Palm Springs Historical Society

02/14/2020

Modernism Week is here! Want to explore the city? Check out our bike tours 🚲🚲. Friday to Monday 9 am Book on our website. #biketour #palmsprings #modernismweek #historicalsociety

02/11/2020

Who is excited for Modernism Week? 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️ #modernismweek #palmsprings

02/04/2020

Palm Springs Historical Society's cover photo

01/21/2020

"Avanti- Desert-Designed Car" was written on the cover of Palm Springs Life magazine in 1962.

This Avanti Studebaker was designed in one week in Palm Springs by Robert Andrews, John Ebstein and Palm Springs resident Raymond Loewy. Designed in Palm Springs, it was only natural that the desert oasis would be the perfect place to photograph this classic car for advertisement campaign.

You might get to see this gem on the "Rat Pack" walking tour or our brand new bike tours this season.

If you want to learn more about Industrial Designer Raymond Loewy, stop by the museum. We have a special exhibit on him this season. Don't miss out! #palmsprings

01/18/2020

Take a step back through time. Join us on Jan 23 for our Let's Talk - The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. The film Greg Purdy and Cara Youngman are planning to present that night is splendid. Book on our website now! $20 for non members $10 for PSHS members Free for students with School ID

01/02/2020

Tour 7 - Frank Sinatra's Neighborhood

We still have spots available for our walking tours tomorrow!

Love all things Frank Sinatra?

Go on Tour 7, Frank Sinatra's Neighborhood. Explore the historic Movie Colony Neighborhood that he called home.

Tours start at 9:30 am
Cost $25 per person
All tour start at various locations
https://pshistoricalsociety.org/products/tour-7-frank-sinatras-neighborhood-the-movie-colony?variant=30199748558894

Thursday 9:30 am Friday 9:30 am Sunday 9:30 am The Movie ColonyWith the luxurious El Mirador as its centerpiece, the Movie Colony was developed in the 1930s and 1940s. In this tranquil neighborhood lived some of Hollywood’s biggest stars such as Cary Grant, Dinah Shore, Van Johnson, Tony Curtis, G...

12/29/2019

BIKE Palm Springs Rentals & Tours

Bike like a Star! Join us for our biking tours!

https://pshistoricalsociety.org/products/bike-like-a-star?variant=30207315443844

In case you didn’t know... We do tours! - Well, the Palm Springs historical Society Docents do! A two hour tour through several neighborhoods in beautiful Palm Springs. We send you off equipped with an audio ear piece so you can clearly hear wonderful stories about PS, historical facts and the fabulous movie stars that lived and played in our city! -
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12/27/2019

So it begins. On the balcony of the Thomas O’Donnell House. 📸: @mattamico #palmsprings #historicalsociety #view

11/04/2019

11/04/2019

10/29/2019

Los Compadres brought together local riders from all walks of life

Since November 1939, Los Compadres has been a part of the Palm Springs Community. Tracy Conrad gives a history of the organization in this interesting article.

People entertained themselves, making music, playing sports and conversing. They cared deeply about their friends, amigos, buddies, pals or compadres.

10/20/2019

O’Donnell Golf Club landscape is most historic

Here's an interesting article on the O'Donnell Golf Club written by Tracy Conrad.

A nomination for historic designation for the buildings and landscape O’Donnell Golf Club goes before the Palm Springs City Council on Oct. 23.

06/23/2018

Meet the original 'influencers' who put Palm Springs on the map

Who would be considered an "influencer" in Palm Springs today?

Thanks to the efforts of Frank Bogert, Tony Burke and Ray Ryan, Palm Springs became known worldwide as the place to go and enjoy fun in the sun.

06/22/2018

The Filmmakers' Gallery Presents...

Special Screening of the classic movie, Yours Mine & Ours.

A special evening celebrating the 50th anniversary of this classic American comedy, starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. Guest moderated by Lucille's "Number One Fan" and best-selling author Michael Stern; who will be selling and signing copies of his book "I Had A Ball: My Friendship with Lucille Ball"

Special Guests: Actress, Morgan Brittany
& "I Had A Ball" Author, Michael Stern

**View Classic Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq9Q-0e9mBM

*A portion of the proceeds from all ticket sales will benefit The Palm Springs Historical Society.

DATE: SATURDAY, JULY 14th, 2018

5-7:00pm - Cocktail Reception with Morgan Brittany & Michael Stern (For VIP Ticket Holders ONLY)

6-7:00pm - "I Had A Ball" Book Signing
-with Author, Michael Stern

7-7:45pm - Conversation with Morgan Brittany
*Guest Moderator, Author of "I HAD A BALL" - Michael Stern

8:00pm - The 50th Anniversary Celebration Screening of "YOURS, MINE & OURS"!

WHERE: The Palm Springs Cultural Center - Camelot Theatres
Address: 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262

SPONSORED BY: LIVE Magazine TV, HYATT Palm Springs & Bridge Falls Entertainment

VIP Cocktail Reception with Special Guests:
$15.00 (Includes VIP Cocktail Hour plus Book Signing, Conversation segment & Screening of "YOURS, MINE & OURS")

General Admission:
$10.00 (Includes Book Signing, Conversation segment & Screening of "YOURS, MINE & OURS")

We hope to see you there!

05/07/2018

Desert Circus was a much-beloved celebrity-filled Palm Springs event that began in 1934

Do you remember the Desert Circus?

Celebrities involved included: Bob Hope, Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, Janet Leigh, Jayne Mansfield, Debbie Reynolds, Gene Autry and Lucille Ball

04/08/2018

Gay community has shaped and influenced Palm Springs for decades

Our final "Talk" of the season is titled, "Let's Talk About Gay Palm Springs." The talk is scheduled for April 17, 2018 at 6:00 pm at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Seating is limited. Tickets can be purchased at www.pshistoricalsociety.org. $10 for members and $20 for non-members. See you at "The Talk."

Whether private or out, the gay community has shaped the history of Palm Springs throughout its storied history

03/26/2018

Palm Springs and Palm Desert both have a long and celebrated history with high fashion

Fashion in the desert is more than just a bathing suit and cover up.

During the mid-century some of the biggest names in fashion were featured in a multitude of high-end shops scattered up and down Palm Canyon Drive.

03/11/2018

Historic Town & Desert Apartments invited invasion of the sun

Herbert Burns was called a "charismatic chameleon." Learn why in this article on the man and his work.

Photographer Julius Shulman was so impressed with Town and Desert Apartments, he wrote about it. Now Preservation Society is feting the architect

02/25/2018

Harry Oliver was the original Desert Rat and his peg leg pranks are the stuff of legend

A legend in the desert, Harry Oliver also had a sense of humor. Tracy Conrad tells his story in this interesting article.

The publisher of the Desert Rat Scrap Book had a successful and varied career before turning his attention to aphorism and humor.

02/04/2018

Many locals and tourists eat and drink there, but do you know the history of Las Casuelas?

What's your favorite Las Casuelas dish?

Matriarch of the restaurant family cooked her special recipes in earthenware “cazuelas,” the Spanish name for the pots and pans she used

12/31/2017

The Palm Springs struggle with Daylight Savings Time and the idea of ‘Sun Time’

Not getting enough sun? How about some "Sun Time?"

The idea consisted of having Palm Springs move forward by one hour from Pacific Standard Time.

12/18/2017

A Palm Springs Christmas story

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

The story begins in 1919 when a Christmas celebration was planned for the children who attended the Community Church in the little village of Palm Springs.

12/04/2017

www.desertsun.com

Our first lecture of the season is tomorrow night. The number of tickets are limited, so purchase now. See the article below for details.

11/29/2017

Coachella Valley

Come over to the Village Green to see this amazing house in person. Thanks CoachellaValley.com for posting this great video.

Hey Coachella Valley, a quick tour of the Historic Cornelia White House in Palm Springs

The Cornelia White House is a historic 1893 wooden residential structure located in downtown Palm Springs, California, and is one of the oldest surviving structures – of any kind – in the town

The Cornelia White House was built in 1893, and is made entirely of "recycled" railroad ties taken from under the Palmdale Railroad's tracks.

The residence is named for its original owner, Cornelia B. White, who was an early pioneer of the Palm Springs area.
By Jill Hayes / Coachella Valley

11/06/2017

How Tom O’Donnell used his wealth to create wonder in Palm Springs

If you want to see the famous O'Donnell Golf Course in person, come to the Palm Springs Historical Society's Picnic Under the Palms on Sunday, November 12, 2017 at Noon. Tickets are selling quickly, so get yours soon! Purchase your tickets at www.pshistoricalsociety.org

You could go to a picnic being held on Tom O'Donnell's private golf course.

10/22/2017

Dwight D. Eisenhower’s memorable time at Smoke Tree Ranch

Do you want to party like a President? Here's your chance. The Moonlight BBQ at Smoke Tree Ranch benefiting the Palm Springs Historical Society will be held on November 8, 2017 at 6:00 pm. Tickets can be purchased on our website, pshistoricalsociety.org. See you at the ranch!

Frank Bogert described the arrival of President Dwight D. Eisenhower in February 1954 as “the biggest thing that ever happened” in the valley.

10/07/2017

Meet Lucie Arnaz, the daughter of film and TV superstars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz

Come to the reception to officially open our "Palm Springs Loves Lucy and Desi" exhibit on October 15 from 2 until 4 pm at the McCallum Adobe. It's sure to be a fun day!

Lucie Arnaz will appear at a reception on the anniversary of the airing of the first episode of “I Love Lucy.”

09/17/2017

Uptown Palm Springs: A tale of three cities

Be sure to take our new Historical Walking Tour, "Boom Town: The Story of Uptown Palm Springs." Our Walking Tours start for the season on October 16, and Boom Town will be held every Friday at 9:30 am. Tours for the Modernism Week Fall Preview (October 19 - 22) are booked on the Modernism Week website. Reservations for all other Historical Walking Tours can be made on our website, www.pshistoricalsociety.org.

The area from Tachevah Drive south to Alejo Road first sprouted in the 1920s and grew to become the Las Palmas Business District.

09/10/2017

Melba Bennett and the gardens of Palm Springs

Melba Bennett was much more than just the founder of the Palm Springs Historical Society, read about her passion for gardening in this article by Board President Tracy Conrad.

The Palm Springs Historical Society was a seed of an idea, planted and nurtured by the incomparable Melba Bennett in 1955.

08/28/2017

www.desertsun.com

Here's all the information you need to know about our opening this Friday and our new exhibits. Come in and see us soon!

07/31/2017

The history of renaming streets in the greater Palm Springs area in 1930

Find out the original names of some of the streets we drive every day.

Many of the names have an obvious connection to the celebrities who stayed and played in Palm Springs but other names are not so easy to identify.

07/24/2017

Hoagy Carmichael: A music man's days in the desert

Before reading the article, can you name one song that Hoagy Carmichael wrote?

Carmichael frequented the desert through the 1940s with the rest of the affluent Hollywood crowd.

07/10/2017

Marion Davies: Millionaire, mogul, movie star

We all have heard about Marion Davies association with William Randolph Hearst, but do you know about her business activities in Palm Springs???

Davies was quite astute in business while still managing to be the consummate hostess, throwing wildly extravagant and elegant parties, often with themes.

04/22/2017

The history of Mexican families in the Coachella Valley

Read this insightful article from Renee.

During the Mexican Revolution, many Mexican families left Mexico and made their way to the Coachella Valley where jobs in agriculture, railroad and construction were plentiful.

03/09/2017

Did you know that, The Palm Springs Airport by Donald Wexler (1966), City Hall by Albert Frey (1952), the Coachella Valley S&L (now Chase) by E. Stewart Williams (1961,) the Del Marcos Hotel by William Cody (1947), and the Kaufman House by Richard Neutra (1947), are some of the many examples of iconic mid-century architecture here in Palm Springs. Find out more about the Modernist Architects who Shaped Pam Springs on Thursday, March 16 at 6:00 PM at the Lecture Hall at the Palm Springs Art Museum when Rober Imber talks all things Modern. Seating is limited.

03/04/2017

Did you know that Palm Springs has one of the largest concentrations of mid-century structures in the world - it is truly a mecca for desert modern mid-century architecture? Come and learn more at our final lecture of the season, "From Here and There: Modernist Architects Who Shaped Palm Springs. Thursday, March 16, 2017.

12/27/2016

Zaddie Bunker arrived in Palm Springs in 1913 after hearing that a bond had been voted in to pay for a road from Indio to Palm Springs. Predicting the growth of the automobile traffic in the area, she opened the first automotive garage with her husband, Ed in Palm Springs. After a successful business career as an automotive mechanic and the first woman in California to get a chauffeur's license, she purchased key properties on Palm Canyon Drive in what would become the heart of the business district. Financially she prospered and at 65 years old followed her lifelong dream to fly when she earned her pilot’s license.
On May 16, 1959 Palm Springs’ flying great-grandmother, Zaddie Bunker, broke the sound barrier in an Air Force Super Sabre jet becoming a member of the elite Mach Buster Club. She became a member of that organization by flying with Col. Robinson Riser, the pilot who was in command of the jet as it passed through the sound barrier. At the age of 71 Bunker qualified for the flight after passing a rigorous physical examination at the medical center at George Air Force Base in Victorville, California. After her flight she was commissioned as an honorary Lt. Col in the 308th Tactical Air Command.

Hear more about Zaddie Bunker and other women who "Built This Town" at Renee Brown's talk on Thursday, January 5 at Los Compadres Clubhouse located at 1849 El Cielo Road, Palm Springs. Seating is limited, and tickets may be purchased online at www,pshistoricalsociety.org.

10/23/2016

McCallum Adobe opens its doors for the new season

The museums are open for the season, and our first slideshow in the "Let's Talk" series is Thursday at 6:00 PM. PSHS Director, Jeri Vogelsang, will present a slideshow about the life and times of the people who made Palm Springs a celebrity haven in the 1950s.Purchase tickets online at pshistoricalsociety.org. Members save $5 on their tickets.

The McCallum Adobe, the home of the Palm Springs Historical Society, will open for the new season on Friday, October 21.

09/12/2016

The secret rock houses (and beauty) of Andreas Canyon

The next time you are near Andreas Canyon, look closely to see the rock houses.

Hikers and horseback riders with sharp eyes are often surprised when they look up and into the mouth of Andreas Canyon.

08/15/2016

Condos marked Palm Springs expansion in the early 1960s

Have you been to Sandcliff?

After World War II the federal government encouraged cities to build multi-family dwellings in areas with existing public services.

08/01/2016

How this family built mid-century marvels in Palm Springs

Did you know that the Alexander's built the Ocotillo Lodge as well as homes in Palm Springs?

The Alexanders not only built homes with recognizable style, but also built a place where residential living, hotel luxury and convenience would meet.

07/28/2016

Surviving summer in Palm Springs in the early 1900s

Can you even imagine living in palm springs without air conditioning?

In the days before air conditioners, desert dwellers found creative ways to keep (somewhat) cool during the summer.