Hollywood celebrities have been flocking to Palm Springs for rest and relaxation ever since the village first began to grow. Just a little more than 100 miles from Hollywood, Palm Springs became an easy and comfortable place to unwind and relax.
Another reason Palm Springs became a desirable destination for the stars of Tinseltown was the “two-hour rule.” In the early days of Hollywood, most of the movies were made by just a few studios, and they had their actors under contract. Most of the contracts had strict clauses, including a stipulation requiring talent to be available within two hours, ensuring actors could be called back on short notice if necessary. As more and more Hollywood personalities realized that Palm Springs was the perfect “two-hour” destination, they began to purchase desert homes.
A large number of them bought or built homes in one particular neighborhood: Old Las Palmas. Originally established as a citrus grove, Old Las Palmas was acquired and subdivided in the mid-1920s by Prescott (P.T.) Stevens, who also developed the famed El Mirador Hotel. He had secured considerable land in the area and bought controlling interest in the water company. Prescott teamed with contractor/builder Alvah Hicks to develop housing.
The neighborhood was designed with curvilinear streets inspired by landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted (who designed New York’s Central Park). In 1929, Hicks was contracted to build the Spanish revival-style Our Lady of Solitude Church, which was designed by the prolific architect Albert Martin (who also co-designed Los Angeles City Hall). It opened in 1930, and in the decades since, numerous celebrities have celebrated Mass there, including President John F. Kennedy and Frank Sinatra. It still anchors the south end of Old Las Palmas on Alejo Road.
Old Las Palmas today features a diverse mix of architectural styles, from Spanish colonial revival, to desert mission, to mid-century modern. Properties range from modest homes to sprawling estates with expansive grounds. As defined by Palm Springs real estate agents today, Old Las Palmas comprises approximately 290 properties west of Palm Canyon Drive, north of Alejo Road, east of Via Monte Vista, and south of Stevens Road.
Other nearby neighborhoods, including the Movie Colony (east of Indian Canyon Drive and north of Alejo Road), Little Tuscany (north of Stevens Road) and the Tennis Club area (west of downtown), also attracted celebrities. While most merely maintained seasonal homes, others became involved with Palm Springs. Stars like Dinah Shore, Donald O’Connor, Kirk Douglas, William Powell and Gene Autry created enormous goodwill with their continued presence. Some invested in businesses in the area. Alan Ladd owned the Alan Ladd Hardware at Palm Canyon Drive and Ramon Road (where the Five Hundred Building is now) as well as the Spanish Inn on Indian Canyon Drive.
Today, buses and trams compete with walking tours as they regularly take tourists through the Old Las Palmas area, pointing out some of the notable residences. Here are a handful of them:
At the northwest corner of Belardo and Alejo roads is Casa de Liberace, the 20-year home of flashy pianist Wladziu Valentino Liberace. He bought The Cloisters (first built by Alvah Hicks) in 1967 and renovated it in his particular flamboyant style. He died there in 1987. New owners kept the property’s signature candelabra and the sign “Casa de Liberace” gracing the entrance for decades after he died.
At 222 Chino Drive is the former residence of Clark Gable. One recent owner was Joel Douglas (Kirk Douglas’ son) and his wife. At the end of Chino Drive, George Hamilton’s signature in cement can still be seen in the driveway at 591 Patencio Road. Mary Pickford and Buddy Rogers lived at 701 N. Patencio Road. Across the street, at 481 W. Merito Place, is the home built by early cowboy actor Hoot Gibson and later owned by opera star Mario Lanza. Songstress Lena Horne lived at 465 W. Merito Place, and comedienne Lily Tomlin sold the home her mother had been living in at 443 W. Merito Place in 2003.
In the 1970s, former MGM president and Las Vegas hotel entrepreneur Kirk Kerkorian owned the classic 1936 home at 735 N. Prescott Drive. Cowboy Gene Autry owned the home at 328 W. Mountain View Place. His widow Jackie Autry finally sold it in 2017.
At 432 W. Hermosa Place, Dinah Shore’s desert home changed hands several times and is currently owned by Leonardo DiCaprio, although he generally leases it out. Elizabeth Taylor and husband Mike Todd stayed one season (1957) at the home of Universal Studios president Leo Spitz at 417 W. Hermosa Place. Taylor owned a home with model/entrepreneur Kathy Ireland at 901 N. Prescott Drive (Casa Elizabeth) until her 2011 death. Ireland has since sold it.
Producer Samuel Goldwyn retired to 334 Hermosa Place, a property he had earlier rented. Movie mogul Jack Warner’s estate at 1050 N. Cahuilla Road also fronts Via Lola. Writer Sidney Sheldon lived at 425 W. Via Lola, and also owned a couple of other homes on Via Lola. Kirk and Anne Douglas sold their home at 515 W. Via Lola in 2001 to be closer to family in Santa Barbara. Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn rented 550 W. Via Lola before buying a home in Palm Desert.
Popular novelist Harold Robbins had his home at 601 W. Camino Sur modified for the wheelchair he was confined to following a 1982 stroke. He wrote several books from the wheelchair.
Peter Lawford owned the home at 1295 N. Via Monte Vista, and Dean Martin bought the one at 1123 N. Via Monte Vista; the Martins owned it for years. Crooner Rudy Vallee lived at 484 W. Vereda Norte, and mega-star of the ’30s William Powell and his wife, Mousie, bought the home at 383 W. Vereda Norte in 1941; Mousie lived in it until her 1997 death.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned at 1350 Ladera Circle in 1967 before they bought their Little Tuscany home. Trini Lopez lived full-time at 1139 Abrigo Road. Debbie Reynolds used to live at 670 W. Stevens Road, and producer Howard Hawks lived at 501 W. Stevens Road.
The former Donald O’Connor home is at 700 N. Via Las Palmas, and 1950s actor Alan Ladd with his wife, Sue, owned the home at 323 W. Camino Del Norte. The star of 150 movies, Ladd died in that home in 1964. Also on West Camino Del Norte were homes of Howard Hughes (335) and Mary Martin (365). Famous ventriloquist Edgar Bergen lived at 1575 N. Via Norte.
Liberace also owned the home at 1441 N. Kaweah Road. It was primarily a guest house where his brother George often stayed. The stark-white home with entrance statues still boasts a piano-shaped mailbox.
A good example of the Spanish colonial revival architecture that dominated early Old Las Palmas homes is the two-story estate once owned by the Oscar-winning actress Donna Reed at 1184 Camino Mirasol.
Old Las Palmas is an eclectic cultural phenomenon. With its diverse range of beautiful architecture, Old Las Palmas’ buildings are just as much of an attraction as the noted celebrities who were attached to them.
Sources for this article include Palm Springs Confidential by Howard Johns (Barricade Books, 2004); the Old Las Palmas Neighborhood Organization; the Palm Springs Historical Society (which offers various tours of OLP; pshistoricalsociety.org); The Best Ever Guide to Palm Springs Celebrity Homes by Eric G. Meeks (H.L. Oglethorpe, 2012); and Palm Springs Legends by Greg Niemann (Sunbelt Publications, 2006).