Palm Springs and the cities that surround it are home to some of the finest examples of midcentury architecture in the nation, and for three decades William F. Cody was one of its greatest practitioners. A new retrospective on the career of Cody opens today at the A+D Architecture and Design Museum in the Arts District. According to the museum’s website, it will be the first comprehensive exhibit devoted to the versatile master of modern design.
Born in Ohio, Cody graduated from USC in 1942 and began working in Palm Springs in 1945. Though he worked across the globe, from Havana to Hawaii, Cody was best known for his work in the Palm Desert. Huddle's Springs Restaurant, his Googie masterpiece, was sadly razed in the ‘90s, but many of his other commercial and residential works in the area remain. These include the striking Del Marcos Hotel and St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Cody’s modernist take on a cathedral.
Often overshadowed by other prominent midcentury architects working in Southern California, Cody’s work has recently recaptured the attention of architectural critics and admirers. A new documentary called Desert Maverick: The Singular Architecture of William F. Cody debuted earlier this year and explores the life and work of the architect. The museum exhibit runs until September 25.
- Fast Forward: The Architecture of William F. Cody [Architecture and Design Museum]
- ‘Desert Maverick' Architect William Cody, the Outsider of Palm Springs Modernism [Curbed LA]