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The overall look of the pool house is modern yet classically chic. Black and white photos on the wall sit well with the monochrome interior. In this space, you can easily imagine being at a fabulous party attended by the Rat Pack and the glamorous Hollywood set.
Before he arrived, Palm Springs was much less lively, but Sinatra helped it become what it is today. "Sinatra referred to himself as an '18-karat manic depressive' which was carefully hidden from the public," according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com. "He was always torn between wanting a solitary place to escape but also somewhere to party with his friends and distract from the depression days."
Randsburg, California: Mine Blown
The structural integrity of the pool and pool house remains; they carry the same footprint as when Davis designed them. The pool is an unusual round yet rectangular shape because he insisted there not be any sharp edges or any square corners. Davis was known for being an extremely detailed and conscientious planner and, as such, there is no aspect of his architectural creation that was left to chance. Right off of this downstairs living room is a bedroom that was originally occupied by Liza Minnelli when she lived here with her parents. On the opposite wall are built-in, floor-to-ceiling bookcases.
Complete with a sitting area and fireplace, the bedroom also has an enormous attached bathroom with its own fireplace and a free-standing tub adjacent to a window overlooking the hills. A gentle breeze flows through the space making it a relaxing and cool place to be on a hot summer day. One of my favorite things to do as of late is stalk celebrity homes and such. During a whirlwind 24 hour visit to Palm Springs, I looked up some of the past addresses as it has been a vacation destination for stars from the stage and the screen.
The Day Sammy Met Helen: Destiny in San Bernardino
Being as involved in the music industry as he was, Davis let out the pool house for the purpose of recording music. In fact, The Band recorded their second album in here. Apparently they had a good experience while recording at the home, as they write about it in the album cover itself. Walking back up the stairs and through the Great Room, another staircase leads up to a floor that wasn’t part of the original home. Up here you’ll find a home gym and spa-like bathroom, as well as the spacious master bedroom.
Number of Martin’s grandchildren who were often seen at their lemonade stand, offering refreshments to onlookers fascinated with the home’s celebrity history. Some still believe that Sammy crashed into a train bridge, which he didn’t. His car hit a brick gate entry on Route 66, several hundred feet away, and close to the impact. Helen took over driving, and the two women continued down Route 66, clearing the last of the open desert and the bottom of the Cajon Pass.
Frank Sinatra
It’s a fancy car, with all kinds of chrome and bullet-shaped decorations, including a large one in the center of the steering wheel’s horn ring. Once Frank arrived on the scene, so did most of the other Rat Pack members, including Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. Soon all sorts of Hollywood socialites, movie stars, heads of state, mafia bosses and more followed and the town was never the same. And to other cyclists I’m guiding through the neighborhoods. I didn’t want to run up to the gate and stick my phone through the fence to get a better photo. Just trust me, this house is everything you’d expect of Katharine the Great.
Nearly every time I go out for a morning run, I see a double-decker bus jammed full of tourists with fancy cameras. And then I have to stop and let them take my photo and it’s totally embarrassing. Nestled in a quaint neighborhood amongst gorgeous architecture, the yard shrubbery covers a lot of the front of the home, but you can tell it’s a well-maintained property. Before the year was out, and just weeks after the accident, Sammy Davis Jr. went back to work at the New Frontier, destined for greatness.
Later, the home was acquired by Sammy Davis Jr., who expanded the property to its present size. Throughout the home, traces of these famous inhabitants have been preserved and put on display so that their presence can be felt throughout. Coined Twin Palms, it was also known as Frank Sinatra’s home in the desert (if those walls could talk, honey!). Located at 1148 East Alejo Rd, it is a mid-century modern house in the Movie Colony–El Mirador neighborhood of Palm Springs, California according to this website.
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.
They passed by Devore Heights, approaching the community of Verdemont, as they headed to San Bernardino and then Van Nuys. Ever since Helen’s husband, a former Akron Chief of Police, died in 1940, she shared her time between Ohio and California, with a few pleasure cruises thrown in for good measure. Sammy Davis Jr. was on his way to an unscheduled meeting with a 72-year-old widow by the name of Helen Boss, in the small San Bernardino community of Verdemont, along the Mother Road. It’s a cool desert evening on November 18, 1954, and the day’s show is over at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino on the emerging Las Vegas Strip. Built in 1966, Lord Fletcher’s was another place Sinatra couldn’t stay away from.
The eccentric singer was said to have taken to living in the garage at one point. Doctor Hill continued to practice well into his 80s, and regularly received gifts from the very grateful singer, dancer, Hollywood actor and Las Vegas celebrity. After being rushed to San Bernardino Community Hospital, Sammy was attended to by Doctor Fredrick Hull, the best eye specialist in town. Realizing her mistake, Helen put her car in reverse, and drove backwards, off Kendall Drive, and onto Route 66.
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.
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