THE COLLECTION DESERT ROCK
In the arid heat of California’s Coachella Valley lies the city of Palm Springs, a time capsule of mid-century modern architecture and a place that feels just as glamorous and luxurious as old Hollywood seems to those of us born generations later. Everywhere you turn, it’s clear skies, palm trees and bright deco signs for little antique shops that house delightful knick-knacks, Tiki bars whipping up perfection by the glass and the Shag gallery proffering très-chic cocktail-party prints.
Palm Springs happens to be the location for our date with musician, collector and architectural preservationist Gary Gand, who currently resides in the breathtaking and palatial Morse Residence. Parked out front is a ’63 Avanti in a lustrous gold finish, which we carefully circumnavigate as we make our way up the gleaming white terrazzo path toward the largest door we have ever seen. The former Alexander tract home, ‘glamourised’ by famed architect Hal Levitt in 1961, is a vision of class. The feeling of being criminally underdressed creeps over us, swiftly replaced by relief when Gary greets us in nothing fancier than a T-shirt and shorts.
His kind eyes peer from beneath a red baseball cap and his beard could give Billy Gibbons a run for his money. His wife Joan, on the other hand, is the embodiment of the phrase, “Welcome, friends” in her floor-length blue-and-green dress, offering refreshment while ushering us into the spacious, sunken living room with retractable walls for easy pool access.
Gary was a forerunner in the world of music retail, having played all of the major roles: musician, guitar tech, business owner and sound professional. His incredible foresight made him one of the first to work primarily in parts and repairs
