Iconic masterpiece, Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs, hits market at $25 million
The Kaufmann Desert House designed by Richard Neutra—which many regard as one of the most iconic homes of the 20th century—recently hit the market for $25 million.
The five-bedroom, six-bath Palm Springs, California, home spanning 3,162 square feet is “a treasure of modernism,” said listing agent Gerard Bisignano of Vista Sotheby’s International Realty. “It’s a trophy”
“It’s beyond being just a really fantastic ... mid-century modern architectural piece of work,” he said. “It’s more than being a Neutra or a Schindler or a Koenig or a Soriano or a Frank Loyd Wright—it’s beyond just being done by a famous architect. It is the Kaufmann Desert house, and for those into architecture, you know, that resonates deeply, deeply.”
Neutra designed and constructed the home in the late 1940s for department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann. Singer Barry Manilow is a prior owner.
Sitting on two acres at 470 West Vista Chino, the home was made famous around the world after Slim Aarons published the photograph “Poolside Gossip.” The architecture is also captured famously by photographer Julius Shulman.
Bisignano said Brent Harris has owned the home for the past 27 years. Harris and his wife Beth purchased the property in 1992 for $1.5 million and decided to restore it to its original glory, according to moderntourspalmsprings.com. Neutra died in 1970, but the original plans for the property had not been copied.
Bisignano said the renovation sets the property apart.
“They set the gold standard, really, for renovations,” Bisignano said, adding that the work took five years to complete.
An amazing, eye-pleasing mingling of glass, stone and steel, the Kaufmann House features several wings that meet at the center. The floor plan offers indoor-outdoor living, with nearly every room opening to a scenic outside area.
The living room features a floor-to-ceiling fireplace. There’s a lounge with a bar and a spacious wood deck overlooks the property. where the San Jacinto Mountains can be seen.
Outside, a lawn surrounds the picturesque swimming pool.
Bisignano said it’s impressive that the Kaufmann House sits in private hands, unlike other historical residential landmarks, such as Fallingwater, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Asked who might be interested in purchasing such an architectural masterpiece, Bisignano said “the buyer profile probably isn’t extremely narrow, and at the same time it is definitely limited.” For example, he said, the buyer must have the means to afford the $25 million house, likely owns other significant homes, “yet could come from any where in the world.”
“The buyer could buy it sight unseen because it’s that famous,” he noted..
The next owner is probably going to be somebody who is passionate about architecture, the agent said. The iconic home may be purchased as an investment, as well.
The Los Angeles Times said the home could set a record as the biggest residential sale in Palm Springs history. Sacramento Republic soccer team owner Ron Burkle bought a Bob Hope estate in the desert city for $13 million in 2016, setting a record.
This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
