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PALM SPRINGS — Local modernistas are well aware of the desert’s cache of midcentury architecture. Now it’s officially part of our national historic record.

The Wexler/Harrison Steel Development House No. 2, one of seven all-steel houses designed by Donald Wexler and Richard Harrison, recently was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The house is the first midcentury structure in Palm Springs to receive this national distinction. It is only the second home in the city, next to the O’Donnell House, to be listed.

“This is a great moment for Palm Springs and midcentury modern architecture in general,” said Michael Stern, a local author and midcentury modern enthusiast. “It really shows the significance of this house and Don Wexler’s work, and the importance of midcentury buildings in the national eye.”

The 1,400-square-foot steel home had its central core, including its two bathrooms and kitchen, built in Los Angeles before being installed in the desert.

The home was completed in 1962 over a span of four weeks, Stern said.

Celebrating its 50th year, the property just became eligible for nomination to the national register.

Homeowner Brian McGuire submitted the application in October to the California Office of Historic Preservation, which processes state nominations.

It was unanimously recommended for approval for the national register by the California State Historical Resources Board on Jan. 20 .

The National Park Service in Washington, D.C., officially accepted the nomination, which was effective March 20.

“I don’t know how to express my feeling but I’m honored,” Wexler told The Desert Sun.

Wexler, 86, said when he designed the home 50 years ago he never thought it would be recognized in such a way.

“What we were really trying to do was develop a somewhat of a pre-fab house that could be made fairly reasonably on an assembly much like how Ford did,” Wexler said of his creation of the steel homes.

The recognition is hardly a surprise to Palm Springs residents who have watched as the city’s reputation as a hub of everything midcentury modern — from architecture to fashion and lifestyle — has grown, best exemplified by the success of Modernism Week.