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And I knew celebrities and Hollywood legends made this area their playground. Elvis Presley’s Honeymoon Hideaway in Palm Springs is the most popular place in the town to have your photo taken. It is the scene where Elvis and Priscilla whisked away to after they were married in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967. It’s a joy.” Sammy Davis Jr. was a highly popular actor, comedian, singer and dancer. He was also part of the Rat Pack with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, with whom he starred in several films.
Nearly every time I go out for a morning run, I see a double-decker bus jammed full of tourists with fancy cameras. And then I have to stop and let them take my photo and it’s totally embarrassing. Nestled in a quaint neighborhood amongst gorgeous architecture, the yard shrubbery covers a lot of the front of the home, but you can tell it’s a well-maintained property. Before the year was out, and just weeks after the accident, Sammy Davis Jr. went back to work at the New Frontier, destined for greatness.
Mathilde “Ma” Preston: Queen of the Desert
Turning off Sunset Boulevard and meandering up through the Hollywood Hills, you leave the city behind and enter an elegant area where the homes are beautiful — perched on steep inclines. As you climb higher, the roads become narrower until you reach your destination, a home at the end of Evanview Drive. An unassuming cream façade hides a house that has been host to more than one Hollywood legend. Palm Springs wouldn’t be the same without Ol’ Blue Eyes. Frank Sinatra discovered Palm Springs from a long time friend and songwriter, Jimmy Van Heusen back in the mid 40’s and lived in Palm Springs for most of his life.
After Elvis and Priscilla got divorced in 1973, Elvis expanded the house with an additional 1,500 square feet. By 1974, Elvis had added a party room with checkerboard flooring, a sauna, a new bedroom with red carpet and two bathrooms with red and white tile. The pool house includes an upstairs bedroom and bathroom so that after a late-night party, Davis would not have to climb the stairs to go back to the main house.
Elvis Presley biography
As Helen went onto Kendall Drive, Sammy and Charles weren’t too far behind. The Kendall-Rte 66 fork was only one lane in each direction, with houses on both sides. Not wanting to make the trip to see her family in Van Nuys, California, on her own, Helen put an ad in the local Akron newspaper, seeking a companion or two for the trip west. He wanted to get to Edwards Air Force Base to see his brother.
Frank never talked to JFK again, and some say the diss caused him to become a card carrying Republican afterwards. Rose Ave., Palm Springs, I was unable to see records of who currently owns the home, but according to Zillow, it has four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms and is worth 2.2 million. But perhaps nowhere is she loved more than in Palm Springs, California. Today, the exterior of that home remains virtually as it did when Marilyn resided there—and is a popular tourist destination. Special acoustic tile was installed by RCA on the ceiling of the living room for a two-day recording session in September 1973. Presley recorded the songs “Are You Sincere,” “I Miss You” and “Sweet Angeline” at the makeshift studio in his Palm Springs home.
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The structural integrity of the pool and pool house remains; they carry the same footprint as when Davis designed them. The pool is an unusual round yet rectangular shape because he insisted there not be any sharp edges or any square corners. Davis was known for being an extremely detailed and conscientious planner and, as such, there is no aspect of his architectural creation that was left to chance. Right off of this downstairs living room is a bedroom that was originally occupied by Liza Minnelli when she lived here with her parents. On the opposite wall are built-in, floor-to-ceiling bookcases.
Later, the home was acquired by Sammy Davis Jr., who expanded the property to its present size. Throughout the home, traces of these famous inhabitants have been preserved and put on display so that their presence can be felt throughout. Coined Twin Palms, it was also known as Frank Sinatra’s home in the desert (if those walls could talk, honey!). Located at 1148 East Alejo Rd, it is a mid-century modern house in the Movie Colony–El Mirador neighborhood of Palm Springs, California according to this website.
Seven Iconic Celebrity Homes Palm Springs Edition
It’s also the home in which he wrote the script for The Nutty Professor. It’s now valued at $2.25 million and features a spacious layout with a four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a pool. I checked out seven iconic celebrity homes in Palm Springs, and I am sharing them right here alongside some history for good measure. From the pool area and looking up, lush foliage surrounds the entire property with bamboo, banana leaf trees, fruit trees, and tropical plants along with the smell of fragrant jasmine in the air. The result is a feeling of being in a secluded paradise high above the streets of LA.
It’s a fancy car, with all kinds of chrome and bullet-shaped decorations, including a large one in the center of the steering wheel’s horn ring. Once Frank arrived on the scene, so did most of the other Rat Pack members, including Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. Soon all sorts of Hollywood socialites, movie stars, heads of state, mafia bosses and more followed and the town was never the same. And to other cyclists I’m guiding through the neighborhoods. I didn’t want to run up to the gate and stick my phone through the fence to get a better photo. Just trust me, this house is everything you’d expect of Katharine the Great.
The photos of the house included in this article were taken in 2009 when the author was granted access to the home under the ownership of Reno Fontana. Since then, the home went into bank foreclosure in 2014 and was sold later that year for $1.5 million to an unknown buyer. In the 1960s, Elvis’ manager, Colonel Parker moved to Palm Springs and urged Elvis to come out and visit. This is rumored to be the place where, during a festive cocktail party, Frank Sinatra slugged a bartender for not correctly making him an extra dry martini.
If you have a party of 5-7, you can request his famed tamed table. Lord Fletcher’s is also known for its incredible drinks and desserts. The building still stands, unfortunately the business closed because of Covid. Cancel any upcoming flights to the moon, because living in Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack home is a great reason to stay on Earth. Thanks for the mini-tour, and especially finding out the Reagans lived right around the corner from me.
A recent excursion proved enlightening for a number of reasons. Beyond offering detailed accounts of what life may have been like for some of the stars who lived here — and some who still do — Bannister reveals a wealth of knowledge about architecture. TV actor and comedian Wally Cox owned the place after the Minnellis, and Sammy Davis Jr. purchased it from him in 1955. There is also a firepit, which was a more recent addition.
However, the bookcase actually holds a hidden door that leads into the Judy Garland suite — the home’s original master bedroom, complete with a walk-in closet and dressing area. Today, an ornate golden bed frame stands in the room, and an old photo of the famous sparkling ruby slippers hangs on the wall. The dressing area is untouched from when Garland and Minnelli lived here and is complete with the original mirrors. Hidden in the back of the closet and dressing area is a panic room that was built with the original house. It’s unknown why Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli felt this was necessary, nor whether this area has ever been used for its intended purpose. When Elvis bought the house located on a 1.75-acre lot, it was 3,500 square feet.
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Today, the home comprises five bedrooms and seven-and-a-half bathrooms spread out over 4,999 square feet. The front foyer opens onto an expansive great room with maple floors and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the hills. From there, there is a living room with a fireplace, a step-up dining room, and a home office situated between floors. A remodeled kitchen with oval stone backsplash and high-end appliances is accessible from both the living and dining rooms. The main floor of the pool house hosts a bar and lounge area. The wall behind the bar is decorated with framed pictures of Sammy Davis Jr. at the house, parties at the pool, and even one of Frank Sinatra sitting at the bar.
The eccentric singer was said to have taken to living in the garage at one point. Doctor Hill continued to practice well into his 80s, and regularly received gifts from the very grateful singer, dancer, Hollywood actor and Las Vegas celebrity. After being rushed to San Bernardino Community Hospital, Sammy was attended to by Doctor Fredrick Hull, the best eye specialist in town. Realizing her mistake, Helen put her car in reverse, and drove backwards, off Kendall Drive, and onto Route 66.
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