Aluminaire House Lives Anew in Palm Springs

Abstract The Aluminaire House, the first all-metal residence in the U.S., pioneered aluminum and steel construction as a scalable, affordable housing prototype. Designed in 1930-1931 by A. Lawrence Kocher and Albert Frey, the structure demonstrated that factory- produced components—aluminum columns, steel decking, sheet metal cladding, and plate glass—could be rapidly and affordably assembled into a habitable dwelling. The house was recently restored and reinstalled at the Palm Springs Art Museum.