George and Robert Alexander, father and son, arrived from Los Angeles in 1955. Their first subdivision is called Twin Palms Estates. It established the Alexander formula -- square houses up to 2,000 square feet that look long and rectangular thanks to a street frontage that fools the eye. "Parking, breezeway, windows, wall," is how local Architectural Historian Robert Imber puts it. The open breezeway between carport and house is an Alexander trademark that was much copied. So was the Alexanders' use of concrete screens and stone walls to enliven facades.
But nothing so defines Alexanders as their jazzy roofs. Flat, low gabled, butterfly or zigzag, the roofs add variety and a touch of fun to neighborhoods that are composed of essentially the same house. No one visiting an Alexander neighborhood should neglect the stone walls or stone facades, or concrete screens and walls. Many are works of art.
Alexander Homes
Steel Alexanders - The Alexanders' most unique development was a group of seven steel homes designed in 1961. The goal was to build an entire neighborhood, but the price of steel rose and the project died. The neighborhood is a Palm Springs historic district.