The iconic Richard Neutra designed Kaufmann Desert House has finally sold for $13 million. The sale represents a new Palm Springs record for a single family house formerly held by Bob Hope’s home. The house was commissioned by Richard Kaufmann (Kaufmann’s Department Store of Pittsburgh) as a winter retreat. Slim Aaron shot his iconic “Poolside Gossip” photograph here in 1970, adding to its allure and glamour. Originally budgeted at $30,000, it cost $300,000 to build in 1946. Kaufmann was frantic to have the house completed, was fanatical about every detail and made over 600 changes to Neutra’s design. Through the years it transferred to various owners. In 1972 Barry Manilow sold to home the Beth & Brent Harris for $1.5 million dollars. The Harris’ restored the home to its original footprint of 3,200 +/- sq ft (it had grown to over 7,000 sq ft) and purchased adjoining lots to increase area around the home. After a multi-million dollar and painstaking renovation, the home was restored to its original plans. The home has been on and off the market for several years with the most recent asking price of $25 million.

Left Photo: Highsmith, Carol M, photographer. The Kaufmann House, Palm Springs, California. United States Palm Springs California, 2013. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013631255/.
Right Photo : Slim Aarons