Richard Arnett Harrison

Richard Arnett Harrison, , (June 5, 1924 – December 28, 1995) was an American architect best known for his contributions to mid-century modern architecture in Southern California. Based in Palm Springs, Harrison partnered with Donald Wexler in the 1950s–60s to form the firm Wexler & Harrison, which designed numerous homes, schools, and civic buildings exemplifying the Desert Modernism style. Notable projects by Harrison include the Palm Springs Spa Hotel, the Steel Development Houses (1962), and Royal Hawaiian Estates condominiums (1960). He later designed Seven Lakes Country Club, a residential community in Palm Springs. In 2015, Harrison was posthumously honored with a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.

Early life and education Richard Harrison was born in Los Angeles, California, on June 5, 1924. He attended University High School and served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II before pursuing architecture. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1951 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree cum laude. After graduation, he traveled through Mexico and Canada to broaden his design perspective.

Career In 1951, Harrison moved to the Coachella Valley and joined architect William Cody's office in Palm Springs. There he met Donald Wexler, a young architect formerly with Richard Neutra. By 1953, Harrison and Wexler established the firm Wexler & Harrison, which operated until 1961.

Wexler & Harrison were instrumental in shaping Desert Modernism, designing private homes, tract housing, and civic structures. They pioneered modular steel construction for public schools, later applying similar methods to their residential designs.

In 1960, the George Alexander Construction Company Harrison's home at 1593 Roberto Miguel, in El Rancho Vista Estates. Harrison lived in the community that he and Wexler built. The firm’s residential projects include: The Joe and Joyce Pawling House I, aka Lilliana Gardens (1954) El Rancho Vista Estates (1959–1961), a tract of 75 homes developed by Roy Fey. Royal Hawaiian Estates (1960), a 40-unit Polynesian-themed condominium complex, Palm Springs' first Historic Residential District. Palm Springs Spa Hotel, co-designed with Cody and Phillip Koenig, opened in 1958. Shadow Mountain Club Fairway Cottages (early 1960s), a 54-unit modernist enclave in Palm Desert. Palm Springs Medical Clinic (1963) and other commercial buildings. Wexler & Harrison are credited with designing the original Palm Springs International Airport terminal, completed in 1966 by Wexler’s firm.

After the partnership amicably dissolved in 1961, Harrison embarked on a solo career that saw him design notable residential communities and collaborate on major projects in the Coachella Valley and beyond. For instance, Seven Lakes Country Club in Palm Springs, a 120-acre gated community built 1964–1972 was designed by Harrison (with a clubhouse by William Cody). Harrison’s modernist design at Seven Lakes features low-slung single-story condo units (278 duplexes and 64 two-story condos) with patterned concrete block walls, floor-to-ceiling glass, atrium courtyards and floating rooflines. Harrison’s independent practice (sometimes under the name Financial Structures Associates) produced numerous banks, medical offices, and custom homes in the desert. For example, Harrison designed the Dr. Harry and Betty Garber Residence (1972) in Palm Springs’ exclusive Southridge. Contemporary preservation documents recognize Harrison as a “well-regarded local practitioner” who designed numerous notable buildings throughout the Coachella Valley – individually, in various partnerships, and in collaborations. The Polynesian-inspired Royal Hawaiian (40 units in 12 buildings) is celebrated in conservation circles as a prime example of “tiki” modernism. The clubhouse (part of Palm Springs’ first 18-hole golf course) and the surrounding high-end homes are now a focus of neighborhood historic tours. Seven Lakes is noted for its low-slung homes, decorative block, and glass walls. President Dwight D. Eisenhower famously scored a hole-in-one there in 1968.

Harrison designed additional homes in Nevada and the Southwest during the 1970s. He died on December 28, 1995, in Palm Springs. On October 23, 1999, he received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.

Notable works Palm Springs Spa Hotel and Bath House The Spa Bath House’s elegant colonnade and “flying wedge” roof were a product of this collaboration. Wallpaper magazine notes that the “1959 spa and casino complex designed by William Cody, Donald Wexler, Richard Harrison and Phillip Koenig” stood as a mid-century icon until its 2014 demolition. indicating Harrison’s design authorship. The fairway villas exemplify the extension of Desert Modernism into country club settings in the early ’60s. Steel Development House 2Steel Development Houses (1961-62): Perhaps Harrison’s most famous work with Wexler, this was a groundbreaking project of all-steel prefabricated homes. In 1960 the George Alexander Construction Company commissioned Wexler & Harrison to design a tract of 38 steel homes for Palm Springs’ Racquet Club Estates. A recent Docomomo US research article revealed that Harrison and Wexler also designed an “eighth” steel house in Las Vegas (the 1962 Hammond Steel Home), built for CalCor steel dealer Merrill Hammond. Donald Wexler himself confirmed the Vegas house as one of their designs, Harrison’s direct involvement is unclear, as it was built after he went solo; however, the project’s style and timeframe closely follow the Wexler & Harrison collaborative period. Both architects were Palm Springs residents and members of the American Institute of Architects, active in that era.