Walk through the palm tree-lined residential streets of Palm Springs, through the endless blocks of mid-century marvels, and you would find yourself familiar with the genius of William F. Cody.

The man who designed Palm Springs is the subject of a new exhibit in downtown Los Angeles.

+ The Palm Springs Spa Hotel photographed by Julius Shulman. Lead image from the A+D Museum, photos via LA Times.

The prolific architect was eponymous with desert design and the modern architecture movement, designing houses, schools, hotels, restaurants, churches, and everything in between. The A+D Museum brings together for the first time a comprehensive look at Cody’s architecture on the centennial year of his birth.

Cody was also the subject of a documentary that premiered at Modernism Week earlier this year entitled Desert Maverick: The Singular Architecture of William F. Cody. Directed by renowned commercial director Leo Zahn, the film explores why the architect who created so many iconic buildings and spaces is not more widely recognized.

The Architecture of William F. Cody is on view July 10 – September 25.

• Story by Amy Jacobowitz