Albert Frey (1903-1998): Frey House 1 and 2

Albert Frey was a Swiss architect who moved to Palm Springs in the early 1930s and partnered with John Clark in 1935 to form the firm Clark and Frey. In 1952, Robson Chambers became a partner, and the firm was renamed Clark, Frey and Chambers. During his 63 years in Palm Springs, Frey’s most notable projects include: the Raymond Loewy house, the Guthrie house, the Clark & Frey Office building, the Aerial Tramway and Gas Station, Palm Springs City Hall, the Desert Hospital, the North Shore Yacht Club, Villa Hermosa, and Frey Houses I and II.

Albert Frey's personal houses are where he tried out a number of building and design techniques. In Frey House 1, he suspended the dining room table from the ceiling, and clad the exterior in metal. For Frey House 2, he spent one year at the site on a hill above Palm Springs to find the perfect placement of the house and pool.

Albert Frey (1903-1998), architect

Albert Frey papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.

1941-1963

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