Kaptur Design: Palisades Road

Perched on a dramatic hillside along Palisades Road overlooking downtown Palm Springs, this unique residential project reconnects a storied site with the architectural legacy that first defined it. Originally designed in 1957 by renowned Palm Springs architect Hugh M. Kaptur for Los Angeles businessman Robert Leaver, the original residence became a celebrated example of mid-century desert architecture. After decades of neglect and a fire that ultimately led to its demolition, the site was repurposed as a neighborhood tennis court before eventually returning to residential use.

In 2014, the owners of the neighboring Pete Siva residence, also a Kaptur design, commissioned a new guest house on the former tennis court site. WT Group AEC’s Structural Engineering team is providing structural engineering services to support the architect’s vision for a modern guest residence that respects the site’s history while meeting contemporary structural and safety standards. The project represents a rare opportunity: a second architectural design by Kaptur on the same spectacular cliffside location nearly six decades after the original home.