This perfectly preserved Palm Springs time capsule home has sold for the first time in 65 years

Hannah Frishberg
·2 min read
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bougain villa palm springs sold
bougain villa palm springs sold
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A California abode that’s remained frozen in architectural amber has found a new owner.

This January, for the first time in its six-plus decades of existence, a perfectly preserved time capsule of a property in Palm Springs hit the public sales market, seeking $8.75 million.

Now, less than three months after listing, the midcentury-modern gem — named Bougain Villa, after the bougainvillea flowers around it — has sold for $8.15 million.

There are floor-to-ceiling glass walls throughout. Ricky Lesser
There are floor-to-ceiling glass walls throughout. Ricky Lesser
The house is blended with its rocky surrounds. Ricky Lesser
The house is blended with its rocky surrounds. Ricky Lesser
Around 1986, the respected architect Albert Frey renovated the home and tripled its size. Ricky Lesser
Around 1986, the respected architect Albert Frey renovated the home and tripled its size. Ricky Lesser
One of three bedrooms. Ricky Lesser
One of three bedrooms. Ricky Lesser

Agents Sean Stanfield of Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty and Craig Chorpenning of Desert Sotheby’s International Realty held the listing.

The final sale price marks $600,000 under ask, but still the second highest price per square foot ever recorded in the region, second only to the 1946-built Kaufmann Desert House, which set a record in 2022 when it sold for $13 million.

“The property is a one-of-a-kind piece of art that just could not be replicated today,” Stanfield told The Post of the just-purchased residence, which was designed by well-known area architect Hugh Kaptur and incorporates the surrounding terrain.

An aerial view of the property. Ricky Lesser
An aerial view of the property. Ricky Lesser
The pool. Ricky Lesser
The pool. Ricky Lesser
The abode was built in 1958. Ricky Lesser
The abode was built in 1958. Ricky Lesser
Amenities include three carports, a wine cellar and a Koi pond. Ricky Lesser
Amenities include three carports, a wine cellar and a Koi pond. Ricky Lesser

“The mountain and the house are blended together as one with rocks used as part of the actual structure,” Stanfield said of the three-bedroom, approximately 3,000-square-foot property, which is set on about 1.35 acres and is located in a gated community.

In the mid-1980s, the residence’s first owner, a Los Angeles electronics firm chairman named William Burgess, commissioned the enormously influential architect Albert Frey, whose craft is found throughout Palm Springs, to renovate the property, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Frey — who, along with John Lautner and Richard Neutra, is widely credited with establishing Palm Springs’ iconic Desert Modernist style, and constructed Bougain Villa’s famous neighbor, Frey House II — tripled the then-roughly 1,000-square-foot house’s size and added a mirrored guesthouse.

In 1999, the home changed hands for the first time when the late Harold and Dorothy Meyerman fell in love with the abode, which was not for sale publicly, and offered $1 million for it.

Amenities include three carports, a pool, a hot tub, a wine cellar, rock walls and a Koi pond. As for the groovy period furnishings, there are various Moroccan rugs and a 7-foot cedar swing, among numerous other delights.