William Krisel (Cry-sell), the pioneering architect who brought modernism to Southern California tract housing, passed away June 12 in Beverly Hills at the age of 92.

Krisel's tract housing in Palm Springs homes, despite having the same floor plans, had varied rooflines, painting schemes and street setbacks to give each home its own identity. He is said to have popularized the "butterfly roof."

According to the Los Angeles Times, his legacy is for the 1,200 middle-class homes in California that he designed from 1957 to 1963 with builder/developers George and Robert Alexander. His pragmatic architecture, coupled with attractive pricing for those homes made them a big success. A home on a 100' x 100' lot, fenced in, landscaped, air condition and with a swimming pool could be had for $29,900, he told NPR in an interview last year.