William F. Cody left a rich architectural legacy throughout the desert communities. His mastery is on full display at this estate located on a double, two-thirds-of-an-acre lot adjacent to the 13th hole of the Tamarisk Country Club.
Known as the Rubinstein Residence, the home was listed as a Designated Property on the Rancho Mirage Register of Historic Places in March 2018 and is the last residential commission designed by Cody. It recently came on the market at $2,495,000. (Furnishings are available outside of escrow.)
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The current homeowner, an avid architectural enthusiast, explains that Gladys and Sam Rubinstein lived in Seattle and hired Cody to design their winter retreat. "Gladys loved Cody’s modern aesthetic but wanted a courtyard hacienda feel, which appealed to Cody who started his career with famed architect Cliff May in Los Angeles," he says.
Sam Rubinstein oversaw the expansion of his family business, Whitney-Fidalgo Seafoods, into a major salmon canning company. He also purchased another seafood company, Farwest Fisheries, and had a wide array of other business interests, including plywood manufacturing, shopping centers, and the Arby's fast-food outlet.
The media/game room features vaulted, quarter sawn wood ceilings and a sunken wet bar with a beautiful countertop made out of four alternating, exotic woods
The couple were major art collectors and benefactors of the performing arts in Seattle and Palm Springs — they left significant collections to art museums in both cities —and wanted a home that would highlight their collection.
The Rubinstein Residence has over 6,400 square feet — with four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms — and its layout features a Zen-like interior courtyard that serves as a central axis. "My favorite feature is the wood-beamed, interior courtyard that's open to the sky," says the homeowner. "It is so rare to walk through front doors from the motor court into a center courtyard with a beautiful water feature [and] huge sliding glass walls open to the courtyard from all the main interior rooms."
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A pool with a diving board, and an expansive covered patio with living and dining areas, both enjoy wide-open views of the Santa Rosa Mountains.
Additional walls of glass throughout the home create a seamless transition from indoors to outdoors and all of the spaces were designed for both intimate and large-scale entertaining. Another of the homeowner's favorite features is the sunken wet bar with a beautiful countertop made out of four alternating, exotic woods.
Other aspects of the Rubinstein Residence that attest to Cody's attention to detail and use of high-quality construction and materials include solid rosewood hand-carved doors; bronze hardware pulls and handles; custom, rare original tiles like the Gladding, McBean sautillo floor and roof tiles; roughhewn quarter sawn wood ceilings; intricate hand-troweled rough stucco; and the custom cabinets and built-ins throughout the home.
The master en-suite has custom Heath Ceramics tiles in the sauna/steam room. The homeowner notes that they were hand glazed for Gladys and Sam in “Rubinstein blue,” a color Cody created especially for the couple. There are also dual sinks, a three-way panelled mirror system, and separate his-and-hers walk-in closets. The home's other bathrooms were designed with Pierre Cardin and Marimekko tiles.
The expansive master suite has a gas fireplace.
The master en-suite has custom Heath Ceramics tiles in the sauna/steam room. They were hand glazed for the original homeowners in “Rubinstein blue,” a color Cody created especially for the couple.
Outdoors, both the pool and an expansive covered patio with living and dining areas enjoy wide-open views of the Santa Rosa Mountains.
71051 Tamarisk Lane, Rancho Mirage
For more information, contact Patrick Jordan or Stewart Smith at PS Properties of Bennion Deville Homes, 2465 East Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 605, Palm Springs, 310-339-8092 or 760-898-1544, [email protected] or [email protected].