Sunnylands: America's Midcentury Masterpiece

Principal photography by Mark Davidson
Foreword by Michael S. Smith

The definitive story of the most ambitious and glamorous midcentury modern house in the United States—Sunnylands, the estate of Walter and Lenore Annenberg, in Rancho Mirage, California—now revised and expanded

In Palm Springs, the mecca of midcentury modern architecture, Sunnylands is the undisputed masterpiece. With its celadon green and yellow interior and giddy pink roof, it was a Downton Abbey for the Space Age.

There is no other house like it anywhere. Designed by one of California’s most important architects, A. Quincy Jones, it possesses the only completely preserved interior by Hollywood’s decorator-to-the-stars, William Haines. Completed in 1966, Sunnylands was built by ambassadors Walter and Leonore Annenberg, and became a seat of power where presidents, movie stars, and corporate leaders met, relaxed, and ran the world— with nobody watching.

To mark the 10th anniversary of the opening of Sunnylands to the public, this revised edition adds 32 pages of brand new photography, including: the contemporary visitor center designed by Frederick Fisher & Partners; the mature 15 acres of contemplative gardens by James Burnett; a new LEED Platinum building by o2 Architecture with 17 acres of breathtaking net-zero plantings by CMG Landscape, not open to the public and only accessible within the pages of this book; and public programs and art installations including two for the world-renowned Desert X festival. Lavishly illustrated, this book is a must-have for fans of midcentury design.