In 1976, Frank Sinatra married Barbara Marx, who was his former neighbor while she was married to Zeppo Marx.
Barbara Sinatra loved the desert as much as Frank. She was longing to give an overdue feminine touch to Sinatra’s home that had been ‘aggressively lived in for more than two decades.’ She brought in interior designer Bea Korshak and architect Ted Grenzbach to open and lighten the home’s central spaces, add a master suite for her, and renovate key areas like the much-used projection room. Sinatra’s favorite color, orange, was toned down in some areas, removed from others. Ultimately the compound grew to include 18 bedrooms and 23 baths.
Sinatra’s own bedroom was left untouched, his paintings and model trains intact. “It was his little cave,” said Tina Sinatra.
There is a multitude of ways to Explore Palm Springs, which turned 75 in 2013. One of the more intriguing methods is by exploring Palm Springs history.
The Palm Springs Historical Society will share a weekly story whose time and place corresponds with today.
The Palm Springs Historical Society is located at 221 S. Palm Canyon Drive.
Visit www.pshistoricalsociety.org for more information.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE PALM SPRINGS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Frank and Barbara Sinatra in front of El Mirador Tower at Desert Regional Hospital.