“Palm Springs is a designer’s paradise, a desert playground filled with sand and stone that blends mid-century architecture with wide-open vistas and swaying palm trees. Images of rippling pools, glass walls and time-capsule furniture have become so indelible to Palm Springs that there’s an entire 11-day Modernism Week architecture festival dedicated to the retro look.
Perhaps no single property in the entire Coachella Valley has showcased desert modernism to more people than busy Palm Springs International Airport (callsign: PSP), from its gleaming glass frontage to its almost completely open-air terminal setup. Now, on the verge of turning 60 and bursting from years of rapid regional growth, new airport development plans put forth by the city of Palm Springs could mean significant image and infrastructure changes for what may be the most unique airport in the American West.
Designs are being drawn up, public panels are being held and the future of PSP hangs in the dry air. What comes next is a winding road of differing voices, from locals and architecture preservationists to casino bosses and international airlines…”
