For decades, the story of Desert Modernism in the Coachella Valley has been told largely through Palm Springs. Its mid-century neighborhoods, iconic boutiques, and sun-drenched streets are the stuff of legend, drawing thousands of architecture lovers to the Coachella Valley each February. Yet just a few miles east, behind the long-guarded gates of La Quinta Country Club (LQCC), another chapter of that story has quietly endured. And until now, mostly unseen.

On February 19, 2026, that changes.

In 2026, Modernism Week turns its focus east, stepping inside one of the valley’s most discreet and historically rich enclaves. The inaugural La Quinta Country Club Signature Home Tour, already sold out, signals a meaningful shift in how Desert Modernism is understood. It widens the frame, revealing a body of work that has long existed alongside Palm Springs, deeply woven into the region’s mid-century identity, yet rarely acknowledged beyond its gates.

The tour is the vision of Robert Andrew Millar, a longtime club member, architectural steward, and founder of Robert Andrew Millar & Associates. For Millar, the event is not simply an opportunity to admire beautiful homes. It is an act of care.

“This is our way of offering stewardship through hospitality,” he explains. "When visitors enter these homes, they encounter decisions made by renowned architects about materials, light, and landscape that express a particular way of life. The tour is designed to be both educational and enjoyable. I hope that guests leave with an appreciation for preservation and the instincts to support thoughtful stewardship."

That philosophy sits at the core of La Quinta Country Club Modernism Week, which brings long-private architecture into public view for the first time. For decades, many of these residences, designed by the same architects who shaped Palm Springs, have existed quietly, admired only by those who lived within them. Without broader awareness, even significant architecture can be vulnerable to neglect or insensitive change. By opening these doors, Millar invites a larger conversation about the East Valley’s role in shaping Southern California modernism.

The tour presents six thoughtfully selected homes spanning more than six decades, from early desert modernism of the late 1950s to contemporary interpretations completed as recently as 2023, tracing the evolution of modernism at La Quinta Country Club. Through the work of architects including Robert “Bob” Ricciardi, George Rocher, and Laszlo Sandor, alongside a contemporary residence by Lance O’Donnell, the homes reveal a modernist tradition shaped by climate, landscape, and a shared architectural lineage rooted in the Coachella Valley.

Among the earliest residences built within the club estates, the Early LQCC Spec Home (1959–1962) helped shape the architectural language of the community. Developed by Visscher & Associates, its long horizontal rooflines, stacked-stone walls, and seamless indoor-outdoor relationships are hallmarks of early desert modernism.

A few years later, the Rosehill House (1967), designed by George Rocher, emerged as a social hub of the club. With its calm structural clarity and disciplined horizontality, the home hosted gatherings tied to the Bob Hope Desert Classic, including a visit from Governor Pat Brown in 1969. Its entry courtyard, framed by cantilevered beams and punctuated by bold orange doors, remains one of Rocher’s most memorable gestures.

Much of the tour centers on the work of Robert “Bob” Ricciardi, a UC Berkeley-trained architect who cut his teeth in the offices of Donald Wexler and William Cody. His designs at the club show an evolution from the clean lines of his early career toward a bolder, more sculptural style.

The Sunrise House (1968), commissioned by Frank and Sylvia Simon, reflects Ricciardi’s early command of proportion, light, and glass. Simon, former chairman of Bullock’s, brought a keen eye for design to the project. A 2009 renovation by Palm Springs architect Lance O’Donnell carefully updated the home for modern living while preserving its original intent.

The most historically resonant stop may be The Collins House (1972). Here, Ricciardi’s steel-frame architecture is paired with interiors by Arthur Elrod, the desert’s most influential interior designer. Entered via a courtyard and floating bridge, the home opens to floor-to-ceiling glass framing the Santa Rosa Mountains, reflecting Ricciardi’s architectural emphasis on the view as a defining element.

LQCC’s architectural story does not end with the mid-century period. The Rakolta House (1991), designed by Laszlo Sandor, reflects a later phase of desert modernism shaped by discipline in both material and scale. Sandor, who previously worked with William Cody, carried those lessons forward, translating principles of geometry and light into a more contemporary vocabulary. Organized on a classical grid, the residence unfolds through luminous atrium spaces and generous ceiling heights that soften the boundary between interior and desert landscape.

A recent addition to the La Quinta Country Club landscape, The Terry House (2023), a new residence by Lance O’Donnell that demonstrates the continued relevance of modernist principles. Broad horizontal rooflines and a rectilinear pool extend the architecture into the landscape, honoring LQCC’s design lineage while clearly belonging to the present.

All of this unfolds within La Quinta Country Club itself, a championship course designed by Lawrence M. Hughes and dedicated in 1960 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. For decades, it played host to the Bob Hope Desert Classic, now known as The American Express. The allure of the club extends beyond its architecture to its legendary turf; the course is so highly regarded that Phil Mickelson once called the greens “the best on tour,” illustrating why the world’s elite chose this specific landscape as the backdrop for their modernist masterpieces.

The club’s history includes figures ranging from Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin to Clint Eastwood and George Lopez. Privacy has always been part of its appeal, and the architecture has quietly supported that way of life.

With remarks from Matt Tyrnauer, guests will leave with more than a rare look behind the gates. They will leave with a clearer understanding that La Quinta is not an extension of the Palm Springs story, but a vital chapter of its own. An unbroken chain of inspiration, long present, finally seen.

The La Quinta Country Club Home Tour takes place within the larger framework of Modernism Week 2026, running February 12–22, an annual event that has grown into one of the world’s most influential gatherings dedicated to modernist architecture and design. Now in its 21st year, the festival attracts an international audience that includes architects and preservationists alongside design enthusiasts, collectors, and travelers drawn to the region’s modernist legacy, with a program of more than 400 events spanning architectural tours, lectures, exhibitions, and hands-on preservation initiatives.

This year’s keynote speaker, Elizabeth Diller, is a founding partner of the world-renowned firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R), the visionary architectural team responsible for transforming New York City’s High Line, bringing an unparalleled level of global design prestige to the 2026 program.

Additional highlights include curated architectural bus tours offering access to landmark mid-century neighborhoods, the Modernism Show at the Palm Springs Convention Center, featuring leading international dealers in modern design, and a slate of programs dedicated to preservation, scholarship, and advocacy.

As a nonprofit organization, Modernism Week directs its proceeds toward local preservation efforts and educational initiatives, reinforcing the idea that modernism in the Coachella Valley is not a static historical chapter, but a living cultural legacy. Within that context, the La Quinta Country Club Home Tour stands out not only for its rarity and access, but for its role in expanding the narrative of Desert Modernism beyond Palm Springs, bringing long-overdue attention to the architectural contributions of the East Valley.