Table of Content
- Welcome to Hollywood House, Home to Some of Tinseltown’s Most Iconic Stars
- Elvis Presley biography
- Exclusive Photos: Elvis Presley’s Palm Springs home
- Home Owned by Both Judy Garland and Sammy Davis Jr. Lists for $6.129 Million
- Mathilde “Ma” Preston: Queen of the Desert
- Parade helps make 5-year-old girl's last birthday special
- Did Marilyn Monroe live in Palm Springs?
Through the front door and down a few steps, the foyer opens into the great room, a large open space with maple floors and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the hills. A balcony off the great room provides for sweeping vistas of the hills around and the city below. Throughout this space and the rest of the house, as much of the original ironwork, flooring and design has been preserved. The original owner, Judy Garland, would still feel very much at home here. This five bedroom, seven and a half bath home has 6, 100-square-feet of living space and is nestled on a 13, 000-square-foot lot. Built in 1944, it was first occupied by Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli.
A recent excursion proved enlightening for a number of reasons. Beyond offering detailed accounts of what life may have been like for some of the stars who lived here — and some who still do — Bannister reveals a wealth of knowledge about architecture. TV actor and comedian Wally Cox owned the place after the Minnellis, and Sammy Davis Jr. purchased it from him in 1955. There is also a firepit, which was a more recent addition.
Welcome to Hollywood House, Home to Some of Tinseltown’s Most Iconic Stars
Turning off Sunset Boulevard and meandering up through the Hollywood Hills, you leave the city behind and enter an elegant area where the homes are beautiful — perched on steep inclines. As you climb higher, the roads become narrower until you reach your destination, a home at the end of Evanview Drive. An unassuming cream façade hides a house that has been host to more than one Hollywood legend. Palm Springs wouldn’t be the same without Ol’ Blue Eyes. Frank Sinatra discovered Palm Springs from a long time friend and songwriter, Jimmy Van Heusen back in the mid 40’s and lived in Palm Springs for most of his life.
The desert is the setting for my next book – found your blog while doing some research. I hope you’ve enjoyed my tour of iconic tour of Celebrity Homes Palm Springs Edition, and look forward to visiting other celebrity homes very soon. Since this desert city was famous for having many celebrity residents, Elvis would often run into other entertainers in Palm Springs. “We’d find ourselves hanging out for a night at Liberace’s house, or riding around in a Rolls-Royce Elvis had borrowed from Sammy Davis Jr., at Sammy’s insistence,” Jerry Schilling recalled.
Elvis Presley biography
However, the bookcase actually holds a hidden door that leads into the Judy Garland suite — the home’s original master bedroom, complete with a walk-in closet and dressing area. Today, an ornate golden bed frame stands in the room, and an old photo of the famous sparkling ruby slippers hangs on the wall. The dressing area is untouched from when Garland and Minnelli lived here and is complete with the original mirrors. Hidden in the back of the closet and dressing area is a panic room that was built with the original house. It’s unknown why Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli felt this was necessary, nor whether this area has ever been used for its intended purpose. When Elvis bought the house located on a 1.75-acre lot, it was 3,500 square feet.
This beautiful estate is more than just a house; it is a refuge high in the hills, alive with Hollywood history and glamor. The home "may have the strongest connection to the real Sinatra, built to his personal specifications to satisfy his unique inner needs," according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com. The current owner's family were friends of Sinatra and are the only ones who've lived at the home since the famous crooner. I have done the driving tour using the map available from the Visitor’s Center many time as out of towners are looking for some kitschy fun.
Exclusive Photos: Elvis Presley’s Palm Springs home
After Elvis and Priscilla got divorced in 1973, Elvis expanded the house with an additional 1,500 square feet. By 1974, Elvis had added a party room with checkerboard flooring, a sauna, a new bedroom with red carpet and two bathrooms with red and white tile. The pool house includes an upstairs bedroom and bathroom so that after a late-night party, Davis would not have to climb the stairs to go back to the main house.
There’s actually a great big wall around this place, bigger than what you’d find at most prisons. But I jumped really high, held my phone up in the air and hoped for the best. I’ve heard a lot of people say this home is tacky, but I think it’s a charming, unapologetic throwback. Living here would be like having Tomorrowland in your living room. I already knew this central Palm Springs neighborhood is home to swanky digs and architectural gems.
Elvis would spend an average of about three months in Palm Springs every year. The expansion of the property enabled the transition from a family atmosphere to, as Elvis’ pal Jerry Schilling described, “more of a boys’ club feel” during weekends at the Palm Springs estate. Only two hours from Los Angeles, Palm Springs was convenient for a quick weekend getaway from Hollywood, and close enough to return quickly in case of a filming emergency. Bus tours are hit and miss, so it’s refreshing to come across a creative beast like Celebrity Tours of Palm Springs. Like the city itself, this local enterprise has plenty of style — and much of that comes from the tour guides. At Christmastime, Young purportedly filled the house with angel figurines and heavily decorated the exterior of the property with them as well.
He was heavily involved in charitable work throughout the area. A few days before Sammy left for Studio City, as Akron, Ohio, started to get into its serious winter mode, Helen Boss prepared for her yearly trip to the West Coast. Sammy hasn’t had a license for very long, but Charles Head is a good driver, he will take the monotonous desert driving in Sammy’s new 1954 Cadillac El Dorado.
Everyone from Lucy and Desi to Ginger Rodgers to Bing Crosby to Liberace all owned vacation homes in the area during their prime. Being as how it’s a short jaunt from Los Angeles, Palm Springs and its surrounding areas gave celebrities respite from the bright lights of cameras and flashbulbs. Bannister and his guides sweeten these outings with stellar bon mots and an authentic desire to share a wealth of the valley’s celebrity history.
Tom McDonald agreed to drive Helen’s car, at least as far as possible. On or about November 18, 1954, Thomas paid for his share of the trip, thanked the ladies, and departed. From the great room, a living room with a fireplace leads to steps up to the dining room. Both the living and dining rooms have substantial windows so that the view below is never out of sight.
No comments:
Post a Comment