What is this Spanish Colonial beauty doing at Modernism Week? - Los Angeles Times
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What is this Spanish Colonial beauty doing at Modernism Week?

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The historic 1922 Cavanagh Adobe in Indian Wells is one of the oldest adobe homes in the Coachella Valley. Situated on an acre of land and populated with huge date palms, the home will be open to the public during the Modernism Week Fall Preview on Oct. 19-22.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Husband-and-wife architects Michael Burch and Diane Wilk have spent the past five years restoring the Spanish-style home.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The house was originally a two-bedroom, two-bath house with an upstairs sleeping proch. The sleeping porch was converted into a master bedroom.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The tile roof was made by hand by La Quinta craftsman Joe Valenzuela, who formed the tile by bending the clay over his thigh.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The master bedroom on the second floor, formerly a sleeping porch.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Architect Michael Burch is pictured in the living room of his weekend home, the Cavanagh Adobe.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The home is furnished with the homeowners’ collection of Monterey Revival antiques and Early California collectibles, many of which date from the time the house was built.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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An arched opening leads to the living room.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Architects Michael Burch and Diane Wilk wanted to restore the house to its original state.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The kitchen in the historic 1922 Cavanagh Adobe.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The stairway to the second floor.

  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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The property was originally on 20 acres and planted with date palms. It is eligble for listing on the National Register for the significant role it played in the date palm industry.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The couple tried to preserve as much of the original fabic of the house as possible, including the orginal concrete floor which was scored to look like tile.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The ceiling in the living room is supported by hand hewn wood beams.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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An antique lantern hangs in the adobe.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The home’s original porch was enclosed and is now used as a dining room.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Construction on the property began in 1922 by brothers, Albert and Hubert “Bert” Cavanagh. The architect was H. Anderson Sanders.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The couple furnished the home with Monterey Revival antiques and Early California collectibles.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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A newly added pool.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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One of three bedrooms inside the Cavanagh Adobe.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The new master bathroom addition features Tunisian tile.

  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
By Lisa BooneStaff Writer 
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Midcentury Modern architecture fans make the trek to Modernism Week in Palm Springs twice a year for the opportunity to tour modern classics like Albert Frey’s 800-square-foot “Frey House II” or the Donald Wexler-designed Kirk Douglas residence.

But, at its core, Modernism Week is about historical preservation. And that is why you’ll find the 1922 Cavanagh Spanish Adobe — one of the oldest surviving homes in the Coachella Valley — listed on the tour itinerary for this year’s Fall Preview running Oct. 19-22.

A view of the historic 1922 Cavanagh Adobe and weekend home of architects Diane Wilk and Michael Burch in Indian Wells (one of the oldest still-standing adobe homes in the Coachella Valley). Built of handmade adobe.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Carefully renovating Spanish homes is something of a natural instinct for the new owners, La Cañada-based husband-and-wife architects Michael Burch and Diane Wilk, who have devoted the past five years to restoring the three-bedroom, two-bath adobe in addition to other Spanish Colonial and Mediterranean Revival style homes from the 1920s and ’30s.

The home in Indian Wells was built by brothers Albert and Hubert “Bert” Cavanagh, the latter of whom was a successful date rancher and onetime mayor of the town, from thousands of handmade adobe bricks that were produced on what was then a 20-acre site planted with date palms.

The home features a series of curved arches.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The home features hand-hewn natural timbers and handmade roof tiles, Tunisian tile similar to those you’ll find at the Santa Barbara Courthouse as well as Burch and Wilk’s collection of Monterey Revival Antiques and Early California collectibles.

During a tour of the adobe on Oct. 22, the architects will discuss the restoration process as well as current trends in conservation, including energy.

“There are lessons to be learned from this house that are helpful for today,” says Wilk. “Being one with the Earth, not using a lot of water and building something that is appropriate for the desert.”

The couple, who use the house on weekends and during the winter, will also share what it’s like to live in an adobe home.

“It’s like a living organism,” Wilk says with a laugh. “We decided to celebrate the ravages of time and highlight the home’s romantic modernism.”

FOR THE RECORD

12:20 p.m.: An earlier version of this story misstated the year the home was built. The correct date is 1922.

Another view of the historic 1922 Cavanagh Adobe.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Modernism Week Fall Preview

What: The Fall Preview includes lectures, home tours, historic walking tours and the Modernism Show & Sale. (Modernism Week's 11-day festival will be Feb. 15-25, 2018. The schedule will be available online Oct. 25 and tickets available starting Nov. 1)

Where: Palm Springs

When: Oct. 19-22

Admission: Individual events range from free to $150.

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    Lisa Boone

    Lisa Boone is a features writer for the Los Angeles Times. Since 2003, she has covered home design, gardening, parenting, houseplants, even youth sports. She is a native of Los Angeles.

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