The Developer & The Architect

Roy Fey was one of the first real estate developers in the country to embrace the new concept of condominium living. Designed in the late 1960’s and built in the early 70's, Canyon Estates embodies his ethos of space with expansive condos that feel like custom homes.  

The neighborhood was designed by architect Charles E. Du Bois AIA, at the peak of Palm Springs glamour. These luxurious units were affordable to affluent seasonal owners from the East Coast and Midwest who flocked to the desert in the high season for sunshine and warmth.

The Architecture

Shaded entrance atriums feature large double doors with oversized handles made of brass, originally created to carry funeral caskets. Two-car garages with adjacent laundry rooms were standard when most homes still had open carports. Sunken tubs, wet bars, breakfast rooms and cedar-lined fur closets are common. Thirty six “Executive Homes" include a fourth bedroom for live-in help as well as private pools. 

Anchoring the neighborhood’s 9-hole executive golf course, Canyon Estates Clubhouse was one of Charles E. Du Bois’ largest commissions in the desert. Members enter through a porte-cochere with distinctive modern rooflines into a wall of windows and cocktail lounge dominated by a massive stone and iron fireplace. The clubhouse is rarely open to the public but available during Modernism events for tour guests to enjoy while exploring the history of the community through vintage photos and original blueprints.