It’s been a beautiful holiday season in Rancho Mirage. A highlight for me was spending time with so many of you at our first Annual Scholarship Fundraiser & Gala where we celebrated the achievements of two gifted College of the Desert students, Eduardo Ortiz and Anabella Lira, who shared their heartwarming stories on the impact of these architectural scholarships. We are honored to champion the next generation of architects through our partnership with the College of the Desert and your continued generosity.

In December we hosted a distinctive tour and cocktail party at the Klein Residence. Gene Klein, an entrepreneur who owned the San Diego Chargers, commissioned Ted Grenzbach, a celebrated architect to the Hollywood stars, to design the home in the early 80s. Grenzbach – whose client list included work with Cher, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, Gene Kelly, Herb Alpert, Rock Hudson, Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand and Johnny Carson – cast the home in concrete with the signature rounded shapes of the late 70s and early 80s. Recently purchased by architect Doug Moreland, this one-of-a-kind example of postmodernism has undergone a meticulous and thoughtful interior and landscape restoration. Moreland was on hand for intimate tours of the interiors.

There is plenty more to celebrate this season, including this weekend’s exclusive members-only tour of Desert Eichler 8 (only a few tickets remain) and the upcoming sold-out premiere of our first foray into filmmaking, Preservation Mirage Presents Richard Neutra’s Maslon House, during Modernism Week at the Annenberg Theater. And today I am pleased to share that we are launching three products for sale, details can be found below.

Nathan Jacroux

President, Board of Directors

nathan@preservationmirage.org

At our Annual Scholarship Fundraiser & Gala in November, we unveiled a unique opportunity to support the production of this documentary short by becoming one of only six Maslon film patrons. The Board of Directors and Advisory Board would like to thank the generous contributions of our patrons who supported the production of our film:

• Jeff Kohl

• Laura (siri) Hutcheson and Camille Cook

• The Scot and Lance Karp Family Foundation

• Palm Springs Modern Committee

• Steven Strickland and Leo Parrella

• The City of Rancho Mirage

By Nickie McLaughlin, Executive Director of PS ModCom and member of the Preservation Mirage Advisory Board

The Palm Springs Modern Committee (PS ModCom) attended the Palm Springs Airport Commission meeting on November 20th and were pleased to hear about a new hybrid plan for the proposed Rental Car Center at the airport.

PS ModCom had strongly opposed the previous plan which proposed a massive 5-story rental car building directly across El Cielo Road from City Hall. This design would have fundamentally altered Palm Springs’ iconic midcentury civic center due to its disproportionate scale. Additionally, it would have negatively impacted mountain views and overwhelmed the historic Wexler Terminal.

On December 5th the airport master plan team presented their hybrid plan to the community at an open house event where they received further support from attendees.

This project involves many steps, including issues related to noise and traffic, that must be addressed in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) yet to be prepared. We will continue to monitor airport commission and City Council meetings as the project progresses.

Urbana Preservation & Planning and their Senior Researcher, Melissa Riche, Preservation Mirage’s founder, are continuing their work for the City of Rancho Mirage updating the existing Historic Resources Survey. The Urbana project team completed survey fieldwork and is now focusing on updating existing documentation and compiling research data for any newly identified significant historical and architectural properties in Rancho Mirage. Research is focused on properties that are 45 years or older, but may also include more recent properties that have exceptional significance. Over the next few months, the Urbana team will be preparing site forms and updating the existing historic context statement for the City. Once complete, property owners can voluntarily utilize the information within the updated Rancho Mirage Historic Preservation survey to apply for Historic Designation.

We are pleased to report that at its September meeting, the Rancho Mirage City Council followed the recommendation of the Historic Preservation Commission and designated another residence as a historic resource. The Stainton Residence is situated between the 11th green and 12th tee of Thunderbird Country Club. Preservation Mirage put this home on tour in 2020.

This designation is particularly important because the property was not listed in the Historic Resource Survey and the architect is unknown. These two components generally remove a site from consideration. But, due to homeowner/members Eric and Dedre Toker’s due diligence and collaboration with the architectural historians Page & Turnbull from Los Angeles, this home has been rightfully recognized. Combined with the in-progress Historic Resources Update, we hope this designation will help pave a path for other homes not originally documented.

The criteria for which the home was considered are:

1. “The subject structure or site is representative of a particular architectural style or reflects special elements of a historical period, type, style or way of life important to the city.”

2. “The subject structure or site signifies an historic event or is associated with persons or events that have made a meaningful contribution to the city, state, or nation.”

The home is named after its original owner, Eric Stainton. In 1959, he became the fourth president of Thunderbird Country Club, serving until 1962. Although his tenure was short, his time was served well by immediately hiring noted architect  Howard Lapham to expand the club’s facilities to promote larger tournaments, gaining national attention. Stainton lived in the home until 1976, serving guests such as Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and President Eisenhower at the club. He was instrumental in the rise and aura of golf in Rancho Mirage.

The designation of this home is unique as it was originally thought that it may not qualify. We thank the Tokers for their interest, research and time to have this amazing property designated.