ICONIC

Located at 2340 Southridge Dr in Palm Springs, the Southridge Cody Glass House is a remarkable example of William F. Cody’s architectural prowess. Designed in 1967, the house seamlessly combines minimalistic international style with the indoor/outdoor living that epitomizes mid-century Palm Springs.

Cody, also known as the “master of thin,” created a strikingly symmetrical glass house with an incredibly thin floating roof. The central pavilion spans 40 x 25 feet and is flanked by a master wing on one end and kitchen/guest quarters on the other. The front yard is raised above street level and protected from the street by slumpstone walls, a signature Cody feature that imparts an oriental Zen garden-like feeling. The protective walls also provide privacy for the occupants of the glass jewel box home within, allowing them to fully absorb the stunning garden, mountain, and city views from this magnificent Las Palmas Heights location.

The home was owned by Chicago industrialist Stanley Goldberg and his wife Phyllis, who purchased the house while it was still under construction and later hired Cody and iconic interior designer Arthur Elrod to transform it into one of Palm Springs’ most elegant homes. The pair expanded the glass and steel international style house, adding unique features such as a sunken, wood-paneled bar and a stunning book-matched travertine fireplace that anchors the room imposingly but warmly.

In 2016, the house was purchased by designer Michael Johnston and Broadway lyricist David Zippel. At this point, the house had been severely neglected. Johnston restored the glass atrium in the center of the house, which had been covered over and was part of the home’s interior. Today that patio area houses an opulent outdoor infinity hot tub.

The new owners also recreated Cody’s original thin roofline, expanded the old indoor reflecting pool, deepening it to double as a hot therapy pool in an outdoor glass-enclosed garden. Johnston also installed Terrazzo floors and recreated Cody’s walnut front doors.

In the kitchen, one particular corner eschews backsplash for a view of the natural stone peeking through, since the house is surrounded by mountain. When windows don’t peek right into the mountain side, they splash stunning views across the glass. The iconic Bob Hope house is visible from one of the bedrooms. A grand piano also sits in a natural stone galss garden alcove just off the kitchen.

The swimming pool was reimagined, with Johnston turning it 90 degrees and creating infinity edges on all four sides to provide views of the desert valley floor.

In recognition of the restoration work, the Palm Springs Modern Committee (PS ModCom), a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of Desert Modern architecture and design, awarded Michael and David the Residential Rehabilitation Award in 2018. Two years later, in 2022, the City of Palm Springs designated the Glass House as a Class 1 Historic Site, cementing its status as a masterpiece of mid-century modern architecture.

The home is not accessible to the public and is located in a secure gated community high up on the mountain of south Palm Springs. It has been opened for Modernism Week home tours and special events.