Designed between 1960 and 1964 by Donald Wexler and completed in 1964, Professional Park became California's first office condominium, extending the ownership model from residential to commercial space. The speculative development was financed by a group that included some of Wexler's favorite clients, among them Dinah Shore, for whom he had designed a residence a mile away. The complex rose on Civic Drive adjacent to Palm Springs' civic center, reflecting the city's maturation from resort destination to year-round community with enough resident professionals to support purpose-built office space.
The flat-roofed complex arranges gently scaled buildings behind a stand of towering eucalyptus, each unit distinguished by a single section of colored two-inch mosaic tile in softly hued pastels. Offices are entered from outdoors along wide garden paths into well-lit functional cubes of modest but ample size. Cantilevered roofs screen the desert sun, and at night, lighting embedded in the deep western overhangs casts softly across the pathways. The composition reflects Wexler's training in Richard Neutra's office, translating modernist principles into an accessible garden-office environment.
