Desert Cities Archive

‘We Thought of Ourselves as One Community’

Some of the best history, characters, and color of Palm Springs unfold in its distinctive neighborhoods from the traditional ones developed from the 1920s until shortly after World War II to the midcentury modern enclaves designed by now-iconic architects such as Wexler, Frey, Cody, Palmer and Krisel, and others.

By Sheila Grattan

At Salton Sea, North Shore Yacht Club is Alive!

The 53-year-old North Shore Yacht Club is a midcentury modern treasure and a community treasure. The building, recently redeveloped by the County of Riverside, has become a thriving community center serving the residents of the North Shore community.

Stars Align to Lead

Celebrities discovered Palm Springs long before it was incorporated 75 years ago. Here they let their hair down, relaxed in the sun, and began supporting local civic and charitable activities. For many celebs, it was a natural segue to local politics.

By Sheila Grattan

Women With Vision

The mention of Palm Springs usually conjures up images of Hollywood movie stars, a playground for the rich and famous, or the golf capital of the world -— certainly not a hub of women’s entrepreneurship.

By Rita Strombeck

The Woman Leads

She led an all-women council that changed the financial destiny of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and the California resort communities of Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage.

By Sheila Grattan

Men on the Forefront

The expeditions passing through the desert in the mid- to late-1800s saw only arid, barren land. It took vision and grit to see the possibilities of this land. What follows are some of the pioneering men who laid the foundation for today’s Palm Springs.

By Ann Greer

Bringing Presence to the Past

Today’s architects take inspiration from early masters and run with it

By Janice Kleinschmidt

Building on Last Century’s Innovation

In the mid-20th century, desert architects eagerly worked in a new, modern idiom — and Palm Springs provided fertile ground for their brilliant designs

By Michael Stern

The Beat Goes On

Sonny Bono, Palm Springs’ celebrity mayor, did more for the city than launch one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals. With a revivalist vision and an anti-bureaucratic cause, the star with a common touch embodies the city’s cultural and economic transition.

Sheila Grattan

Courtship Among the Pros

More of the world’s No. 1 tennis players hit balls at the Racquet Club: In addition to Budge and Marble, Ellsworth Vines in the 1930s; Bobby Riggs, Jack Kramer, and Pancho Segura in the 1940s and ’50s; Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, Stan Smith, Bob Lutz, Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert, Pancho Gonzales, Arthur Ashe, and Billie Jean King in the 1960s and ’70s.

Gloria Greer