The proposed Playhouse is located within a mixed-use area, in the City of Palm Springs, California. The property was owned by the First Church of Christ Scientist, and the building was designed for them, in 1956. The building was recently purchased by Dezart.

The Playhouse will meet the expanding needs of the Dezart’s continuous growth in addition to serving as a hub for diverse activities, community events and cultural engagement. The Playhouse will enhance the vibrancy of the local arts scene, ensuring a variety of voices and talents are represented and celebrated. The space will be converted to include a 130-seat fully equipped theater, dressing rooms, a rehearsal hall, meeting rooms, and lobby with box office and bar.

The building was designed by local architect Albert Frey, of the Firm Clark, Chambers & Frey. Frey, a Swiss architect moved to the United States in 1930. In Europe, Frey worked for Le Corbusier which had a tremendous impact on his design principles and future career. Frey originally worked in New York, then moved to Palm Springs to work on a project for his NY client.  He assembled a new type of architecture, based on Bauhaus, Le Corbusier, and the International Style, embracing the sun, pure air, and the simple forms of the California desert. He studied the natural world around him and devised a way of indoor/outdoor living fulfilling the unique requirements of an open, arid landscape.  His strong, lean, design aesthetic incorporates industrial materials: corrugated metal, structural steel, CMU, glass and aluminum.

The design of the church has Frey’s signature attributes. It’s a modern, unadorned design incorporating sandblasted colored concrete block arranged in a stack bond pattern. North facing floor to ceiling windows and doors blur the boundary between the interior lobby and exterior patio. The chapel has clerestory windows punctuating the west elevation and an east facing terrarium enclosed with concrete block and horizontal openings.

The building remains sturdy; deferred maintenance occurred throughout time, and preservation and design efforts are guided by drawings, in pristine condition, created by the original architects.

Repairs and rehabilitation include sitework, exterior, and interior renovations. Historic photos, by master photographer Julius Shulman, influence architectural and landscape improvements planned for the Playhouse. The footprint of the building will remain unaltered, except for a glass box office added to the patio area, the design responding to the original storefront configuration and rhythm of the building.  Other alterations include the addition of a bar which seamlessly integrates into the lobby area and exterior patio, expanded and upgraded restrooms to accommodate ADA and current code requirements, dressing rooms for the actors, a rehearsal room, event prep kitchen, and the conversion of the chapel to the theatre for performances and events.

Materials and colors will be consistent with the existing character and finishes of the building.  Our goal is for the new work to be so natural to the site that it does not stand out as contemporary, and the building remains timeless, repurposed for a renewed community.