rather allow it to stand uninterrupted as a curtain wall defining the spatial volume. The cantilevered roof structure is echoed in the cantilevered concrete base that floats above the landscaped border.
After changing hands several times, the building received Class 1 Historic Site protective status in 2009. It was purchased by the Palm Springs Art Museum in 2011 to create a new center for architecture and design in the heart of Palm Springs. The building is devoted to architecture and design exhibitions, programs, and archive study space and houses the museum’s growing collection of architecture and design-related works. The rehabilitation was intended to bring the building up to current codes while more completely revealing the architect’s original vision.
The restoration designs were based on black-and-white photographs of the building taken by Julius Shulman, as well as Williams' original drawings. We removed office dividers to create one seamless space, removing carpeting to reveal the original terrazzo floor, and adding sustainable desert landscaping. Eliminating parking at the entrance created a more formal entry sequence and allows for an unobstructed, uninterrupted view for museum visitors.
The main level features gallery space for architecture and design exhibitions, curatorial offices, and a store located in and around the bank vault, which retains its original door. The lower level serves as a study center and provides meeting and archive spaces as well. An elevator was added to make the two-story building handicap accessible and to make transporting art to the lower-level storage vault easier.
To convert the glass bank building into a museum environment, one of the primary challenges was to control light suitably to display and archive art, sculpture, photographs, and architectural models. The movable, anodized aluminum screens original to the west-facing facade were replaced and restored, providing essential shade while allowing visibility to the street and mountains. The angle of the louvers is designed to shade the interior during the peak hours of the sun. Operable solar screens have been integrated at the interior of the space to provide further control of the sun into the gallery space.
Some existing walnut cabinetry and paneling has been restored, while the custom-designed reception desk is based on the original Williams bank teller counters. A drive-up teller window on the east side of the building was preserved, recalling the original function of the building and the convenience of “motor banking” in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Restoring the structure to its original beauty and simplicity has recaptured its forward-looking spirit, transforming the glass-and-steel building into a leading example of innovative design that respects the past and embraces current technology. |
