Esteemed mid-century modern architect William Krisel, known for his use of the butterfly roof, died in Beverly Hills on Monday at the age of 92.

Working largely in Southern California, Krisel designed over 30,000 homes in the region. Some of the architect’s most influential work was built in Palm Springs, California, a desert haven for modern architectural experimentation in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Krisel is best known for pioneering the modernist tract house, a response to the rise of post-war suburban developments. Employing brightly colored and patterned facades with a variety of asymmetrical roof forms, Krisel delivered modernist design principles on a mass-scale.

Photo by Darren Bradley/Courtesy of Darren Bradley.

“The concept for offering the builder various roof lines — flat, gables, inverted butterfly or whatever — is something that he sort of brought to the table so that they could essentially have very similar floor plans but have homes that looked quite different,” said Chris Menrad, a member of the executive board of the Palm Springs Modern Committee told the Desert Sun. “And that look, as well as that concept, did get adopted.”

Partnering with fellow architect Dan Palmer, Krisel began practicing architecture after graduating from the University of Southern California in 1949. The pair worked with the renowned Alexander Construction Company on the development of many projects in the Southern California region.

Ocotillo Lodge. Photo by Julius Shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)

Krisel and Palmer’s first project was the Ocotillo Lodge in Palm Springs, a 7-acre complex of of low-slung white-tiled condominiums surrounding a central building. Featuring a rounded wall of vertical windows in front of a keyhole shaped swimming, the Ocotillo Lodge afforded visitors a panoramic view of the beyond San Jacinto Mountains.

Krisel is also known for his development of the Twin Palms in Palm Springs, featuring ninety 1,600 square foot units, each occupying a 10,000 square foot plot. The homes all consisted of post-and-beam foundations, and variations on Krisel’s signature angular and butterfly roof forms. Like the Ocotillo Lodge, the Twin Palms homes feature swimming pools and mountain views. Each home was planted with two palm trees, lending to the development’s name.

Home design by Krisel in the Twin Palms neighborhood. Photo by Darren Bradley/Courtesy of Darren Bradley.

Krisel’s legacy continues to capture the public’s imagination fostering a significant preservation movement and placing many Krisel-designed homes on the market.

Check out some more photos of his designs from the Getty archives below!

Alexander Home. Photo by Julius Shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)

Allied Gardens. Photo by Julius Shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)

Midland Meadows. Photo by Julius Shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)

Project (Las Vegas). Photo by Julius Shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)

Racquet Club Estates. Photo by Julius Shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)