2023 Historic Resources Inventory UpdateCity of La Quinta
CITY COUNCIL MEETING April 4, 2023
STAFF REPORT
BUSINESS SESSION ITEM NO. 1
AGENDA TITLE: RECEIVE AND FILE CITYWIDE HISTORIC RESOURCES INVENTORY
UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION
Receive and file the citywide Historic Resources Inventory update.
CACI.0 I IV C OUIVIIVIMr 1
• On April 5, 2022, Council approved an agreement with Urbana Preservation and
Planning (Urbana) to update the citywide Historic Resources Inventory (Inventory).
• Pursuant to Chapter 7.06 of the La Quinta Municipal Code, Council shall establish and
maintain an Inventory according to the requirements of the state historic preservation
office. The Inventory was adopted in 1997 and was last updated in 2006.
• The Cultural Resources Element of the City's General Plan identifies a program to
update the Inventory every ten (10) years.
• Preparation of the Inventory update included assistance from the Planning division staff
and consultation with the La Quinta Historical Society.
• Urbana has completed the Inventory update and is prepared to discuss its findings.
BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS
The main purpose of La Quinta's Historic Preservation regulations, codified as Title 7 in the La
Quinta Municipal Code, is to protect, enhance and perpetuate historic resources, landmarks
and districts that represent or reflect elements of La Quinta's diverse cultural, social, economic,
political, and architectural history. The City maintains an Inventory of properties that was
adopted in 1997 and was updated in 2006.
The Inventory serves to acknowledge, protect, and promote buildings, structures or objects that
have contributed to the area's history, and to identify resources that may be eligible for national
and local historic landmark designation. While the City maintains an Inventory, to -date there are
no national or locally designated historic landmark properties or districts in La Quinta. For
properties, districts, or improvements to be designated for local historic landmark status, the
Planning Commission shall review applications based on special criteria and make their
recommendations to the City Council.
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The Inventory update was initiated in April 2022 with a contract awarded to Urbana, a team of
highly qualified historic preservation experts. The scope of work includes conducting an update
of the citywide resources previously surveyed in 1997 and in 2006, and a survey of properties
that are now 45 years of age or older since the 2006 inventory was completed. Urbana also
assessed the City's current procedures on historical properties and provided recommendations
on any changes to municipal code text and/or clarifications on the review procedures. Zoning
text amendments to the municipal code would come before the Planning Commission in a
future Study Session. This Study Session provides an opportunity for Urbana to provide
information on the Inventory update. The purpose of the Inventory is to:
• Update and maintain the citywide Inventory, a program identified in the City's General
Plan.
• Provide the City an inventory of properties that were evaluated under criteria of the
National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), California Register of Historical Resources
(CRHR), and La Quinta Historic Resources Inventory (LQHRI).
• Establish parameters for future identification and evaluation of potential historic
resources not yet surveyed.
• Acquire documentation on properties evaluated that provide the City, including staff and
the public, knowledge and guidance on what features of a property are historical, if any.
• Provide background work on properties that could assist in future nominations for local,
state, or national historical designations.
Urbana prepared a report that includes: Methodological approach, Historic Context Statement,
Historical Resource Survey Results, and Recommendations for Future Action. The report is
included as Attachment 1, and along with the corresponding appendices, can be found for your
review here: https://www.laquintaca.gov/business/design-and-development/planning-
division/historic-preservation#!/
The previous Inventory identified 489 historic -era properties within the city boundaries. The
currently updated Inventory from Urbana documented and surveyed 363 sites at an intensive
level on Department of Parks and Recreation 523 series forms. 103 of these were opined to be
significant and eligible for designation and listing on the LQHRI, CRHR, and/or NRHP. 260
properties were identified as not significant and ineligible.
PLANNING COMMISSION
The Planning Commission (Commission) held a Study Session on March 28, 2023, to discuss
the Inventory. The Commission was complimentary of the work that was completed and
discussed the importance of the information and documents produced as a historical reference
for the City, residents, visitors, and real estate professionals.
Prepared by:
Approved by:
Carlos Flores, Senior Planner
Danny Castro, Design and Development Director
Attachment : 1. Historic Resources Inventory — draft report prepared by Urbana
Preservation
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ATTACHMENT 1
City of La Quinta
Historic Resource Survey and Context Statement
Prepared For
Prepared By
Urbana Preservation & Planning, LLC
Draft March 2023
(844) 872-2623
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City of La Quinta
Historic Resource Survey and Context Statement
Cover Photo Credit
La Quinta Resort and Club, February 1959.
(Maynard L. Parker, photographer. Courtesy of The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
https://hdl.huntington.org/digital/collection/p 15150co115/id/6206)
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary 1
Introduction 3
Report Organization 3
Methods 4
Desk and Field Survey 5
Research 5
Context Preparation 7
Documentation and Reporting 7
Stakeholder Involvement 8
La Quinta Planning Commission 8
La Quinta Design and Development Department 8
La Quinta Historical Society 9
Project Personnel 10
Regulatory Framework 11
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) & Historic Properties 11
NRHP Criteria Considerations 12
NRHP Aspects of Integrity 12
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) & Historical Resources 13
CRHR Aspects of Integrity 14
CRHR of Historical Resources Special Considerations 15
City of La Quinta Historic Resources, Historic Landmarks and Historic Districts 16
Significance Thresholds and Integrity Considerations 16
Historic Context Statement 17
Theme 1: The Coachella Valley in the Spanish and Mexican Eras, 1774 - 1848 19
Theme 2: Railroad Development and Homesteads, 1848 - 1920 21
Railroad Construction and the Bradshaw Trail 21
Native American Reservations and Early Homesteads 23
Land Grants and Homesteads 24
Homesteaders' Houses 26
Theme 3: Ranching and Agriculture, 1900 - 1970s 29
Early Homesteads and Ranches in La Quinta 30
Date & Citrus Agriculture 34
Truck Crops 35
Coachella Canal 35
Theme 4: Recreation and Leisure, 1926 - 1970s 38
The La Quinta Hotel (La Quinta Resort & Club) 38
The Desert Club 46
The La Quinta Country Club 49
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The Indian Springs Golf Club 52
Other Private Recreational Properties 53
Theme 5: Residential Development, 1934 - 1970s 54
The Cove 54
Desert Club Tracts 58
Post -WWII Subdivisions: Highland Palms and Indian Springs 58
Theme 6: Commercial Development, 1934 - 1970s 61
The Village Commercial District 61
Commercial Development Outside the Village 64
Civic and Institutional Development 64
Theme 7: La Quinta Architectural Styles, 1900s-1970s 66
Known Architects and Builders in La Quinta 100
Historic Resource Survey Results 106
Updates to Previously Recorded Properties 109
Newly Identified Properties 109
Properties Eligible for the NRHP and CRHR 116
Properties Eligible for the CRHR and Local Register 118
Historic Districts 120
NRHP, CRHR, and Local Register Ineligible Properties 121
Demolished Properties 121
Recommendations for Future Action 122
Bibliography 124
Works Cited / Endnotes 131
Appendices
Appendix A. Historic Era Maps
Appendix B. Additional Context Information
Appendix C. Survey Tables
Appendix D. DPR Forms
Appendix E. Historic Districts
Appendix F. Preparer Qualifications
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|'f f�'
U�/ �}/ Figures
��
Figure l.City cfLoQuinhzBoundary - Survey Area 2
Figure 2.LoQuinto'Coachella Valley, Looking Southwest, l956 6
Figure 3.Headquarters ufthe baQuintoHistorical Society, historically constructed for use osthe Palm
Springs Land Irrigation sales office, developers ofthe Cove. Y
Figure 4.Drawing ofJuan Bautista de/\nza on horseback lY
Figure 5.The Bradshaw Trail. 21
Figure 6. Toro vicinity well, Indian Wells. 23
Figure 7.Original Gates to Marshall Ranch House 32
Figure 8.Waste Way No. l'June lY46'Coachella Branch Canal 36
Figure Y.Lake CohuiUaReservoir Under Construction lY6Y 37
Figure lO.LaQuintoHotel, ca. lY27 39
Figure ll.Cyrus Peirce Caricature Drawing. (Men Who Made San Francisco. 40
Figure l2.Lee Eleanor Graham residence, Casa Mogno|io'l932. 41
Figure 13. La C)uinto Hotel Plot Plan, 1933 42
Figure l4.Ginger Rogers and Jacques Bergerac honeymooning inLoQuinto. 44
Figure 15. Desert Club Building, S. Charles Lee' 1937. 48
Figure 16. Desert Club, 1956. 49
Figure l7.President Eisenhower atLaQuintaCountry Club Dedication Ceremony, 1959. 51
Figure 18. LaQuinta Rentals office, ca. l935. 56
Figure 19. 1975 aerial photo showing development in the northern part of the Cove 59
Figure 2O.Undated image ofthe LaQuinta Milling and Lumber Company 62
Figure 21. House of {}'Bhen's Gift and Dote Shop La Quinta' ca. 1947. 63
Figure 22.5l65OAvenida Bermudas. 68
Figure 23.78O85Avenida LoFonda (Mary Mead-MaddiokHouse #3). 68
Figune24. Figuro24. Mission Inn, Riverside, California 70
Figure 25.5lUOl Eisenhower Drive. 72
Figure 26. Casa Magnolia (La Quinta Resort and Club). 72
Figure 27.77895Avenida Montezuma (La Quinta Milling and Lumber Company office). 74
Figure 28.77535Ca||eChihuahua. 76
Figure 29.7866DAvenida LoFonda. 76
Figure 3O.The Desert Club, ca. 1937 (demolished). 78
Figure 3l.4928OAvenida Fernando. 80
Figure 32.4884lAvenida Fernando. 80
Figure 33.52569Avenida Vallejo. 82
Figure 34.7839OSinging Palms Drive. 86
Figure 35.799O5Westward HoDrive 86
Figure 36.5l453Avenida Martinez. 88
Figure 37. 79179 Ahmanson Lane (Rancho Xochimilco) in the SilverRock Resort 88
Figure 38.488OOAvenida Fernando (Mary Mood'MaddickHouse #2> 91
Figure 39.5l489Avenida Martinez. 91
Figure 4O.5l37lAvenida Martinez. 93
Figure 41. 48855 Avenida Anse|rno 93
Figure 42.49295Avenida Fernando. 95
Figure43. 7345 Rem|eyP|oce' La Jolla, San Diego, California 97
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Figure 44. Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, California. 99
Figure 45. City of La Quinta Neighborhoods. 107
Figure 46. Historic -Era Neighborhoods 108
Figure 47. Previously Recorded Significant Properties. 110
Figure 48. Newly Identified Significant Properties. 114
List of Tables
Table 1. Previously Recorded Significant Properties - Individually Eligible for the NRHP, CRHR, and
Local Register. 1 1 1
Table 2. Newly Identified Significant Properties - Individually Eligible for the NRHP, CRHR, and Local
Register 115
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Executive Summary
The primary purpose of this historic resource survey and context statement is to evaluate
the significance and integrity of historic -era properties in the City of La Quinta under the
criteria of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), the California Register of Historical
Resources (CRHR), and the La Quinta Historic Resources Inventory (Local Register), and to
establish parameters via the historic context statement for future identification and
evaluation of potential historic resources not yet surveyed.
In 1996-1997, the city commissioned preparation of an intensive -level citywide survey of
buildings and structures over 45 years of age (historic -era). The 1996-1997 survey
documented and evaluated 72 properties for significance including identification of the
Cove as a thematic historic district. A second citywide survey was completed in 2006 to
evaluate additional sites that had reached the 45-year threshold between 1997 and 2006.
The 2006 survey evaluated 183 buildings that retained good or fair historic integrity. In 2012,
the results of the previous surveys were compiled into a citywide historic resources survey
report with a draft historic context statement prepared in 2011 by the City of La Quinta.
In 2022, Urbana Preservation & Planning, LLC (Urbana) was commissioned by the city to
update and expand the 2011 draft historic context statement and the citywide historic
resources survey. Urbana's methods and findings are presented in this report. The current
citywide survey identified 489 historic -era properties within the city boundaries. See Figure 1
for a map of the survey area. Urbana staff documented and evaluated 363 sites at an
intensive level on Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) 523 series forms. Of these 363
evaluated properties, 103 are opined significant and eligible for designation and listing on
the Local Register, CRHR, or NRHP, either individually or as contributors to a local historic
district. 259 documented and evaluated properties were identified as not significant and
ineligible for listing on the Local Register, CRHR, or NRHP. One property, previously
evaluated eligible, could not be thoroughly re-evaluated due to lack of visibility and
access. This property is recommended for follow-up with access permissions.
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Crly nl Li Qul Bciuiclarry l 1 u7 i PR.
A
RPREIRMISI &PAM'•
Survey Area - City of La Quinta Boundary
City of La Ovum Hrstaric Resource Survey and Context Statement
Figure 1. City of La Quinta Boundary - Survey Area.
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Introduction
In 2022 Urbana Preservation and Planning, LLC (Urbana) was commissioned to expand and
update the City of La Quinta's 2006 citywide historic resources survey and 2011 historic
context statement package to aide in the identification and evaluation of potential
historic resources throughout the city. Preparation of the updated survey and context
implements the city's goal to protect and preserve valuable and irreplaceable historic
resources.
Report Organization
This report is organized to include the following sections: Methodological Approach,
Historic Context Statement, Historical Resource Survey Results, and Recommendations for
Future Action. Urbana's survey effort and presentation of information utilizes neighborhood
boundaries established by long-range planning efforts, identification of individual
subdivision tracts within each historic -era neighborhood, and intensive documentation and
evaluation of historic -era properties within. Historic -Era Neighborhood Maps are included in
Appendix A.
The historic context statement and the historic resource survey are intended to inform
planning and development decisions involving built environment property types. As such,
the previously prepared (201 1) prehistoric / archaeological theme is removed from the
body of this report and is in Appendix B.
The results of the historic resource survey, with eligibility conclusions informed by the context
statement, are presented with tables for all identified historic -era properties, all surveyed
properties, significant / eligible and not significant / ineligible properties included in
Appendix C. Property evaluations, on California Department of Recreation (DPR) 523 series
forms for all surveyed properties organized by neighborhood in Appendix D. Information
regarding historic districts within the La Quinta and their associated contributing properties
is collected in Appendix E. Lastly, the qualifications for all Urbana staff, with resumes
attached, are included in Appendix F.
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Methods
The methodological approach involved four main tasks: desk and field survey, research,
context preparation, documentation and reporting, and stakeholder involvement.
The Design and Development Department for the City of La Quinta has made it a goal to
regularly update the historic resource survey approximately every decade to account for
new properties that meet the age threshold for evaluation. This goal is part of the larger
community vision for La Quinta outlined in the 2035 General Plan. In 2011 the City of La
Quinta updated the historic context statement from 1997 and CRM TECH published a
historic resources survey update for the 1996-1997 and 2006 updates in the following year,
2012. The 2012 report identified 119 historic resources from both survey efforts combined.
While the 2011 draft historic context statement and the 2012 historic resources survey are
valuable resources that served as the guiding documents for this update, the passage of
time required an update. The 2011 draft historic context statement, completed by the La
Quinta Planning Division, did not include a concrete analytical framework to identify and
evaluate historic resources for future survey efforts. The context statement provides
significant themes for the broad history of La Quinta, but that information is not consistently
applied to property types through the lens of significance thresholds, integrity
considerations, and character defining features for specific architectural styles. The 2012
CRM TECH effort summarized previous findings through 2006, only accounting for buildings
and other built environments features that were constructed during or before 1962, leaving
a 15-year gap between survey efforts. The current historic resource survey and context
statement provided an opportunity to update both the 2011 draft historic context
statement and the 2012 historic resources survey. This report was prepared in accordance
with accepted preservation practice as outlined in the steps below:
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Desk and Field Survey
Urbana utilized historic aerial imagery and Assessor year -built data to identify 489 historic -
era properties within the city boundaries. Of these 489 properties, 263 of these properties
were previously surveyed. Urbana updated the previous findings for these properties and
documented and evaluated 100 additional properties on DPR 523 series forms, the
standard technical documentation for properties in California.
Field survey occurred over several days in August 2022 with additional field visits in
November 2022. Representative house types, architectural styles and stylistic variations,
common hardscape / landscape features, streetscape features, and community facilities
within La Quinta were photographed over the course of this fieldwork. All fieldwork was
conducted from the public right-of-way. Only primary buildings on a parcel (the building
that fronts the public right-of-way) were surveyed. Any properties that could not be
observed from the public right-of-way were not surveyed. In particular, the survey focused
on properties constructed between 1935 and 1978 and those identified by members of the
community as having historical importance.
Research
Contextual and property -specific research informed survey activities, context
development, and significance evaluations for individual properties. Research tasks
involved in -person and remote / digital research of resources on file at the City of La
Quinta, the City of La Quinta and Riverside County Library system, the Riverside Assessor -
County Clerk -Recorder, UC Riverside, the Los Angeles Public Library, Calisphere, and the La
Quinta Museum and Historical Society.
Assessor -Recorder data informed year -built dates for properties throughout the city and
were used to develop the survey spreadsheet.
Local and regional newspapers were researched via the California Digital Newspaper
Collection at UC Riverside, Genealogy Bank, and Newspapers.com. Newspaper accounts
detailed the area's history including references to the development of larger residential
tracts, and buildings and structures on individual parcels, as well as accounts of individuals
associated with the city at different points in time.
Building permit records, available in digital format via the City's Laserwebsite, were
reviewed and tabulated for use in property documentation. Each survey property was
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researched for previous permits issued. The permit data was integrated into the
construction history portions of the property documentation. The permits also provided
past owner names and any attributed architects, designers, and builders which offered
additional research leads.
The collections and exhibits at the La Quinta Museum and the La Quinta Historical Society
provided local history data including Coachella Valley Telephone Directories, historic
maps, historic photographs, newspapers and other ephemera, as well as information on
specific properties in the city. The 2020 publication Images of America: La Quinta was
additionally reviewed to glean historical information on specific properties and to inform
the larger history of the city. Owners and occupant names were researched at the La
Quinta Historical Society with additional genealogical research conducted online via
Ancestry.
Aerial imagery was research at multiple locales including National Environmental Title
Research (NETR) Historic Aerials, UC Santa Barbara FrameFinder, and the U.S. Interior
Department's Earth Explorer collection.
Figure 2. La Quinta, Coachella Valley, Looking Southwest, 1956.
Los Angeles Public Library, Kelly -Holiday Mid -Century Aerial Collection GPC_b23_fl_i27
(Photographic print); KHAF 274-2).
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Subdivision tract maps, downloaded from the Riverside County Land Records Research
Tool, set against the City's Residential Directory Map (showing current neighborhood
names and locations) helped to verify boundaries, arrangement, and size of lots, and
offered insight on the pace of growth for the city via survey and recordation dates. Urbana
mapped the locations and boundaries of historic -era and contemporary neighborhoods
using these resources.
Context Preparation
Utilizing contextual and property -specific research, Urbana developed an updated and
expanded historic context statement. This context statement analyzes the historical
development of the city and contains information about historical trends and properties,
organized by important themes with corresponding timeframes.
The context development effort utilized the 2011 draft historic context statement prepared
by the La Quinta Planning Division and submitted to the La Quinta Historic Preservation
Commission. This report was prepared by Former Associate Planner, Leslie Mouriquand;
Former Planning Manager, Christine di Lorio; Former Principal Planner, Stan Sawa; and
Planning Manager, David Sawyer. The current context statement introduces new themes,
property type descriptions, significance thresholds, and integrity consideration to provide
parameters for the identification of significant properties in the city. Seven themes were
prepared as part of the updated context effort.
• Theme 1: The Coachella Valley in the Spanish and Mexican Eras, 1774 - 1848
• Theme 2: Railroad Development and Homesteads, 1848 - 1920
• Theme 3: Ranches and Agriculture, 1900 - 1970s
• Theme 4: Recreation and Leisure, 1926 - 1970s
• Theme 5: Residential Development, 1934 - 1970s
• Theme 6: Commercial Development, 1934 - 1970s
• Theme 7: La Quinta Architectural Styles, 1900s - 1970s
Documentation and Reporting
Upon completion of fieldwork and contextual and property -specific research, Urbana
documented and evaluated all surveyed properties and prepared this survey report
package. All property documentation conformed to the California SHP() Instructions for
Recording Historical Resources (1996 as amended).
The fieldwork data was used to update findings for previously recorded properties through
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the preparation of DPR 523 L (Continuation Sheet) forms for each previously recorded
resource with updated photographs, descriptions of integrity, and eligibility conclusions. In
addition to updating existing records, Urbana documented and evaluated 100 newly
identified properties that reached the 45-year age threshold between 2006 and 2022 using
DPR 523 Series Forms, including 523A Primary Record; 523B Building, Structure, Object
Record; and 523J Location Record. Urbana assessed each property to determine the level
of alteration and integrity status and focused more intensive documentation and
evaluation on those properties that appeared to qualify as historical resources more readily
under CEQA.
Stakeholder Involvement
Stakeholders included the City's Design and Development Department, Planning Division;
the Planning Commission; the La Quinta Historical Society; and individual property owners
and their representatives who provided access to properties, photographs, and other
historical data to inform the survey process.
La Quinta Planning Commission
Urbana and City Staff presented an overview of the survey effort, including project goals,
notable properties and locales, and findings, to the Planning Commission. Urbana
provided a presentation to the Planning Commission in April 2022, introducing the
forthcoming historical resource survey effort, and outlining the process.
La Quinta Design and Development Department
The City of La Quinta Design and Development Department manages building and
planning within the City of La Quinta. Within the Development Department, there is a
Building Division and a Planning Division. The Building Division manages and administers
building codes, permits, and inspections for new construction projects. The Planning
Division produces general plans for the city, manages the development of La Quinta
through zoning, produces applicable reports related to future development projects, and
manages the historic preservation program. The Design and Development Director, Danny
Castro, and Senior Planner, Carlos Flores, were directly consulted throughout the historic
resource survey and context statement development process with other members of the
Design and Development Department, including Building Official, A. J. Ortega; Planning
Manager, Cheri Flores; and Associate Planner, Sijifredo Fernandez. Each member of the
Design and Development Department assisted in providing input, feedback, and support
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throughout the research, fieldwork, and analysis stages of the report.
A project kick-off was presented to the Design and Development Department in June
2022. In July 2022, Urbana met with the Design and Development team for a second time
to share and review the draft list of historic -era properties intended for survey. In September
2022, Urbana met with the Design and Development team to discuss the existing historic
preservation program and to provide recommendations on future program changes.
The findings of this historic resource survey process are anticipated for presentation to the
City at a forthcoming meeting.
La Quinta Historical Society
The La Quinta Historical Society is a volunteer nonprofit organization that supports the La
Quinta Museum; collects and maintains historic archives & artifacts; provides educational
programs and history talks; conducts community outreach and presentations; and curates
events and tours throughout La Quinta. Throughout the development of the historic
resource survey and context statement, members of the La Quinta Historical Society
assisted Urbana staff by conducting local research, providing applicable historic
documents and photos; and administering access to their archives. President of the La
Quinta Historical Society, Linda Williams, and Archives Manager, Sabina Greco, consistently
provided feedback and support for Urbana staff through communications and on -site
assistance.
Figure 3. Headquarters of the La Quinta Historical Society, historically constructed
for use as the Palm Springs Land Irrigation sales office, developers of the Cove.
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Project Personnel
Urbana employed a team approach to the project with several employees contributing to
the project including
• John Hyche, MA, Associate Historian,
• Alexandrea Baker, MCP, Preservation Planner,
• Alexia Landa, BA, Historian / Archaeologist,
• Nehemiah Buenaventura, AIAS, Research Associate,
• Scott Solliday, MA, Senior Associate Historian,
• Douglas E. Kupel, Ph.D., RPA, Senior Historian, and
• Wendy L. Tinsley Becker RPH, AICP, Principal.
Urbana personnel meet the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualifications Standards
in the disciplines of History, Architectural History, and Archaeology. Resumes are included in
Appendix F.
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Regulatory Framework
This historic resource survey documented and evaluated 363 properties for eligibility under
the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), the California Register for
Historical Resources (CRHR), and the La Quinta Historic Resources Inventory (Local
Register). Properties listed on or eligible for listing on the NRHP, CRHR, and Local Register
generally qualify as historic properties and historic resources under Federal, State and local
regulatory frameworks. Following is an overview of the historic preservation regulatory
framework for properties and projects in La Quinta.
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) & Historic Properties
The NHPA requires federal agencies to consider the effects of proposed undertakings on
historic properties. A historic property is defined as any building, site, district, structure or
object that is listed in or eligible for listing in the NRHP. For a property to qualify for the NRHP,
it must meet one of four criteria for evaluation and retain sufficient integrity to convey its
significance. Pursuant to National Register Bulletin 15 (36 CFR § 60.4), the quality of
significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture is
present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that possess integrity of location,
design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and one or more of the
criteria listed below.
Criterion A.
Criterion B.
Criterion C.
Criterion D.
That are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to
the broad patterns of our history
That are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past
That embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of
construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high
artistic values, or that represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose
components lack individual distinction
That have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory
or history
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NRHP Criteria Considerations
According to the criteria considerations provided by the National Park Service in 36 CFR §
60.4, districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects such as cemeteries, birthplaces or
graves of historical figures, properties owned by religious institutions or used for religious
purposes, structures that have been moved from their original locations, reconstructed
historic buildings, properties primarily commemorative in nature, and properties that have
achieved significance within the past 50 years that meet one or more of the NRHP criteria
are not considered eligible for listing in the NRHP. However, such properties would qualify in
La Quinta if they were found to be integral parts of districts that do meet the criteria or if
they fall within the following categories listed below.
A. A religious property deriving primary significance from architectural or artistic
distinction or historical importance
B. A building or structure removed from its original location but which is primarily
significant for architectural value, or which is the surviving structure most importantly
associated with a historic person or event
C. A birthplace or grave of a historical figure of outstanding importance if there is no
appropriate site or building associated with his or her productive life
D. A cemetery that derives its primary importance from graves of persons of
transcendent importance, from age, from distinctive design features, or from
association with historic events
E. A reconstructed building when accurately executed in a suitable environment and
presented in a dignified manner as part of a restoration master plan, and when no
other building or structure with the same association has survived
F. A property primarily commemorative in intent if design, age, tradition, or symbolic
value has invested it with its own exceptional significance
G. A property achieving significance within the past 50 years if it is of exceptional
importance
NRHP Aspects of Integrity
In addition to meeting at least one of the designation criteria, a property must retain
sufficient integrity to convey its significance for listing in the NRHP. Integrity is the ability of a
property to convey its significance using physical characteristics related to a proposed
historic period of significance. The National Park Service has defined the following seven
aspects of integrity in National Register Bulletin 15 listed below.
• Location - the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where
the historic event occurred
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• Design - the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure,
and style of a property
• Setting - the physical environment of a historic property
• Materials - the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a
particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form a
historic property
• Workmanship - the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people
during any given period in history or prehistory
• Feeling - a property's expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular
period of time
• Association - the direct link between an important historic event or person and a
historic property
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) & Historical
Resources
Pursuant to the CEQA PRC § 15064.5(a), the term "historical resources" includes the
following listed below.
• A resource listed in, or determined to be eligible by the State Historical Resources
Commission, for listing in the CRHR (Public Resources Code, Section 5024.1)
• A resource included in a local register of historical resources, as defined in Section
5020.1(k) of the Public Resources Code or identified as significant in a historical
resource survey meeting the requirements of Section 5024.1(g) of the Public
Resources Code, will be presumed to be historically or culturally significant. Public
agencies must treat any such resource as significant unless the preponderance of
evidence demonstrates that it is not historically or culturally significant
• Any object, building, structure, site, area, place, record, or manuscript which a lead
agency determines to be historically significant or significant in the architectural,
engineering, scientific, economic, agricultural, educational, social, political, military,
or cultural annals of California may be considered to be a historical resource,
provided the lead agency's determination is supported by substantial evidence in
light of the whole record. Generally, a resource shall be considered by the lead
agency to be "historically significant" if the resource meets one or more of the
criteria for listing on the CRHR (Public Resources Code Section 5024.1)
Criterion 1. Is associated with events that have made a significant contribution
to the broad patterns of California's history and cultural heritage
Criterion 2. Is associated with the lives of persons important in California's past
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Criterion 3. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or
method of construction, or represents the work of an important
creative individual, or possesses high artistic values
Criterion 4. Has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in
prehistory or history
• The fact that a resource is not listed in, or determined to be eligible for listing in the
CRHR, not included in a local register of historical resources (pursuant to Section
5020.1(k) of the Public Resources Code), or identified in a historical resources survey
(meeting the criteria in Section 5024.1(g) of the Public Resources Code) does not
preclude a lead agency from determining that the resource may be an historical
resource as defined in Public Resources Code Sections 5020.1(j) or 5024.1
The CRHR includes resources listed in or formally determined eligible for listing in the NRHP
as well as some California State Landmarks and Points of Historical Interest. Properties of
local significance that have been designated under a local preservation ordinance (local
landmarks or landmark districts) or that have been identified in a local historical resources
inventory may be eligible for listing in the CRHR and are presumed to be significant
resources for purposes of CEQA unless a preponderance of evidence indicates otherwise
(PRC Section 5024.1, 14 CCR § 4850).
The CRHR statute (PRC Section 5024.1) and regulations (14 CCR Section 4850 et seq.)
require that at the time a local jurisdiction nominates an historic resources survey for listing
in the CRHR, the survey must be updated if it is more than five years old. This is to ensure
that a nominated survey is as accurate as possible at the time it is listed in the CRHR.
However, this does not mean that resources identified in a survey that is more than five
years old need not be considered "historical resources" for purposes of CEQA. Unless a
resource listed in a survey has been demolished, lost substantial integrity, or there is a
preponderance of evidence indicating that it is otherwise not eligible for listing, a lead
agency should consider the resource to be potentially eligible for the CRHR.
CRHR Aspects of Integrity
Historical resources eligible for listing in the CRHR must meet one of the criteria of
significance described 14 CCR § 4852(b) retain enough of their historic character or
appearance to be recognizable as historical resources and to convey the reasons for their
significance. Historical resources that have been rehabilitated or restored may be
evaluated for listing.
Like the NRHP, the integrity of sites potentially eligible for inclusion in the CRHR are
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evaluated regarding their retention of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship,
feeling, and association. Historical resources must also be judged with reference to the
particular criteria under which a resource is proposed for eligibility. Alterations over time to
a resource or historic changes in its use may themselves have historical, cultural, or
architectural significance.
It is possible that historical resources may not retain sufficient integrity to meet the criteria
for listing in the NRHP, but they may still be eligible for listing in the CRHR. A resource that
has lost its historic character or appearance may still have sufficient integrity for the CRHR if
it maintains the potential to yield significant scientific or historical information or specific
data.
CRHR of Historical Resources Special Considerations
Certain properties may be listed in the CRHR under specific special circumstances. These
special considerations are listed below.
• Moved buildings, structures, or objects. The Commission encourages the retention of
historical resources on site and discourages the non -historic grouping of historic
buildings into parks or districts. However, it is recognized that moving an historic
building, structure, or object is sometimes necessary to prevent its destruction.
Therefore, a moved building, structure, or object that is otherwise eligible may be
listed in the CRHR if it was moved to prevent its demolition at its former location and
if the new location is compatible with the original character and use of the historical
resource. An historical resource should retain its historic features and compatibility in
orientation, setting, and general environment
• Historical resources achieving significance within the past fifty (50) years. In order to
understand the historic importance of a resource, sufficient time must have passed
to obtain a scholarly perspective on the events or individuals associated with the
resource. A resource less than fifty (50) years old may be considered for listing in the
CRHR if it can be demonstrated that sufficient time has passed to understand its
historical importance
• Reconstructed buildings. Reconstructed buildings are those buildings not listed in the
CRHR under the criteria in 14 CCR § 4852(b) (1), (2), or (3). A reconstructed building
less than fifty (50) years old may be eligible if it embodies traditional building
methods and techniques that play an important role in a community's historically
rooted beliefs, customs, and practices; e.g., a Native American roundhouse.
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City of La Quinta Historic Resources, Historic Landmarks and
Historic Districts
The La Quinta City Municipal Code outlines the criteria for listing in the La Quinta Historic
Resource Inventory (Local Register). The municipal code also describes landmark
designation procedures and historic district designation procedures.
The city council maintains a Historic Resources Inventory according to the requirements of
the California Office of Historic Preservation. A historic resource may be considered for
inclusion in the Local Register based on one (1) or more of the following listed below.
Criterion A.
Criterion B.
Criterion C.
Criterion D.
Criterion E.
It exemplifies or reflects special elements of the city's cultural, social,
economic, political, aesthetic, engineering or architectural history
It is identified with persons or events significant in local, state or national history
It embodies distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period or method of
construction, is a valuable example of the use of indigenous materials or
craftsmanship or is representative of a notable work of an acclaimed builder,
designer or architect
It is an archaeological, paleontological, botanical, geological, topographical,
ecological or geographical site which has the potential of yielding information
of scientific value
It is a geographically definable area possessing concentration of site,
buildings, structures, improvements or objects linked historically through
location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and/or association, in
which the collective value of the improvements may be greater than the
value of each individual improvement
Significance Thresholds and Integrity Considerations
The significance thresholds and integrity considerations for a property in La Quinta to be
listed at the local, state, or national level are grouped by the themes discussed in the
historic context statement. The significance thresholds and integrity considerations for each
property type within their respective theme are in Appendix B2.
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Historic Context Statement
As a locale, La Quinta's early history, in the American period, is tied to the development of
homesteads and ranchos, and to the Bradshaw Trail, a short-lived route intended to
provide safe and efficient passage between present-day Palm Springs and present-day La
Paz, Arizona where a gold strike occurred in 1862. La Quinta's role on the Bradshaw Trail
was an important one as a place to find potable water and livestock fodder, an overnight
camp spot and place of shelter from windstorms and flashfloods, along the route. In 1868,
the Bradshaw route was officially authorized by Congress as a U.S. Mail stagecoach route
to carry mail from Los Angeles through San Bernardino, La Paz and Prescott, Arizona, and
on to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Bradshaw Stage Line passed through the northern section
of La Quinta until 1877 and was replaced by a graded gravel road in 1915. This early
stagecoach route, however, was not the primary transportation corridor in the Coachella
Valley. In 1876, the Southern Pacific Railroad extended service from Los Angeles to Indio to
transport people and produce grown in the region. The Coachella Valley was home to
numerous farming establishments, particularly Indio, which featured reliable water sources.
La Quinta's climate fostered growth of exotic dates, sweet corn, Bermuda onions and
Thompson seedless grapes, therein becoming one of several agricultural communities in
the Coachella Valley.
This Southern Pacific connection opened the Coachella Valley for more than homestead,
ranching, and agricultural uses. In the first few decades of the 20th century, tourism
including therapeutic and recreational resorts, were developed throughout the valley
including the La Quinta Resort, the city's namesake. Established in 1926 by Walter Morgan
as the La Quinta Hotel, the resort featured 20 guest casitas, an open-air glassed dining
room, three courtyards, a swimming pool, and a nine -hole golf course set over 1,400-acres.
Roughly four years later, Santa Carmelita de Vale, the Cove, residential subdivision was
platted as a seasonal resort club and community with fifty adobe bungalows by Developer
E.S. "Harry" Kiener. Mr. Kiener previously developed the Peter Pan Woodland Club in Big
Bear and brought his experience to the Cove project. He commissioned Master Architect
S. Charles Lee, noted for his theater designs throughout California and the southwest, to
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design the Desert Club in 1937.
In the late 1930s through 1950s, the La Quinta Resort and the Cove were expanded to
accommodate growing interests, with a prolonged pause resultant from WWII -era rationing
mandates which reduced development activities and tourism in the area. In 1937, under
the ownership of B.J. Barder, the La Quinta resort added six tennis courts and a pro shop,
and business boomed with a stream of celebrity guests from the entertainment industry.
Between 1935 and 1949, approximately 95 houses were constructed at the Cove; many in
the Spanish Eclectic style intended to continue the architectural precedent set at the La
Quinta Hotel.
In the post -WWI period, the La Quinta Hotel transformed into a full-fledged country club
with custom homes built across from the hotel over a new 130-acre land extension named
the Golf Estates. As these two resort communities developed, incremental construction of
buildings occurred in the Village and municipal infrastructure was established including
graded and paved roads, permanent water and sewer services, and gas and electrical
utilities. Community building started in the Village and Cove, but development was
substantially impaired by WWII and little growth occurred until the contemporary period. In
subsequent decades, La Quinta gained a reputation as a vacation or bedroom
community for the greater Southern California region. In the early 1980s, housing and
commercial building increased. The Cove subdivision was developed with new housing
and La Quinta was incorporated as a municipality in 1982. Today the city is still a
destination for therapeutic and recreational resort opportunities with more than 20 golf
courses, numerous parks, and biking and hiking trails. La Quinta continues to embrace its
history while facilitating new development strategies.
The historic context includes a historical narrative, organized by chronological periods of
development. For each narrative theme, the relevant property types are identified, and
designation requirements (significance thresholds and integrity considerations) are
established (see Appendix B2). Seven themes are included in the following pages.
• Theme 1: The Coachella Valley in the Spanish and Mexican Eras, 1774 - 1848
• Theme 2: Railroad Development and Homesteads, 1848 - 1920
• Theme 3: Ranches and Agriculture, 1900 - 1970s
• Theme 4: Recreation and Leisure, 1926 - 1970s
• Theme 5: Residential Development, 1934 - 1970s
• Theme 6: Commercial Development, 1934 - 1970s
• Theme 7: La Quinta Architectural Styles, 1900s - 1970s
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Theme 1: The Coachella Valley in the Spanish and Mexican
Eras, 1774 - 1848
Juan Bautista de Anza, a Spanish explorer in search of a land route between Mexico and
California, passed through the Coachella Valley in 1774., For the Desert Cahuilla people
who lived in the region, this was their first
contact with Europeans. However,
unlike other tribes' experiences with
Europeans, this first encounter initially
had limited impact on their way of life.
The expedition continued to Mission San
Gabriel Arcangel. Other visitors in the
valley were rare, as Spanish settlement
was concentrated on the coastal areas
of California Alta. The Cahuilla
continued their traditions of hunting and
gathering for their subsistence. After
1800, Spanish travel and trade
expanded across the desert and the
Coachella Valley became a more
important location on the well -
established trails. Some of the Cahuilla
people also traveled outside of the
valley on these trails and settled on
distant missions established by the
Franciscans. As early as 1809, Cahuilla
people were being baptized at distant
missions, and by 1819, Cahuilla villages
were regularly trading with Spanish travelers. They began obtaining goods such as horses,
cattle, glass beads, cloth, and metal tools.2 Eventually, contact with Europeans had a
devastating impact on the Cahuilla people, first through outbreaks of diseases such as
syphilis, cholera, measles, smallpox, malaria, tuberculosis, and typhoid fever, to which they
had no natural defenses, and ultimately, the disruption of their traditional culture and
practices, the introduction of unhealthy changes in diet, and the stress of coerced labor
on ranches.3 The population of many Cahuilla communities declined rapidly.
Figure 4. Drawing of Juan Bautista de Anza on horseback.
(San Jose Public Library, California Room
https://calisphere.org/item/fcc7b6420c403ee5de4a7c76
e2c6d37f/)
A small local rebellion in Mexico in 1810 quickly grew into a war for independence from
Spain, and after a long struggle to be free from Spanish colonial rule, Mexico gained its
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independence in 1821. Alta California, which had few settlers, became a territory of the
new Republic of Mexico rather than a state. Important changes in the laws and
administration of California included secularization of the missions and the awarding of
large land grants to Mexican citizens in the southern California area. Again, this had limited
impact on the Coachella Valley as few settlers were interested in establishing a ranch in
the arid desert, but Cahuilla men were often sought as wage laborers to work on ranches
outside the Coachella Valley.
The United States declared war on Mexico in 1846, and after the war, with the Treaty of
Guadalupe -Hidalgo, Mexico ceded control of California and the greater Southwest to the
United States. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 led to the California Gold Rush of
1849, and about 300,000 immigrants traveled to the area from around the world.
Thousands of these gold -seekers traveled west along the branches of the southern route,
some of which passed through the Coachella Valley. This new wave of settlers and
travelers began to impact Cahuilla communities in more direct ways than the previous 50
to 75 years of contact.
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Theme 2: Railroad Development and Homesteads, 1848 - 1920
Shortly after the beginning of the American period, settlers became invested in ways to
utilize the Coachella Valley and the San Gorgonio Pass to their benefit. Specific
technological improvements and advantageous land laws made settlement possible and
initial establishments were slow to gain a footing. The advent of sustained contact
between Americans and the Desert Cahuilla people also introduced friction between the
groups and the eventual establishment of Native American reservations in the Coachella
Valley.
Railroad Construction and the Bradshaw Trail
The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the war with Mexico allowed the United
States to begin surveys for railroads. Between 1853 and 1857, the United States sent out
several teams to survey the southwest for possible transcontinental railroad routes. Notable
explorers searched for a practical route west in the interest of linking California to the rest
of the nation. One of the earliest railroad surveys was led by Lieutenant Robert S.
Williamson, a graduate of the United States Military Academy, who led a US Army Corps of
Topographical Engineers survey in 1853. Williamson's party left Benicia, California, and
IPm
STAG= ROAD TO T= cc_11-O iiO C-DLI7P-sFFLE
MP,e.Y.,s.e mm.'
�. nr
wn d¢v aar,n
inIL TrMvI
QUTNTA HISTCRIGAt. SOCXE Y
Figure 5. The Bradshaw Trail.
(Betty O'Reilly and Virginia L. Bailey, Ph.D. The Bradshaw Trail: Stage Road to the Colorado Goldfields. Published
by the La Quinta Historical Society, 1988)
travelled south, exploring passes through the Sierra Nevada.4 The most southerly branch,
from Texas to San Diego, was surveyed by Lieutenant John C. Parke and geologist William
Blake. This route was later used by the "Jackass Mail" from Texas to San Diego in 1857, and
then by the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach trail that went through Yuma and on to
Los Angeles and San Francisco. The company departed with a large contingent of workers
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and supplies and surveyed the Coachella Valley in 1853, identifying the San Gorgonia Pass
as the best low-level mountain pass on the Pacific slope suitable for a potential railway line.
In 1861, four Sacramento businesspeople incorporated the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR).
These investors, known as "The Big Four," included Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, Charles
Crocker, and Collis P. Huntington, were known for building the western section of the first
transcontinental railroad across Sierra Nevada. They also bought the Southern Pacific
Railroad (SPRR), which ran from from San Francisco to San Diego via the San Joaquin Valley,
to expand it into a southern transcontinental route.5 In 1871, Congress authorized the SPRR
to be the only railroad to "construct a line of railroad from a point at or near Tehachapi
Pass, by way of Los Angeles, to the Texas Pacific Railroad at or near the Colorado River."
This action essentially blocked the Texas Pacific in California.6 The SPRR began construction
through the Coachella Valley in 1864. The grade through San Gorgonia Pass was one of
the most difficult to build, requiring wagons to haul water, food, supplies, and materials to
the site. As the railway line was completed, a railroad depot was constructed in present-
day Indio, as a mid -way point between Yuma and Los Angeles. In 1877, the Southern
Pacific Railroad reached the Arizona border and controlled approximately 85% of
California's railroad mileage. Congress granted the right of way through the military
reservation at Fort Yuma to the SPRR, leading the way for the railroad company to
complete the transcontinental route along the 32nd parallel route as originally envisioned
when the Gadsden Purchase treaty was ratified in 1854. By 1883, the line extended to New
Orleans by connecting to railroads that were constructed to the West.
In 1862, gold was discovered near La Paz, Arizona, attracting potential miners from Los
Angeles to travel eastward across the Mojave and Colorado Deserts utilizing the San
Gorgonio Pass to the Coachella Valley. Henry De Groot, an assistant geologist for the
California State Mining Bureau, teamed with newspaper writer J. H. Riley to investigate the
La Paz gold rush and travel along the routes miners were taking to get from California to
Arizona. De Groot and Riley left from San Bernadino, California, aiming to take a newly
opened trail discovered by William Bradshaw which went through the San Gorgonio Pass,
cutting 200 miles from the journey. Along the way De Groot described geography,
distances traveled, water hole locations, and available food for livestock. Riley kept notes
in his diary and recorded stories and narratives from their journey. The Bradshaw Trail ran
from the Agua Caliente Village (Palm Springs), through what is now Indian Wells, passing
though the northern section of what is now the La Quinta (in the vicinity of the modern day
Point Happy Ranch grounds), then through La Quinta to the Rancheria de los Toro's, the
Martinez Village, Lone Palm Springs, and Dos Palmas (near the modern-day edges of the
Salton Sea where potable water was available). After passing down the Coachella Valley,
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the Bradshaw Trail passed Tabaseca and Chuckawalla, eventually arriving at the Pima
Villages near La Paz.7
Native American Reservations and Early Homesteads
Throughout the first decades of the American period, the Cahuilla people were often
subject to continued labor exploitation for ranching, agriculture, and railroad construction
throughout Southern California and the Coachella Valley. An 1860 system of
apprenticeship was instituted in California which essentially legalized indentured servitude
for Native workers. However,
following the Great Drought
between 1862 and 1864, cattle
raising activity in California sharply
declined and large tracts of
agricultural lands were divided
into smaller parcels. Therefore, the
need for Native labor decreased
and the need for workers became
increasingly filled by Chinese
immigrant laborers over the last
quarter of the 19th century.8 As
labor conditions in Southern
California evolved, Native
American groups sought to push
back against their continual
mistreatment and lack of property
rights.
Figure 6. Toro vicinity well, Indian Wells.
(Photograph Courtesy Palm Springs Historical Society
https://www.palmspringslife.com/agua-caliente-water/)
In 1870, the Indian Rights
Association was created to stop
the theft of Indian land and water
across the country. Several
religious organizations also joined
the effort in support of Native
Americans, and in response,
President Ulysses S. Grant implemented a procedure for establishing land grants for specific
tribes. This became known as the Grant Peace Policy. President Grant established the first
reservations for the Cahuilla, Torres -Martinez, Cabazon, and Morongo peoples in the San
Gorgonio Pass and Coachella Valley in 1875. The Augustine Reservation is two miles east of
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the eastern boundary of La Quinta. The Cabazon Reservation was placed approximately
three miles to the northeast of La Quinta, while the closest section of the Torres -Martinez
Reservation was located just a few miles to the southeast.9
The boundaries of the first reservations were not clearly defined, resulting in lawsuits by
settlers who challenged the reservation grants. In 1852 the Desert Cahuilla people in the
Coachella Valley were to be given a strip of land that was 30 miles wide and 40 miles long,
including land that would later become La Quinta. However, Congress failed to ratify the
treaty and the proposed reservation boundaries were not formally recognized.1° In 1887
Congress passed the Dawes Act, which allowed the division of reservation land into
separate tracts allotted to individual Native Americans. Conflicts over land ownership and
allotments continued. To resolve these disputes the Act for the Relief of Mission Indians was
enacted in 1891, which established reservations in Southern California according to the
recommendations of the Smiley Commission. This act clearly defined the boundaries of
each reservation. However, due to lawsuits, the designated reservation lands were
reduced by one-third of what was originally designated. However, because of late
settlement on Cahuilla lands within the Coachella Valley, many tribes in the area were
able to hold on to some of their ancestral territories using a variety of methods that
changed over time. The Torres -Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, the Agua Caliente Band of
Cahuilla Indians, and the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians entities and their governmental
borders are products of the reservation system that continued to evolve after 1875.
Land Grants and Homesteads
The creation of the tribal reservation system coincided with the inception of other federal
policies designed to encourage Americans to move west and develop the vast interior of
the continent. The suite of laws that made formal settlement in the western United States
possible began with the Homestead Act of 1862. Homesteading was integral to the
settlement of the American West. The 1862 law and subsequent related laws allowed
settlers to gain ownership of land owned by the federal government and considered part
of the public domain. Although homesteading had its roots in the mid -nineteenth century,
easing requirements and extending the act allowed homesteading to continue in the early
twentieth century. The homestead laws were changed and modified many times and
reinterpreted by rules and court decisions. These changes allowed people to homestead
larger tracts of land. Also, the laws evolved so that residency requirements were reduced.
The Homestead Act and its amendments had such an impact on the settlement of the
western United States that by 1958 some 38,784,000 acres of federal land had been
transferred from the public domain to homesteaders in California alone."
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Under the Homestead Act of 1862, an applicant could declare his or her intent to
homestead. The person was then required to make certain improvements, including
building a residence, cultivating the land, and residing on the claim for five years, and then
would receive a patent for a 160-acre parcel. A homestead claim could be made by
almost anyone who was the head of a household or at least 21 years of age. U.S. citizens,
freed slaves, new immigrants, single women, and people of all races were eligible. Though
the requirement for "proving up" homestead claims changed over time, applicants were
required to live on the land for a set amount of time and make improvements, which
required a significant amount of work and investment. For many homesteaders to
successfully receive their land patent, they were forced to take out loans and live frugally.12
Homesteading, though initially focused on agriculture, shifted to include ranching. Out of
necessity, many homesteads were characterized by multiple economic endeavors.
Regions with marginal soils or sparse water featured homesteads characterized by
multiple -use properties. Homesteaders in these areas would conduct subsistence
agriculture, which included raising livestock, row crops, and orchards. These early
homesteaders had to diversify to subsist and perhaps turn a small profit. This changed with
the advent of agricultural irrigation in the desert regions where homesteaders could rely on
irrigation companies to supply water from surface ditches or groundwater wells.
Subsequent homesteading laws and amendments to the Homestead Act of 1862 changed
the requirements to accommodate the realities of life in the arid West by allowing larger
plots for farming and stock -only patents, as well as more flexibility in residency requirements
that allowed applicants to spend periods of time away from the homestead to pursue a
second livelihood.13
In 1862 the government provided land grants to railroad companies to encourage railroad
construction. The odd numbered sections of public land were reserved for the railroads
with five alternate sections per mile on each side of the rail line, for 10 miles on each side of
the line. In 1864 the railroad grants were increased to 20 alternate sections for each mile of
track, thus reaching far from the rail line. In 1871 Congress stopped issuing railroad grants.
Three years after the railroad was completed unused lands could be sold at $ 1.25 per acre
for settlement and preemption. Preemption was the right of settling on and improving
unappropriated public lands and, later, of buying them at the minimum price without
competition.14
One of the most significant of these later laws was the Desert Land Act of 1877 which
eliminated the requirement for homesteaders to live on the land. It also expanded the
amount of acreage that settlers could acquire to 640 acres. Significantly, the impetus for
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the Desert Land Act came from California representative John K. Luttrel who wanted to
speed up privatization of land east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He was instrumental in
getting Congressional approval of the Lassen County Land Act of 1875 which expanded
acreage for homesteads in Lassen County, California. This was a precursor to the
subsequent Desert Land Act of 1877 which extended the provisions to other areas in
California and other western states.15
For the La Quinta area, the first applications for government land were made just before
the turn of the century. The types of land grants in La Quinta consisted of Desert Land
Entries, Homestead Entries, Railroad Grants, Cash Entries, Reclamation Homestead Entries,
State Grants, and properties acquired through the Indemnity List. There were numerous
attempts to homestead and acquire government land; however, only a small fraction of all
the attempts reached the patent status. The Bureau of Land Management Historical
Indices records each of the attempts and those that reached a patent. Many of the
granted lands were later sold.16
The interest in homesteading slowed in 1917 when the impacts of World War One reduced
homesteading after the war. Also contributing to the decline was the lack of good lands
since many of the prime locations had already been homesteaded. Drought and the
post -World War I economic collapse of agricultural and livestock prices further contributed
to the decline of homesteading. To combat the decline, Congress adopted several
measures to encourage homesteading and to reward veterans for their service in World
War during the 1920s.'7
Homesteaders' Houses
As discussed previously, there were numerous attempts to homestead land in the La Quinta
area. Only a fraction of those who attempted were successful in obtaining a patent on
their claims. To obtain a patent on a homestead, a home was required to be built and
lived in for a period of five years while a minimum of one -eighth of the land was farmed
and improved. The houses constructed under these requirements were often small, single
wall construction with wood siding.
Architectural design requirements were not specified; however, most existing homestead
houses were built in a rectangular shape with a gable type of roof. Building materials
appear to have most commonly been wood frame with wood siding, with wood framed
multi -pane glass windows. Occasionally a fireplace was constructed.
One of the last examples of a homestead house to exist in La Quinta was the Burkett
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Homestead house, demolished in March of 1996. The property is located approximately
one mile south of the present-day State Highway 111 on the east side of Washington Street.
Manning Burkett brought his family from Maine to Long Beach in 1905, then on to La Quinta
for his son's health. Five generations of the Burkett family lived on the property. From
observation, two houses on the ranch were built many years ago, one older than the other.
In 1917 Burkett homesteaded the property, so it can be assumed that the first house was
built in 1917 or shortly after as per the requirements for homesteaders. The smaller house
(probably the oldest house) was single -story, wood -frame construction, with wooden
siding. The larger house was a single -story, wood -frame structure with stucco exterior finish.
There is no documented information about the architectural details of the structures or a
site plan of the property. Horse corrals were constructed on the ranch. A fire occurred in
the kitchen of the larger house sometime in early 1995. A demolition permit was issued only
for the burned house; however, both houses were demolished. In March of 1996, the
remaining structures were torn down.
The first house built on the John Marshall Ranch, which was located at the southern end of
Washington Street on the south side of Avenue 52, was a homestead house. It is described
as small and was built in 1910. A pamphlet, published by the La Quinta Historical Society in
1996, mentions the small house but does not give any details. After the large hacienda
style house (Hacienda Del Gato) was built, the smaller house was relegated to the ranch
caretaker. Mellon and Associates documented the structures on the Marshall Ranch in
1996. The Traditions residential project has been constructed on the land surrounding the
hacienda. The Hacienda Del Gato and its adjacent grounds and entry from Avenue 52
have been retained and restored and are used as the homeowner's association office.
The Point Happy Ranch on the west side of Washington Street, just south of Highway 1 1 1,
was homesteaded by Norman "Happy" Lundbeck at the turn of the century. It was a
distinct development from the other homesteaded properties. The ranch included a one -
room grade school, built in 1916 primarily to serve the children living on the ranch. A
teacher was hired for the school. The school building was simple, with a gabled roof, and
constructed with wood -frame and wood siding. A school district was formed which served
the area between Palm Springs and two miles east of Washington Street. A few years after
it was built the school was relocated to Indian Wells. The school district boundaries included
over 190 square miles and included present-day Palm Desert, Indian Wells, and La Quinta,
as well as a swath eight miles wide that extended across the Santa Rosa Mountains to the
southern county line. On July 1, 1929, the Point Happy School merged with the Indio School
District.
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The Point Happy Ranch had a stable and a small store where the Santa Rosa Mountain
spur reaches out into the desert. The ranch was in the path of the Bradshaw Trail
stagecoach Trail. Only a few hundred yards to the west of the ranch, in Indian Wells, was a
stage stop and watering hole (La Quinta Historical Society n.d.). This may have been the
walk-in well dug by the Cahuilla.
The ranch was purchased in 1922 by Chauncy D. Clarke, a noted philanthropist, oil man
and geologist. He also acquired several adjoining parcels totaling 135 acres. Clark came
from a wealthy family that owned a whisky distillery in Peoria, Illinois. Mr. Clarke named the
property the Point Happy Date Gardens and planted a large portion of his initial 134-acre
property in Deglet Noor date palms. These were the first Deglet Noor dates cultivated in
California. His ranch became a great success, known not only for its dates but also for
prized Arabian horses and lavish gardens. Mr. Clarke died on August 22, 1926. Prior to his
death, Mr. Clarke sold his Arabian horses to the Kellogg Ranch in Pomona, now the site of
the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Marie Clarke, Chauncy's wife, was a
founder of the Hollywood Bowl and financially underwrote the Indio Women's Club. Mrs.
Clarke died on October 30, 1948. The ranch was left to Claremont College which later sold
off parts of the ranch.
The structures on the ranch, which stretched back to the La Quinta Hotel, include an Old
California style house, a guesthouse, two swimming pools, an archery course, bridle paths,
gardens of rare trees and flowers, and a worker' s village. Each home in the village was air
conditioned and supplied with a radio.
In the mid-1950s Point Happy Date Garden was sold to Mr. William DuPont, Jr., a member of
the famous DuPont Chemical Corporation family. He built a home for himself astride a
mountain saddle in the Santa Rosa Mountain spur that overlooked the Point Happy Ranch.
The home is a single -story, single-family house of red brick construction. There is a built-in
swimming pool and patio deck on the east side of the house. Below, in the date garden,
DuPont built a Mediterranean period style home with a pool and tennis court in 1965, for
Miss Alice Marble, a tennis celebrity in the 1930s. There were several workers' houses on the
ranch as well as equipment sheds and carports. Mr. DuPont died on December 29, 1965.
Subsequently portions of the northern portion of the ranch were sold off to developers.
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Theme 3: Ranching and Agriculture, 1900 - 197Os
California has a deserved reputation as a prime location for ranching and agriculture
activities. This reputation dates to the earliest era of Spanish and Mexican land grants when
Hispanic vaqueros brought ranching culture to Alta California. Americans first traveled west
to California to pursue gold and agricultural was a necessary part of sustaining the miners.
Many Americans soon realized that even greater fortunes could be made by providing
ranching and agricultural products to sustain the mining industry. By the end of the
nineteenth century, California saw increasing specialization of agricultural products and an
expansion of agricultural output due to improved technology. Today, California is a world
leader in agricultural production and the Coachella Valley is one of the state's premier
agricultural areas.
Ranching is considered a sub -industry of agriculture and is the most widespread
agricultural industry in California and an important part of the regional economy. Ranchers
primarily produce meat. Hides are used to make leather, and sheep and goats can be
sheared for their wool and mohair. Cattle and sheep are the dominant types of livestock.
Dairying is considered part of ranching, as is poultry which is often called chicken ranching.
Agriculture in California is generally limited to areas under irrigation where a wide variety of
crops are grown. Farmers grow food crops like grains, vegetables, fruit and nuts. They also
raise fiber and other non-food crops.
In 2007, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) prepared a historic context
for agricultural properties in California. While the Caltrans study is focused on
archaeological resources and archaeological research design, it still has important
information regarding the built environment.18 California does not have a developed
historic context for the closely related activity of ranching. The Caltrans 2007 context
mentions cattle, sheep and hogs as important animal husbandry activities, as well as the
dairy and poultry industry. The neighboring state of Arizona has developed two in-depth
ranching contexts as part of NRHP multiple property nomination forms. One covers the
ranching industry from 1540-1950 and the second covers the modern ranching industry
from 1945-1970. While not specific to California, the Arizona contexts share many similarities
regarding ranching.19
The project area is particularly significant regarding agriculture since the Coachella Canal
passes through the Coachella Valley and terminates in La Quinta at Cahuilla Reservoir. Fed
by Colorado River water first diverted by the All -American Canal, the Coachella Canal is
considered a significant historic resource.
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Prior to the arrival of Euro-American settlers, the only documented settlements in or near
the current City of La Quinta boundaries were Native American villages of the Cahuilla
people. The Cahuilla are a Takic-speaking people whose society was initially based on
hunting and gathering. At the time of European contact, the Cahuilla were concentrated
into three groups, based on geographic setting: the Pass Cahuilla of the San Gorgonio
Pass -Palm Springs area, the Mountain Cahuilla of the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa
Mountains and the Cahuilla Valley, and the Desert Cahuilla of the eastern Coachella
Valley.20
The Cahuilla excavated wells in the harsh environment that provided water for domestic
use and for seasonal agriculture. The wells were called "te-ma-ka-wo-mal" and could
reach a depth of 15 feet or more. One well was located near today's Highway 111 and
Washington Street in an area called Happy Point by later settlers and called Kavinish by the
Cahuilla. A second well was called Kotevewit, in the Cove area of La Quinta and now
close to the Tradition Golf Club. Other villages in the La Quinta area included Toro, known
today as Torres and called Mauulmii. Another village was called La Mesa, located on the
eastern edge of today's La Quinta.21
Early Homesteads and Ranches in La Quinta
The public land laws in the United States provided a mechanism to transfer land from the
public domain - lands owned and controlled by the federal government - to private
individuals. Acknowledging these originally belonged to native peoples, the private owners
that acquired the land from the government initiated the settler era of history in La Quinta.
These early homesteads and ranches left a mark on the land and are a key part of
community history.22
Point Happy Ranch
The Point Happy Ranch was the center of early settlement in La Quinta. This was
developed around the original Cahuilla well site near Highway 111 and Washington Street,
which was later a stop on the Bradshaw Trail. Early settler Norman "Happy" Lunbeck and
his family established a store, trading post, and stable in the area. A school was added as
the population grew. The Lunbeck family filed for a homestead patent in 1907. Norman
Lunbeck died in 1912 and the patent was awarded to his widow Anna Scott Lunbeck in
1914.23
The Chauncy D. Clarke family, who purchased the Point Happy homestead on the west
side of Washington Street, south of Highway 111 in 1922, planted a large portion of their
134-acre holding in Deglet Noor date palms. The ranch became a great success.
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Chauncey D. Clark was born in Illinois where his family made a fortune with a whisky
distillery. He married Marie Rankin who he met in Phoenix where the couple developed
mining properties. In addition to dates, the Clarkes established an Arabian horse farm at
Point Happy. The ranch was called the "Point Happy Date Gardens." The date gardens
and citrus were actively farmed for many years after Mr. Clarke initially planted the first
trees. The varieties of trees on the property included pecan, tangerine, lemon, fig, apricot
and mulberry. Avocado trees and orange trees had also been planted among the date
groves of the original ranch. Later, grapefruit trees were planted. Chauncey Clarke died in
1926. Mrs. Clarke continued to live on the ranch until she died in 1948. Shortly after her
death, the Point Happy Date Gardens were sold to Mr. William DuPont, Jr., heir to the
DuPont chemical fortune.24
John Marshall Ranch
One of the earliest ranches that left a lasting mark on La Quinta was the John L. Marshall
Ranch. Previous historical studies state that John L. Marshall and his brother-in-law, Albert P.
Green, homesteaded property along Avenue 52 in La Quinta. The 1997 historic property
survey states that The Southern Pacific Railroad sold a parcel located at the southern
terminus of Washington Street to John Marshall and his brother- in-law, Albert Green around
1902- 03. Today, this is the location of the Tradition Golf Course. Marshall and Green were
partners in the Green -Marshall Company located on Broadway in Los Angeles which sold
retail paints, oil, glass, and varnishes. Bureau of Land Management records show that
Marshall and Green purchased the land from the railroad and received cash entry patents
in 1914. They divided the land, with Marshall taking 240 acres west of Washington Street,
south of Avenue 52 and Green the east 163 acres. This cove area soon became known as
Marshall's Cove, with the periodic lake that formed in the village area called Marshall
Lake, and Washington Street called Marshall Road at that time.25
Mr. Green sold his 160 acres almost immediately as he was not a rancher. The Green
property was not developed until 1961 when Howard Ahmanson, president and founder of
Home Savings and Loan Association and art patron, built the existing ranch house,
guesthouse, manager's house, several outbuildings, and a 9-hole golf course. The main
residence is a 3-bedroom hacienda -style adobe blockhouse of Mr. Ahmanson's design,
with Spanish tile roof. It is situated in an outcropping of the Santa Rosa Mountains and
named Rancho Xochimilco. After Ahmanson's death in 1968 the property continued as an
active alfalfa ranch until it was sold in 1980. The ranch house exists as a support building for
the city's surrounding Silver Rock Golf Course with several retained outbuildings still used.26
Marshall, on the other hand, kept his 160 acres and planted dates and a citrus orchard. In
1920 a large hacienda -style house was constructed on the Marshall Ranch using local
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materials. A smaller adobe house and shed had been built in 1910. Worker's cottages were
also constructed. A large swimming pool located next to the large hacienda also served
as an irrigation reservoir. The 1997 historic property survey states that "the big house was
built in 1920 by a Mr. Swanson."27
Figure 7. Original Gates to Marshall Ranch House.
The Marshall Ranch was
actively farmed through
the 1980s. There was a
succession of owners
after the ranch was
originally sold by
Marshall's son. The next
owners were William S.
Rosecrans and his wife
Elizabeth. Rosecrans was
the son of Civil War
General William Starke
Rosecrans, who had
started a real estate
career in Southern
California. The younger
Rosecrans followed in his
father's footsteps and
became a prominent Los
Angeles real estate
developer and oil
tycoon. Rosecrans re -
(Courtesy Tradition Golf Club https://www.traditiongc.com/iconic-history). named the home
"Hacienda del Gato" in
honor of the family cat that alerted Mrs. Rosecrans of a rattlesnake outside the kitchen
doorway. The couple sold the ranch to James T. Holmes, a Los Angeles area electrical and
mechanical engineer. Holmes expanded citrus agriculture on the ranch. According to
historians Vicki Steigemeyer and Pam O' Connor, citrus varieties included Eureka lemon,
Seville orange, pink grapefruit, ruby grapefruit, Temple orange, Dancy tangerine, Valencia
orange, Ponderosa lemon and Algerian tangerine. Other plant varieties on the ranch
included Washingtonia Fillifera and Robusta palms, bamboo, persimmon, eucalyptus,
cottonwood, pomegranate, date palms, carob, jacaranda, and Chinese umbrella trees as
well as cactus and shrubs.28
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The Marshall Ranch property was sold in 1972 to Lincoln Manchester Properties, owned by
Fritz Burns, a prominent Southern California real estate developer in the post- World War II
era. After Fritz Burns died in 1979, the property passed to his son F. Patrick Burns who died in
1980. Subsequent landowners were Bill Young, Landmark Land Company, and Sienna
Corporation. Following the sale to Sienna in 1996, company officials worked with Arnold
Palmer to design and build the Tradition golf course. The Tradition golf course and
clubhouse was finished in 1998.29
Burkett Ranch
Manning Burkett developed a ranch about one mile south from Point Happy. Mr. Burkett
was a carpenter who worked at the La Quinta Hotel. More than five generations of
Burkett's lived on the ranch before the property was sold and the main house demolished
in 1996.3°
Pederson Ranch
Ray Pederson once farmed here the residential section of the Lake La Quinta
development is today. He grew truck crops such as tomatoes, beans, squash, peas, and
dates as well as flowers. Much of the produce and flowers were sent to Los Angeles for
sale. Part of his land was a lakebed of clay which, when dry, was a private landing strip for
wealthy visitors to the La Quinta Hotel.31
Rancho La Quinta - Hunt/Vaiden Ranch - Villa Alegre
This ranch was located where The Enclave housing development is today. It was started by
Fred Ickes in the 1920s who planted dates and citrus. Ickes was joined by his brother-in-law
Mead Vaiden who came to the desert with investment funds from his college friend Clinton
Hunt. Hunt took over the operation when Vaiden offered him the deed to the ranch in lieu
of repaying the debt. Hunt named the ranch Villa Alegre.32
Skee Ranch
This ranch was established in 1926 by an Iowa investor named George Skee. It was located
where Jefferson Street meets Avenue 52. Although Skee provided the money for the
investment, the ranch was planted by Dr. Dana Sniff who leveled the land and planted
1,000 Deglet Noor date palm shoots for Skee.33
Kennedy Ranch
The Kennedy Ranch is a more recent enterprise in La Quinta. It was founded in 1947 by
brothers Leon and Mark Kennedy. Their business name was Kennedy Brothers and they
focused on growing cotton and alfalfa. The Kennedy Brothers also grew cantaloupe which
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were marketed under the K-B brand. The Kennedys were influential in establishing new
crops and experimental growing techniques in Southern California on their 2,000-acre
ranch in La Quinta. The Leon and Margaret Kennedy home was located at the intersection
of Jefferson Street and Avenue 54. Mrs. Kennedy nicknamed "Marlowe," supervised a crew
of sons, daughters, and cousins at the ranch. She was also a prominent artist, who painted
desertscapes in oils. The Kennedys were prominent in ranching, farming, and civic activities
throughout the Coachella Valley with several dignitaries, celebrities, and notables,
including President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Chuck Connors of "The Rifleman" fame
frequenting the Kennedy Ranch. They kept the ranch active until 1976 when the land was
sold for the PGA West golf course.34
Date & Citrus Agriculture
With the arrival of the early homesteaders came the beginning of agriculture as an industry
in the La Quinta area. One of the requirements of homesteading was that the land must
be under cultivation for a period of five years prior to the patenting of the applicant's
claim. The biggest challenge was not being able to obtain a permanent source of water,
such as a well, on the land and then being able to farm it for five years. Despite the lack of
water, the La Quinta climate was ideal for growing dates, sweet corn, Bermuda onions,
and Thompson seedless grapes. The high temperatures resulted in rapid growth of crops.
With the Southern Pacific Railroad depot located in nearby Indio, farmers had easy access
for shipping their crops to the Los Angeles and San Francisco markets. Over time. dates
proved to be best suited to the climate and soil conditions of the La Quinta area.35
Dates were first introduced in the United States in 1888 by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture although they had been first introduced to the Western Hemisphere by Spanish
missionaries. In 1904, the US Department of Agriculture established an experimental
agricultural station in the Coachella Valley to promote date production. Production rose
from 100,000 pounds in 1919 to 1 million pounds in 1926. Three varieties of commercial
dates were commonly grown: Deglet Noor (date of light), Saidy, and Thoory. Dates
brought a better return per acre than any other branch of agriculture or horticulture. 36
Dates can be grown from seed, but the most dependable commercial fruit is produced
from proven offshoots or suckers of known varieties. A young palm will produce dates at six
years old and be full bearing at ten years. Date palms are not self -pollinating. Pollination
must be done by hand, or the fruit will not develop and mature. This created a need for
farm laborers in the valley. 37
After World War II the date industry collapsed. Date palms were taken out and replaced
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with citrus trees on many ranches. About 1950 there was a boom in citrus growing,
especially grapefruit and tangerines.
Truck Crops
Besides dates and citrus, sweet corn, Bermuda onions, and Thompson seedless grapes
were grown in the La Quinta area. Truck crops were limited to the flat areas of La Quinta. In
many places, there was too much clay in the soil to grow many crop varieties. The lack of
water coupled with undesirable soil conditions forced some farmers to abandon their
holdings.
The Raymond Pederson Ranch located where the Lake La Quinta development has been
constructed on Washington Street, at one time grew gladiolus flowers. Mr. Pederson
attempted to grow dates, but they did not do well on his property. Often there was
difficulty in farming due to the soil type, microclimate factors, and availability of water.
John Marshall and his son Harry of the Marshall Ranch first planted cantaloupe and onions
for a summer crop. Manning Burkett, who established the Burkett Ranch, grew citrus.38
Coachella Canal
The history of the Coachella Canal which brings Colorado River water into the Coachella
Valley for irrigation begins in the nineteenth century when early observers noted the
remains of an ancient lake in the desert of California's Imperial Valley. Scientists named
the prehistoric body of water Lake Cahuilla and speculators got the idea to divert water
from Colorado in a canal to support crops in the desert valley. Unfortunately, this plan
resulted in disaster when Colorado River floods in 1904-1906 broke the headgates of the
Alamo Canal and diverted the full flow of the river into the Imperial Valley. The flood
created the Salton Sea and sent engineers back to the drawing board.
The canal breach was closed in 1907 and irrigation from Alamo Canal resumed. Since the
canal was mostly in Mexico an idea to construct an "All American Canal" took shape. This
led to the creation of the Imperial Irrigation District in 1911. Construction of the All -
American Canal was completed in 1940.
Farmers and landowners to the north of the Imperial Valley began a push for extension of
the water project to the Coachella Valley. This effort was begun during World War One by
Dr. S.S.M. Jennings. Jennings and attorney Thomas C. Yager championed the push for a
local irrigation district to construct a branch of the All -American Canal to bring water for
irrigation from the Colorado River to the Coachella Valley. On November 8, 1918, residents
voted to create the Coachella Valley County Water District. Ten years later, the Boulder
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Canyon Project Act of 1928 included provisions for the Coachella Branch of the All -
American Canal.39
Figure 8. Waste Way No. 1, June 1946, Coachella Branch Canal.
(US Bureau of Reclamation photo https://historytrove.com/online-brief-photo-history-
of-the-coachella-canal/)
Contracts for the first two sections of the Coachella Canal were awarded in 1938 and
1939. Workers completed a total of 43.4 miles of canal in 1940. By the end of 1941, the first
75 miles of canal had been completed. However, the US entry into World War Two after
the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, put an end to construction for the
duration of the war. Construction resumed after the war and the first deliveries from the
Coachella Canal irrigation distribution system were made in March of 1949.40
The arrival of the canal into the Coachella Valley had a tremendous impact on the valley's
agricultural economy. Crop patterns changed over the years with the availability of
supplementary canal water. The Coachella Branch Canal was constructed as an unlined
main canal and underground distribution system. The branch canal began at Drop 1 on
the main canal and continues 123.5 miles to the Lake Cahuilla terminal reservoir within the
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City of La Quinta. The Coachella Valley Water District constructed the modern Lake
Cahuilla in 1969. The lake and surrounding park facilities are currently operated by the
Riverside County Parks Department.41
Figure 9. Lake Cahuilla Reservoir Under Construction 1969
(Courtesy of the Coachella Valley Water District https://cvwatercounts.com/watch-film-shows-creation-of-lake-
cahuilla-in-1969/)
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Theme 4: Recreation and Leisure, 1926 - 1970s
Some of the first early settlers and homesteaders in the Coachella Valley in the late 19th
century were initially attracted to the desert due to the health benefits associated with arid
climates to alleviate respiratory and arthritic ailments. Others sought settlement in the
Coachella Valley for quite refuge and relaxation in relative solitude compared to nearby
cities and towns. Over the course of the 20th century, the hospitality industry capitalized on
the allure of desert solitude to advertise hotels and resorts in the Coachella Valley for the
wealthy elite living in the larger Southern California communities to the west and southwest,
like Los Angeles and San Diego. As a result, establishments in the Coachella Valley,
specifically in the La Quinta area, regularly hosted regular tourists, movie stars, celebrities,
and other wealthy individuals drawn to the advertised charm and beauty of the desert.
Over time, the high -profile clientele attracted a more middle-class demographic that
became drawn to La Quinta for the same reasons, its relative isolation, burgeoning country
clubs, and its growing recreation industry.
The La Quinta Hotel (La Quinta Resort & Club)
In 1921, Walter H. Morgan, the son of a wealthy San Francisco family, came to the
Coachella Valley after the First World War for health concerns and the dry climate to cure
his aliments with his former comrade, Fred Ickes.42 After one year investigating the area
and interviewing locals investigating the best -suited land for settlement, the two men
settled on a property and Morgan purchased 1,400 acres through the Desert Development
Company north of Marshall's Cove on a lower part of the valley, land that was originally
part of a railroad land grant and part of a State Grant Patent.43 Morgan wanted to
construct a retreat hotel on the land and shortly drilled two wells on the property after the
purchase.
Morgan hired Gordon Kaufmann, an architect from London who was practicing in
Pasadena, in 1925 to design the hotel. Kaufmann, who had just started his own practice,
initially designed the first six cottages on the property, the 100-person dining room, lobby
areas, and office building, all built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, which were
constructed during 1926. Kaufmann also designed the furniture and lights during
construction and oversaw brick firing for hotel structures. His designs included elements that
would later become common throughout his projects, with buildings featuring loggias,
arches, chimneys, pots of multitudinal forms, armadas for dining and private patios
enclosed by walls.44
Along with Kaufmann, Morgan hired landscape architect Edward Huntsman -Trout to
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design the grounds and residential landscape areas of the hotel. Huntsman -Trout utilized
his "California Style" on the property to enhance rather than determine design at the La
Quinta Hotel, using drought -tolerant plants in combination with courtyards and patios, with
fountains to providing cooling.
The superintendent of construction at the La Quinta Hotel was Crane Bruner. Carpentry
work was supervised by C. N. Sinclair, a contractor from Indio; plumbing by L. P. Pratt;
electrical by Ralph Alden; and the sewer system by Thomas E. Allen. Porch furniture was
also made in hotel shops. The heating system was designed as a large concrete tunnel,
which carried heat to the cottages from one giant heating plant. The interior designer was
Charles Ray Glass of Pasadena's Cheesewright Studio. Mexican -American laborers hand
made more than 100,000 adobe bricks, 60,000 roof tiles, and 5,000 floor tiles for the
property. The total construction cost of the original buildings was estimated to have been
$150,000. as
Figure 10. La Quinta Hotel, ca.1927.
(Courtesy La Quinta Museum)
Following the completion of the first wave of buildings, fourteen more cottages were
commissioned during the second year of operation. Over 80 men were employed to
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complete the next set of cottages, which resulted in twenty total guest buildings. Beyond
the new wave of cottages, Kaufmann also designed and directed the construction of
private homes for Walter Morgan, Cyrus Peirce (often spelled Pierce; now the San Vicente
Suite, Rooms 220-224), and Mrs. Lee Eleanor Graham (Casa Magnolia) between 1926 and
1927 along the western boundary of the La Quinta Hotel Property.46
Cyrus Peirce was a prominent banker
and stockbroker who arrived in San
Francisco in 1905. He organized Cyrus
Peirce and Company there. Peirce
moved to the Los Angeles area in 1915
and helped organize several companies
there, including Pacific Gas and Electric.
Peirce died in Monrovia, California in
1945.47
Lee Eleanor Graham was the wife of oil
baron William Miller Graham. Mr.
Graham made a fortune in oil, primarily
in Oklahoma. The couple moved to
Santa Barbara in 1903 where they soon
constructed a magnificent mansion
designed by architect Francis Wilson.
Called Bellosguardo, it became the family home in 1904. They divorced in 1921 and in
1923 Lee Graham sold the house to copper mining magnate and Senator William A. Clark.
She then took up interior design and is responsible for the intact furnishings and finishes in
Casa Magnolia, designed by architect George Kaufman, and constructed adjacent to the
La Quinta Hotel in 1927. Mrs. Graham died in 1944.48
•
Figure 11. Cyrus Peirce Caricature Drawing. (Men Who
Made San Francisco.
(San Francisco: Press of Brown & Power Stationery, 1915),
119.https://archive.org/details/menmadesanfranci0Osan
f)
After the second wave of cottages were completed, the La Quinta Hotel quickly became
an award -winning project which was published in numerous magazines and prestigious
architectural journals at the time of completion.49 The craftsmanship and quality of
building materials along with excellence of architectural design and attention to detail
earned Morgan and Kaufmann much praise.
Once completed, the La Quinta Hotel buildings featured red tile roofs, archways, adobe or
smooth stucco exterior finishes, walled gardens, courtyards, decorative iron work, and
arcaded porches. Hallways and pillared breezeways at the hotel were tiled from roof to
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floor connecting public hotel spaces. Windows and doors were recessed and framed with
rough-hewn wood. The ceiling lobby was decorated with a series of sketches by Diego
Rivera. Most buildings were designed around three courtyards at: the main entry, the
service area northwest of the lobby, and the center of the guest cottages. These original
cottages were built in two concentric ovals around the interior courtyard and the
placement of the casitas (cottages) was symmetrical.50
Figure 12. Lee Eleanor Graham residence, Casa Magnolia, 1932.
(Courtesy La Quinta Historical Society)
During its first year of operation in 1927, the La Quinta Hotel hosted one of its first prominent
figures, Charles Taft, son of former Presidential William H. Taft, when a Southern Pacific train
stopped in Indio due to severe flooding and stayed until his journey could resume. In the
following decades, numerous other prominent and famous individuals would flock to the
hotel during the winter months largely due to Walter Morgan's advertising techniques.
Morgan began advertising for his new hotel by utilizing word-of-mouth rumors amongst
celebrities and wealthy influencers he knew through his family connections and local
newspaper articles. He enticed Hollywood celebrities by appealing to their desires for
privacy and luxury. As a result, early star guests of the hotel included celebrities such as
Marie Dressler, Greta Garbo, Delores del Rio, Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis, William Powell,
Joan Crawford, Joe McCrea, Marlene Dietrich, Katherine Hepburn, Clark Gable, Richard
Widmark, Robert Montgomery, Charles Boyer, Erroll Flynn, Frank Capra, and Ronald
Coleman. Business moguls such as the DuPonts, the Gianninis and the Vanderbilts also
vacationed at the Hotel. 51
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or
GJ.RMrL iid*1
sz:L
} Yws
Rmi
�s
r
14
HoT5L
r.
IL
G
rel.3LIC 1146
PEA= GIP
s
Di SI- 1
=DV
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.P.LctAff
Figure 13. La Quinta Hotel Plot Plan, 1933.
("Portfolio of Low -Cost Houses - La Quinta Hotel and Cottages at Indio, California, Gordon B. Kaufmann,
Architect," Architectural Record Vol. 74, Issue 5, November 1933, 349)
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Frank Capra made La Quinta famous in 1934 when he collaborated on the screenplay of It
Happened One Night with Robert Riskin, spending time at a casita on the grounds of the
hotel. It Happened One Night is the first of only three films (along with One Flew Over the
Cuckoo's Nest and The Silence of the Lambs) to win all five major Academy Awards: Best
Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Capra won
for Best Director and Riskin won for Best Adaptation. Afterwards, Capra called La Quinta
his "Shangri La" and returned to work on other screenplays. Capra typically stated in the
same casita (San Anselmo - Urbana Survey Site 020) on the grounds of the hotel. Capra
ultimately came to live at La Quinta and built a home in the La Quinta Country Club
(Urbana Survey Site 023).
In 1927, the La Quinta Hotel used local advertising using newspaper articles in the
Coachella Valley Submarine and The Date Palm about construction progress on the Hotel
and its grand opening. Also, a brochure titled, 'La Quinta' was published by the Hotel
shortly after its construction. After guests completed their stay, they often aided advertising
efforts with written endorsements. In 1938, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr. wrote, "If it's far from the
maddening crowd you want to be, there's no better place to be than at the exclusive La
Quinta Hotel."
While he was advertising the hotel using newspapers and celebrities, Morgan was also
providing attractive amenities at the property to entertain guests. Shortly after Kaufmann
finished construction on the initial buildings for the La Quinta Hotel, Morgan commissioned
a nine -hole golf course to be built on the property, designed by Norman Beth. Upon its
completion, the course became the first golf course in the Coachella Valley, with a greens
fee of $1. As time went on, more amenities continued to be added by Morgan and
subsequent owners. From 1930 to 1943, the La Quinta Hotel likely operated as a Post Office,
offering mailing, and receiving services to hotel guests during prolonged stays.
In 1931, Morgan died as hotel guest dwindled during the Great Depression. Following his
death, Frederick Clift of San Francisco's Clift Hotel leased the La Quinta Hotel and took
over ownership for a brief period. Eventually, the courts appointed B.J. Bradner, an
attorney and hotel investor, as receiver for the property, which he managed until after the
ending of World War 11.52
During Bradner's tenure as owner, Harry Kiener, a promoter of Big Bear Land and Water
Company, purchased property around the La Quinta Hotel during his effort to create a
private club in 1932, which later became the Desert Club. During the late 1930s, the hotel
experienced resurgence as the country gradually grew out of the Great Depression. During
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this time, Bradner commissioned
Gordon Kaufmann again for "an
extensive program of
improvements...chief among which
was the installation of the new
swimming pool." Bradner added six
new tennis courts, a swimming pool,
and a pro shop to the property in
1937.53
In the Spring of 1942, the Hotel closed
for the duration of World War II due to
gasoline shortages and automobile tire
rationing, both of which prevented
widespread travel to the desert. During
its closure, the United States Army
requisitioned the property. Both the
Army Tank and Army Air Corps Divisions
are likely to have used the Hotel
grounds and surrounding areas during
the war. Members of General George
Patton's staff may have also used some
of the Hotel's facilities, but it remains
unclear. During wartime, the cottages
were locked, the pool drained, and the
landscaping died.
Figure 14. Ginger Rogers and Jacques
honeymooning in La Quinta,
Bergerac
(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/166985098666484403/)
After the war, interest in the Hotel was renewed as pre-war lifestyles largely picked up
where they left off. The La Quinta Hotel retained its place as a favorite vacation spot for
the Hollywood stars and celebrities who came for the cuisine, privacy, and service
provided by the hotel staff. The hotel, and the secluded La Quinta community, provided
the opportunity to escape the paparazzi and fast -paced lifestyle of Hollywood. During this
period, Walter Kirshner, owner of Grayson's apparel shops, built a home adjacent to the
hotel along Avenida Obregon in 1947. Like other prominent homes near the hotel,
Grayson Farms was later acquired by the hotel and is now the location of the hotel's tennis
center.54
In 1945, Arnold S. Kirkeby, a Chicago hotelier, owned the hotel property for three months
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before selling the hotel to John Balaban. From 1945 to 1950, John Balaban, one half of
Balaban and Katz, Midwest theater owners, ran the hotel. During his time as owner,
Balaban used his brother, Barney Balaban, to offer promotions to Hollywood stars for stays
at the hotel while he was the head of Paramount Studios. Balaban even constructed a
private airstrip on the hotel grounds for high profile guests.
Other prominent post -World War II celebrities that returned to La Quinta included famed
photographer Mary Mead Maddick (Urbana Survey Site 304, 481, and 482) and noted
Hollywood film director Dorothy Arzner (Urbana Survey Site 483).
In the mid-1950s, Leonard Ettleson, with a group of investors, purchased the La Quinta
Hotel. To increase profit margins for himself and hotel investors, Ettleson subdivided the
hotel property to develop the La Quinta Country Club Estates subdivision in 1958, a
planned gated community surrounding a golf course directly east of the La Quinta Hotel
complex. By 1959, the La Quinta Country Club opened, and homes began to in -fill the
lanes surrounding the golf course. The course became a favorite of President Dwight D.
Eisenhower, who visited the course frequently with his brother who maintained a residence
in the desert. During his visits, Eisenhower regularly met with George E. Allen who lived just
north of the hotel property at 77600 Avenida Fernando (Urbana Survey Site 480). The
Mediterranean Revival style home was even referred to as the "Desert White House" in the
February 10, 1960, edition of the Daily News.55
In 1977, Ettleson finally sold the La Quinta Hotel property to the Landmark Land Company,
Inc., run by golf professionals and co -vice presidents Ernie Vossler and Joe Walser Jr. Vossler
and Walser went on to develop La Quinta into a premier golfing destination for
professionals and amateurs nationwide.
Since the 1970s, the La Quinta Hotel has expanded significantly, incorporating other
nearby properties, or surrounding them. In 1930, a 2-acre property known as Casa Serena
was constructed south and east of the hotel. During the 1970s, Scientology founder L. Ron
Hubbard owned the property and wrote many of his science fiction novels and
screenplays and worked on religious instructional films at Hacienda Serena before
outgrowing the property and moving to unincorporated Riverside County in 1979.56 The
estate was purchased in 2009 by the Church of Spiritual Technology, an affiliate of the
Church of Scientology, who own the property today, which is surrounded by the grounds of
the La Quinta Hotel, now the La Quinta Resort & Club.
Overall, the initial construction of the La Quinta Hotel signaled the beginning of the resort
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industry era in La Quinta, a trend that would define the coming decades of development
in the region. In turn, it jumpstarted the career of Gordon Kaufmann who received his first
award, the Certificate of Honor, from the American Institute of Architects in 1930 "in
appreciation of the merit on design and execution of work in the building of La Quinta."57
The Desert Club
Following the development and success of the La Quinta Hotel, developer, E.S. "Harry"
Kiener, envisioned a residential development to rival the success of the Palm Springs resort
community for winter vacation homes located directly south of the La Quinta Hotel in
Marshall's Cove (the Cove) during the early 1930s. He wanted to have a commercial
district attached to the residential subdivision and a private resort club located adjacent
to both development projects offering membership to owners of the seasonal vacation
homes.58
The concept behind the development of the Desert Club, which was popular during the
1930s with the wealthy socialites, attempted to model its membership development
scheme using the same techniques used by projects along many coastal communities in
Southern California. The Desert Club was meant to be to be a combination of home and
club life to rival those exclusive coastal neighborhoods. Each person who bought a lot in
the Cove was given membership in the Club for $10.00 a year.59
The Desert Club was constructed by S. Charles Lee, an architect who worked with Harry
Kiener on the Peter Pan Woodland Club clubhouse in Big Bear, California, in the 1920s. He
was primarily known for his work designing theaters in the Los Angeles area (Los Angeles
Conservancy). Lee designed the Desert Club complex at the northwest corner of Avenue
50 and Avenida Bermudas. The main building was completed in a Streamline Moderne
style with nautical elements, including curved unornamented corners, round porthole
windows, smooth stucco siding, horizontal grooves, and an asymmetrical facade.
Lee began construction on the Desert Club in 1937. During the excavation for the Desert
Club swimming pool in the construction process, the tops of an orchard were exposed
underground, which had been covered by silt deposited during severe flooding. This
discovery required more excavation and incurred extra time and expense to the
completion of the Desert Club. Despite setbacks to construction, the club was opened as
an amenity to residents within the Vale La Quinta by 1940.
After the construction of the Desert Club, Harry Kiener sold the property to Edward Glick
and Frank Stone who ran the La Quinta Development Company. Edward Glick and Frank
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Stone managed the club through most of the 1940s. During that time, Glick and Stone filed
maps for new subdivisions northeast of the Desert Club and directly east and adjacent to
the Village commercial district. Five Desert Club tracts were established by 1951.60
During their tenure as owners, Stone and Glick fraudulently told prospective lot buyers for
the Cove and Desert Club tracts that lots had to be sold or they would lose their water
rights to manufacturer an incentive to develop the land. However, the plan soon
backfired, and Stone and Glick were later indicted, convicted, and placed on probation
for their actions. Frank Stone later committed suicide in his Los Angeles office in 1952.
During the months before World War II, development in the Cove stalled and the Desert
Club struggled to stay open. After the war, promotion for the Desert Club was renewed. In
1947, the club was promoted in Fortune Magazine and the Palm Springs -La Quinta
Development Company published a marketing brochure that advertised the proposed
amenities at the club which included "a swimming pool, tennis and badminton courts,
archery range, riding stables and ring, modern equipment for sunbathing, grand lounge,
dining room, coffee shop, billiard and card rooms, landscaped patios and terraces."61
In 1972, the Desert Club was purchased by Fritz Burns, a builder -developer, financier, and
owner of the Erawan Gardens Hotel in Indian Wells who originally planned to improve the
grounds and create an adjacent model home community but never realized his vision.
Subsequent owners, including Tom and Uta Thornburgh, attempted to revitalize the
property but ultimately failed. The site was given to the City of La Quinta in 1982 to be
converted into a city park. By that time, the Club was in disrepair. The buildings were
destroyed during a controlled training fire for the Riverside County Fire Department. The
Desert Club buildings contained elevated levels of asbestos and were deemed a public
safety hazard. No remains of the Desert Club buildings were left on -site.
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Figure 15. Desert Club Building, S. Charles Lee, 1937.
(Photo courtesy La Quinta Museum https://www.pinterest.com/pin/316589048775692546/)
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Figure 16. Desert Club, 1956.
(Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection Kelly -Holiday Mid -Century Aerial
Collection, KHAF 274-5)
The La Quinta Country Club
After the La Quinta Country Club Estates subdivision was created in 1958 out of property
originally owned by the La Quinta Hotel, Leonard Ettleson, John Elsbach, Col. Courtney
Turner, Billy Friedman, and Roy Crummer maintained ownership of the newly created
subdivision until they could sell all 130 acres to club members. On March 12, 1959, the
Articles of Incorporation for the La Quinta Country Club were filed with the Riverside
County Recorder and the club was officially opened the next year. The designers and
builders of the golf course were Frank Hughes and brother, Lawrence Hughes, prominent
golf course professionals of the time.62
The La Quinta Country Club opened as a private golf club with membership only permitted
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by invitation. However, advertisements in the 60s promoted the club and gave La Quinta
national exposure to create incentive to inquire regarding membership. The first big
promotion of the club occurred when President Dwight D. Eisenhower flew down to
dedicate the opening of the La Quinta Country Club on October 23, 1960. Afterwards,
Eisenhower often stated how much he enjoyed playing on the club golf course.
Eisenhower's brother, Edgar, may have maintained a home in the area, but its location
and condition is unknown. Later, a monument commemorating President Eisenhower's
dedication of the Country Club was erected on the golf course.
In November of 1963, the first taped for television golf tournament, the CBS Match Play
Classic, featured advertisements for membership, resulting in a significant increase in Club
membership following the airing. In 1967, the first Bob Hope Desert Classic was hosted at
the La Quinta Country Club and the television exposure piqued interest in membership.
In the early years of operation, the La Quinta Country Club members utilized a mobile
home on a temporary basis as their first clubhouse. This mobile home was nicknamed "The
Shack" by club members and local golfers. In 1966, Jack White, an architect out of
Sherman Oaks, California, designed a replacement for The Shack. Once finished, the new
clubhouse designed by White was noted for is Mediterranean Revival architectural style
with tall, carved doors featuring wrought iron handmade in Mexico, stucco -clad exterior,
wood frame multi pane glass windows, 20-foot interior ceilings, and exposed wooden
beams. However, in 2005, an earthquake caused structural damage to the building and its
foundation, leading to its demolition and replacement in 2009. 63
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Figure 17. President Eisenhower at La Quinta Country Club Dedication Ceremony, 1959.
(https://digital.hagley.org/2317_2_0546)
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Over time, homes within the La Quinta Country Club Estates subdivision gradually in -filled
the areas between golf holes. Eventually, eight distinct neighborhoods developed within
the larger La Quinta Country Club Campus. La Quinta Golf Estates, Club La Quinta, La
Quinta Fairways, Villas of La Quinta, Country Club Estates, Hacienda La Quinta, Montero
Estates, and Lago La Quinta all became distinct neighborhoods with their own
homeowners' associations to review any new custom home designs prior to the issuance of
a building permit.
Most homes built in the La Quinta Country Club neighborhoods during the 60s and 70s
were Tract Ranch homes constructed as double -unit condominiums with Spanish style
features. The homes in the Club La Quinta, La Quinta Fairways, Villas of La Quinta, Country
Club Estates, and Lago La Quinta neighborhoods all featured duplex condominiums that
were fully in -filled by 1979. The Villas of La Quinta featured condominiums with four units per
building that were completed in 1969. The Hacienda La Quinta and Montero Estates
neighborhoods were constructed with a mix of Tract Ranch and Custom Ranch single-
family residences during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Unlike most of the homes constructed within the subdivision, the La Quinta Golf Estates
community was entirely built with Custom Ranch designs that were all approved by the
homeowner's association over time. As a result, construction in the La Quinta Golf Estates
neighborhood was slow during the `60s and '70s. Many homes built in the Golf Estates
neighborhood during this time featured Contemporary and Custom Ranch designs. In
1986, the Golf Estates community constructed a masonry block wall along Eisenhower with
a consolidated entry gate at Coachella Drive and Eisenhower Drive, creating a distinct
separation between the private country club and the public thoroughfare.64
The La Quinta Country Club, with its eight distinct communities, created the first private
club with gated neighborhoods in La Quinta and influenced the development of later
country clubs that attempted to follow suit in the following decades. Subsequent gated
communities in resort subdivisions followed the same layout as the La Quinta Country Club
by planning winding residential streets to cut between individual golf holes lined on both
sides by single-family residences.
The Indian Springs Golf Club
Shortly after the La Quinta Country Club opened, John E. Gurley planned to build a 320-
acre subdivision with 175 lots laid out around a golf course north of Highway 1 1 1 and
announced his new subdivision in 1960. Gurley, president of the Westward Ho and
Bellwood Discount Corporation, sought to create an affordable public housing subdivision
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in La Quinta with a public golf course, in contrast to the completely private La Quinta
Country Club. Gurley designed the tract to have 124 lots, ranging from 8,000 to 15,000
square feet and filed two approved plats on January 4 and March 22, 1961.65 He also
oversaw the design of golf course, which upon completion in 1962, became the second
18-hole public course in the Coachella Valley. The homes south of Westward Ho Drive
between Roadrunner Lane and Jefferson Street around the southernmost holes of the golf
course were largely completed between 1962 and 1980. Homes surrounding the
northernmost holes of the Indian Springs Golf Course were not completed until the late
1990s when developer Roger Snellenberger bought the course and adjacent vacant land
in the late 1990s to reconfigure the golf course and add a new 726-home development to
straddle the border between La Quinta and Indio.66
Other Private Recreational Properties
Other private estates with recreational facilities in La Quinta were developed during the
mid-20th century. One such property was The Ahmanson Ranch House / Rancho
Xochimilco. The estate was developed in 1961 when Howard Ahmanson, president and
founder of Home Savings and Loan Association and art patron, built the existing ranch
house, guesthouse, manager's house, several outbuildings, and a 9-hole golf course west
of the Hacienda Del Gato ranch (Urbana Survey Site 484). Another example of a property
associated with a prominent individual was the William DuPont House, constructed for
DuPont chemical heir William DuPont, Jr. in 1950 (Urbana Survey Site 308). When DuPont
acquired the property, he built a vacation home with a tennis court designed by his friend,
the championship tennis player Alice Marble. DuPont often entertained his wealthy friends
at this small home and grounds in La Quinta.
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Theme 5: Residential Development, 1934 - 1970s
The development of the La Quinta Hotel set the stage for the transition of La Quinta from
an agricultural community of homesteads and ranches in the early 20th Century to a
growing city with resorts and residential subdivisions. Early residential growth from the 1930s
through the 1970s was first centered around exclusive resort communities. Homes were
marketed based on the benefits that came with becoming a La Quinta homeowner.
However, the need for affordable housing independent of resort membership grew during
the post-war period. These initial residential subdivisions were geographically separated
from the established La Quinta resorts and were developed along the main thoroughfare
for the Coachella Valley, Highway 1 1 1.
The Cove
Following the development of the La Quinta Hotel, developer, E.S. "Harry" Kiener, hoped to
create a residential development equal to Palm Springs for winter vacation homes located
south of the La Quinta Hotel in Marshall's Cove (the Cove) during the early 1930s. The Cove
received its name for its isolated location bounded on three sides by the Santa Rosa
Mountains on property previously owned by John Marshall. In this area, Kiener planned to
construct an all-inclusive community environment with a commercial district attached to
the residential subdivision and a private resort club located adjacent to both development
projects offering membership to owners of the vacation homes. The residential zone,
formally named the Santa Carmelita de Vale subdivision and marketed as the "Vale La
Quinta," was established in 1933. Buildings in the newly established Village commercial
district began construction in 1936 and the private Desert Club finished construction by
1939.67
The function and components of the Cove development project were patterned after the
Peter Pan Woodland Club, a hunting and fishing lodge in Big Bear, California, built during
the 1920s. Kiener was the developer of the Peter Pan Woodland Club and employed a
man named Guy Maltby to assist him with the project and build a portion of the cabins.
Lots were sold and cabins built for summer residents. The Peter Pan clubhouse was
designed by an architect named S. Charles Lee who built the clubhouse for Peter Pan
Woodland Club residents. After the completion of the Peter Pan Woodland Club, Harry
Kiener hoped to create a winter vacation club in La Quinta with similar attributes so
homeowners could spend the summer in Big Bear and the winter in La Quinta with
reciprocal relationships.68
The streets of the Cove subdivision were laid out in a grid pattern, bounded by Calle
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Tampico in the north, Avenida Bermudas to the east, Calle Tecate to the south, and
Avenida Montezuma / Bear Creek to the west. The streets were graded, but not paved,
and some streets were oiled to keep the dust down. Northwest of the Cove grid, the
Village Park, in the center of the proposed Village commercial district, was constructed in
a hexagon shape between Eisenhower Drive and Avenida Navarro. North -south street
names in the Cove were prefaced with "Avenida" and the east -west streets "Calle." Kiener
had electricity installed for the Cove grid in 1932.69
The Riverside County Planning Commission, Subdivision Committee, and Water Committee
recorded that the entire process of submitting and obtaining approvals for all eighteen
units of the Cove (Santa Carmelita de Vale) subdivision spanned June 16, 1933, to January
25, 1937. Each unit of the subdivision was designated with its own map and each map was
submitted, presented, and considered separately. The Palm Springs Land & Irrigation
Company, headed by Harry Kiener, submitted all applications for the Cove development
project. 7°
During the submission process, the Riverside County Planning Commission had frequent
concerns regarding the water supply and distribution system, utilities, sanitary conditions,
roadways, and storm water drainage for the Cove. Several of the unit maps were
approved with conditions such as the requirement to have domestic water piped to the
front of each lot, to construct storm water drains and dikes, and that roadways not less
than 30 feet wide on the west section line were to be designated. Bonds placed on the
unit maps ranged from $100 for property taxes, $1,000 to grade streets, stake lots, pipe
water, and other improvements, and $10,000 to build a stormwater drainage system.
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The Santa Carmelita Mutual Water Company (SCMWC) provided water to the Cove
subdivision and two stone and mortar reservoirs, each with a 170,000-gallon capacity were
placed in the foothills to the
west and south of the Cove in
the 1930s. These reservoirs
featured wood roofs, with
open-air ventilation. They
provided water to the Cove
and the Desert Club
subdivision tracts. A 1934
Master Plan showed all the
units in the Cove subdivision,
the water well, a reservoir,
and other features. Well No. 2
was drilled later that same
year and the second reservoir
was constructed later that
decade.
In 1934, Kiener started selling
and marketing lots. Initially,
he marketed the Cove
subdivision to prospective
buyers as an individual sales (Courtesy of the La Quinta Historical Society).
program with typical lots
measured at 50 x 100 feet. While many lots were undeveloped, fifty adobe style
bungalows, called casitas, were built on select lots for buyers to move into ready-made
"weekend homes." These "weekend homes" were completely furnished, including the
linens, and sold for $2,500. Vacant lots sold for $500 with $25.00 down.7' Kiener sold lots
through a telemarketing sales operation.72
Figure 18. La Quinta Rentals office, ca.1935.
Kiener partnered with his previous associate from the Peter Pan Woodland Club, Guy
Maltby, to form the La Quinta Building and Lumber Company and construct the Spanish
style adobe bungalows, called casitas. Principal floorplans for the early casitas in the Cove
involved single -story "L" and "I" shaped plans for Spanish Colonial Revival style adobe
residences with small front patios, matching style the original cottages built within the
grounds of the La Quinta Hotel. The Valenzuela Roofing Company, which made the tiles
and bricks for the La Quinta Hotel, also fabricated roof tiles for the casitas to match the
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designs.73
To construct the homes, Maltby set up an office for the La Quinta Building and Lumber
Company, in what would become the Village commercial district, on the north end of the
Cove next to Kiener's small Cove administration building, which housed his Palm Springs
Land and Irrigation Sales Office. The Cove administration building was a small stucco
Spanish Colonial Revival style building at the corner of Avenida Montezuma and Avenida
Mendoza and the La Quinta Building and Lumber Company building was a two-story
Monterey style in the Village commercial district. From these two buildings, Kiener and
Maltby built and sold homes for the Cove financed by the Federal Home Administration
(FHA) program.74
Guy Maltby sold the La Quinta Milling & Lumber Company in 1941 to Miles Reed Scott, his
former employee. Later that year, in September of 1941, Maltby stopped in to check on
Scott's progress. He found him struggling to complete projects and in poor health. As a
result, Maltby decided to stay in La Quinta for a couple of weeks to help him with the
business and returned home to Big Bear, on October 3, 1941. Maltby died of a heart attack
the following day and The La Quinta Milling & Lumber Company was closed, and the
property was sold, ending the development of Spanish Colonial adobe bungalows in the
Cove.75
Maltby's sudden death and the sudden scarcity of building materials brought on in the
months before World War II drove the cost of building homes continually higher to a point
where delays and cost overruns panicked homebuyers. Contracts to build homes were
broken and lot sales plummeted.
As a result, the early homes constructed in the Cove occurred in a random, scattered
manner, due to the lot sales nature of the project and the stalled development. Initial
construction was also relatively slow and development during the post-war was not much
faster. Only four homes were built in 1935 and seventeen homes were built the following
year. The Riverside County Assessor's Office listed that only 95 houses were built between
1935 and 1949.
After World War II, the Cove largely remained a quiet community that steadily added
homes on available lots. However, after the war, Spanish Styled Ranch, Custom Ranch,
and Contemporary styles replaced the Spanish Colonial Revival style adobe bungalows
that were built in the 1930s and '40s. By the early 1970s, roughly 250 homes were built within
the Cove, yet many blocks remained entirely undeveloped. In the 1970s a 50-foot x 100-
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foot lot could be purchased for about $4,000. There was little residential development and
almost no commercial development until the early 1980s, when the Cove subdivision
became one of the most popular areas to build affordable housing. By that time, the Cove
lots had become relatively inexpensive compared to other adjacent communities in the
Coachella Valley.76
Desert Club Tracts
Adjacent to the Cove, small tracts for development were gradually opened throughout
the 1940s, after Kiener sold the Desert Club and to Edward Glick and Frank Stone. After
Glick and Stone took ownership through the La Quinta Development Company, they
successfully applied for five subdivision tracts off the eastern boundary of the Village. The
Desert Club tracts were largely meant for residential properties near the club and the
Village. However, development of the Desert Club tracts encountered similar issues to
property sales in the Cove. Water supply and drainage issues made the tract submission
process long and arduous. Demand was scarce before the war and immediately following
its conclusion. Like the Cove, the Desert Club tracts eventually attracted prospective
buyers, but limited development occurred between the 1930s and the 1970s.
Post -WWII Subdivisions: Highland Palms and Indian Springs
When residential construction resumed after the end of World War II, new homes were
initially built on available lots in the Cove. However, as La Quinta's tourism industry
continued to grow, there was demand for more affordable housing for employees of the
resorts and golf courses. A new subdivision was planned near La Quinta in 1953, but many
nearby property owners complained that it was a substandard development, and the
Riverside County Planning Commission adopted a temporary zoning plan to deny
approval for the subdivision.77 A year later the commission adopted a permanent
comprehensive zoning plan for La Quinta (Riverside Independent Enterprise 1954). As a
result, more affordable housing was pushed farther away from the center of La Quinta's
prime real estate. In 1958 Ralph J. Arcadi established a trailer park, Dune Palms Mobile
Estates, with 100 spaces on the south side of Highway 1 1 1 between Dune Palms Road and
Jefferson Street. At the time, it was a relatively isolated site in an undeveloped commercial
and interim zone north of La Quinta. By 1960 Dune Palms Mobile Estates was owned by
Esther V. Anderson, who expanded the park with another trailer park on the north side of
Highway 111.78
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Figure 19. 1975 aerial photo showing development in the northern part of the Cove.
(Courtesy of La Quinta Historical Society, #2234)
The first substantial residential tract subdivision in La Quinta was proposed by Macco
Corporation in 1960. Highland Palms, a small neighborhood of 76 modest homes, was to be
built south of Highway 1 1 1 and west of Marshall Street, on the undeveloped northern end
of the community. The area had been zoned for apartments, but the management of La
Quinta Hotel did not like previously proposed apartments and commercial buildings in the
area and supported a change in zoning to single-family residential. There were apparently
no objections from neighboring residents and the Riverside County Planning Commission
referred to it as a "first class" single-family residential subdivision that would be appropriate
for the location at the entrance of La Quinta. The smallest lots were 9,000 square feet and
some lots were as large as 1.5 acres, with only about 100 feet of frontage but extending
back quite far. Macco's agent, John Klug, filed the approved plat on September 13,
1960.79 This was apparently one of Macco Corporation's first ventures into residential
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development. John MacLeod had formed the Macco Construction Company to construct
military facilities in California during World War II, and his share of ownership in San Diego's
National Steel & Shipbuilding Company provided access to steel needed for
construction.80 He quickly built a variety of Ranch style houses in the relatively small
subdivision. After completion of Highland Palms, Macco Corporation became managing
partner in the development of the 87,500-acre Rancho California in Riverside County,
which was one of the largest homebuilding projects in the country. By the mid-1960s
Macco was one of the largest homebuilders In Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego
counties.81
Another new subdivision at the north end of La Quinta was announced in 1960. John E.
Gurley planned to build a 320-acre subdivision with 175 lots laid out around a golf course.
Gurley owned a Chevrolet dealership in Indio and was president of Westward Ho and
Bellwood Discount Corporation. The Indian Springs neighborhood was to be located north
of Highway 1 1 1 at Jefferson Street. Gurley tried unsuccessfully to get a variance to create
some lots as small as 6,200 square feet. He then redesigned the tract to have 124 lots,
ranging from 8,000 to 15,000 square feet and filed two approved plats on January 4 and
March 22, 1961.82 The Indian Springs Golf Course was Coachella Valley's second 18-hole
public golf course. Developer Roger Snellenberger bought the course and adjacent
vacant land in the late 1990s. He completely rebuilt the golf course and added a new
726-home development.83
While neighborhoods such as Highland Palms and Indian Springs were developed as
residential tract subdivisions, they still feature large houses with a broad variety of
decorative styles and features.
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Theme 6: Commercial Development, 1934 - 1970s
Like the residential development of La Quinta, the commercial development of the city
was slow during the middle of the 20t" century. As the early residential subdivisions before
the war failed to fully develop, the commercial district of the community did not fully in -fill
with new businesses. Following World War II, commercial development continued to
stagnate, and the commercial center of the city did not establish itself as a landmark
downtown area. Only during the 1980s and '90s, when the golf resort industry burst into La
Quinta and developers installed strip malls along Highway 1 1 1, did the commercial
development of La Quinta grow substantially.
The Village Commercial District
The commercial development of La Quinta began with the implementation of the Village
commercial district, constructed in tandem with the Cove and the Desert Club by Harry
Kiener, Guy Maltby, and S. Charles Lee. The Village was laid out on the northeast end of
the Cove development around the hexagonal Village Park that divided the lanes of
Avenida Montezuma in the east/west direction and was bisected in the north/south
direction by Avenida Mendoza. This park was bounded between Eisenhower Drive to the
west and Avenida Navarro to the east.
The area chosen for the Village commercial district was historically the location of a dry
lake where water would collect following major storms. This lake was known as Marshall' s
Lake or Green/Marshall Lake when the Marshalls still owned the property. Kiener, with the
other Cove and Village developers, attempted to raise the lakebed to mitigate flood
hazards so that they could receive approval on a tentative unit map within the dry
lakebed. However, they were not successful initially in obtaining approval from the
Riverside County Planning Commission for the Village subdivision. Only after Kiener graded
the lakebed area and created drainage culverts, did the planning commission grant him
development approvals.
The first two buildings constructed in the Village were the ca. 1936 Spanish Colonial Revival
Style Palm Springs Land and Irrigation Sales Office for Harry Kiener at 77855 Avenida
Montezuma and the ca. 1935 two-story Monterey La Quinta Building and Lumber
Company building for Guy Maltby, who reportedly used the upstairs as a residence and
the ground floor for his offices. A lumberyard for the construction of the Spanish Colonial
style adobe houses in the Cove was located at the rear of the La Quinta Building and
Lumber Company building.84
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Figure 20. Undated image of the La Quinta Milling and Lumber Company.
(Courtesy of the La Quinta Museum)
The lots in the Village commercial district ranged in size from 2,500 square feet to 22 acres.
Calle Estado was planned as a commercial street with typical lots sized at 50 feet x 100
feet. Avenida La Fonda, another commercial street, was planned to run parallel to Calle
Estado with narrow 25 feet x 100 feet lots. The lots along Avenida Montezuma, surrounding
the park, were mostly 50 feet x 100 feet in size. These lots were positioned to surround the
Village Park and in -fill the streets to the east of the park along wide roadways.
While no singular architectural style was planned for the Village commercial tract, buildings
following the construction of Kiener's Administration building and the La Quinta Building
and Lumber Company echoed the Spanish Colonial Revival design of the La Quinta Hotel.
Later commercial buildings also adopted related styles, such as the Mediterranean Revival,
Mission, and Monterey styles.
One of the first commercial buildings constructed to serve residents in the Cove from the
Village was a small one-story Spanish Colonial Revival style market built on Calle Estado.
This general store sold basic items such as milk, bread, cold cuts, soft drinks, and beer.85
The tenants were eventually replaced, and later owners converted the building into the El
Ranchito Mexican Restaurant at 78039 Calle Estado.
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During the initial development of the Village, Kiener and his associates ran into a multitude
of issues associated with building a large-scale combined development project in an
isolated desert community. Water supply problems plagued the beginning of the project;
economic hardship during the Great Depression led to a low volume of lot sales; building
material shortages during World War II stalled expansion; and Guy Maltby's sudden death
effectively ended the operation of the La Quinta Building and Lumber Company. Later
Frank Stone's fraudulent sales scandal drove potential homebuyers away from the Cove
and the Village. It took decades for the Cove and Village to fully develop. Only after the
golf resort industry began to rapidly expand in the 1980s, did the Cove become a viable
affordable community, and the Village a steadily growing commercial district. 86
Hovia of
O BBIEN'S
Gift •ixi
04ta Shop
LA QUINT
CAL IfORNIA
F4'1. 2
Figure 21. House of O'Brien's Gift and Date Shop La Quinta, ca. 1947.
(Courtesy of Pomona Public Library
http://www.oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt6z09q4cn/?order=1)
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Commercial Development Outside the Village
Apart from the local shops, restaurants, and convenience stores located within the Village,
there were no other major commercial developments in La Quinta from the 1930s through
the 1970s. While other desert nearby communities grew into small suburban cities, La
Quinta remained a small, isolated resort community, dependent on nearby larger
communities for support and resources. The first large scale shopping center was an
outdoor strip mall constructed on the property of the Point Happy Ranch between 1982-83
along the Highway 1 1 1 corridor. Before the 1980s, La Quinta residents relied on small shops
located in the Village that were largely replaced during the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.
Civic and Institutional Development
Civic and institutional facilities such as municipal buildings, parks, fire stations, and schools
represent the governmental and architectural history of communities. La Quinta's unique
origins as an unincorporated private development of resorts and weekend homes meant
that these typical civic and institutional facilities were not constructed early on. The
community relied on County services from existing locales. Municipal incorporation in 1982
marked the need for city -owned civic and institutional facilities.
Incorporation Headquarters
Prior to La Quinta's incorporation as a city in 1982, Fred Wolff and his wife Kay led the
campaign to get the measure on the ballot. Although not an official civic building, the
Wolff home became a de facto campaign office for incorporation. In 1980, Wolff
relocated to the Coachella Valley where his family had long held property. With his wife
Mary Kay Wolff, the couple constructed a home in the La Quinta Cove. Fred Wolff
became an active member of his community serving as the President of the La Quinta
Property Owners Association, as a member of the La Quinta Chamber of Commerce, and
as a chair of the La Quinta Task Force for Incorporation. Upon incorporation in 1982, Fred
became the first Mayor of the city and continued to live in the home until his death in 2004.
Mrs. Wolff still lives in the home and is active in the community.87
City Hall and Council Chambers
Upon incorporation, the first city council meetings were held in a building at 78105 Calle
Estado which was then known as City Hall. It served in this function until a new city hall was
completed as part of the Civic Center complex in 1993 at 78495 Calle Tampico. The
building at 78105 Calle Estado then became home of La Quinta Barber Shop and La
Quinta Bakery/Panaderia. The new city hall was designed by architect John Eloe of Gruen
Associates. The new 30,000 square foot La Quinta City Hall houses the 104-seat Council
Chamber, the offices of the Mayor, City Council, City Manager, and administrative
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personnel. The building is designed around a shaded courtyard easily accessible to the
public and city staff.88
Fire Department
La Quinta's volunteer fire department was chartered in 1952, with the station house
located at the present-day city maintenance yard on Frances Hack Ln. This is now part of
Fritz Burns Park,89 The station house is still extant and remains a significant municipal
property.
Schools
There were no public schools in La Quinta throughout most of its history. Children in La
Quinta attended schools in Indio. In 1964, the Indio School system was reorganized as
Desert Sands Unified School District to serve La Quinta, Indian Wells, Palm Desert, and other
small communities in the Coachella Valley.
La Quinta's first school, Harry S. Truman Elementary School, was built in 1989 and La Quinta
High School was constructed in 1994.
Churches
The earliest extant church in La Quinta, La Quinta Christian Fellowship, was established at
50800 Calle Paloma within Desert Club Tract No. 5 in 1974.
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Theme 7: La Quinta Architectural Styles, 1900s-1970s
The architectural history of La Quinta may be organized in three general styes and
timeframes: period revival / eclectic, early modern, and post -WWII / late modern styles.
• Period Revival refers to an historicist period in design encompassing the first half of
the 20th century wherein older architectural styles were `revived' and revisited with
modern adaptations. Architects working in the Period Revival were inspired by all
historic periods and geographic locales including ancient Egyptian architecture
(Egyptian Revival), classical Greco-Roman architecture (Classical Revival and
Neoclassical), Italian Villas (Mediterranean / Renaissance Revival), Spanish churches
(Spanish Colonial Revival / Spanish Eclectic), Spanish Colonial Missions (Mission),
English cottages and country estates (Tudor Revival), and Colonial -era buildings in
what would become the United States (Colonial Revival and Dutch Colonial).
• Early modern architectural styles generally refer to building types developed in the
first decades of the 20th century prior to the start of World War II that either initially
evolved out of the Art Nouveau style and developed over time into International
and Contemporary designs or styles came into popularity out of the need for simple
affordable housing during the Great Depression. This section of architectural styles
summarizes the types of buildings found in La Quinta more generally before the
beginning of World War II but may also include buildings that continued
construction during the postwar period.
• Post-war period architectural styles generally refer to building types constructed in
the first decades following the end of World War II in La Quinta. Some early modern
styles, such as International and Minimal Traditional styles, established and
maintained popularity before and after the war. Some of the post-war styles below
gained popularity in the post-war period but began in the 1930s and early '40s. This
section on architectural styles summarizes the types of buildings found in La Quinta
more generally after the conclusion of World War II through the 1970s.
Within these generalized periods, this theme defines which architectural styles are
represented in La Quinta's history and identifies specific property types associated with
those styles as well as known projects attributed to architects and builders working in the
region. This theme is intended to serve as a guide for the identification of architecturally
significant properties in La Quinta.
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Mediterranean Revival (1890-1940)
With historicist roots, the Mediterranean Revival style was an eclectic adaptation of earlier
Italian Renaissance palazzos and villas as well as the generalized architecture of the
Mediterranean region with influences attributed to Spanish Colonial Revival / Spanish
Eclectic, French Eclectic / Provincial, and Beaux Arts aesthetic. The Mediterranean Revival
style peaked in the 1920s and 1930s and was built throughout temperate coastal regions in
the United States, especially California and Florida. The styles are generally observed at
larger parcels, giving evidence to the historicist massing typical to estate properties.
Subtypes of Mediterranean Revival homes included symmetrical hipped roofs with or
without projecting wings, asymmetrical hipped roofs, or flat roofed buildings, all of
which were generally two stories in height. The character defining features of
Mediterranean Revival style buildings are listed below.
• Palladian or fanlight windows
• bracketed eaves and belt course
• Entrances and porches featuring arched elaborations (columns, drip molding, or
other classical articulations)
• Cast plaster details
• Wrought iron at balconies
Property Types
In La Quinta, single-family residences and commercial buildings may exhibit elements of
the Mediterranean Revival style. Other defining features for commercial buildings with a
Mediterranean Revival style in La Quinta are listed below.
• Two to three stories in height
• full length windows and arcaded porches along the front facade on the ground
floor
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Figure 22. 51650 Avenida Bermudas.
A typical example of a Mediterranean Revival style building in the Village.
Figure 23. 78085 Avenida La Fonda (Mary Mead-Maddick House #3).
A typical example of a Mediterranean Revival style building in the Village.
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Mission (1890-1920)
The Mission style, as its name denotes, was based on a free -form adaptation of the historic
Spanish Colonial Missions and incorporated many of the same design elements utilized in
the construction of the original missions but were enhanced and adapted to represent the
ever present 'Mission' myth of romantic pastoral life and appeal to a variety of residential
and commercial interests.90 San Francisco architect A. Page Brown designed for the
California Building at the 1893 Chicago Worlds Columbian Exposition in the Mission style to
highlight California's Hispanic heritage and introduced Mission and Mediterranean Revival
architecture to the rest of the world. Homes were soon constructed throughout California in
the Mission style, and the Santa Fe Railway Company and Southern Pacific Railroad
Company adopted Mission Revival as the standard architectural style employed for their
respective passenger and freight depots throughout California. Many resort hotels
throughout Southern California adapted the style.
Mission style buildings consisted of symmetrical or asymmetrical subtypes. In La Quinta,
many elements of the Mission style were incorporated into later Spanish Colonial
Revival commercial properties, such as the La Quinta Hotel. The basic character defining
features of the Mission style are listed below.
• Mission -shaped dormers or a roof parapet
• Prominent one-story porches at the entry or full facade width
• Terra cotta roofing tiles
• Arcaded / arched roof supports
• Wide overhanging eaves, usually open
• Mission -like bell towers
• Large square piers, commonly arched above, as porch roof supports
• Smooth stucco siding
• Quatrefoil windows
• Minimal decorative detailing
• Decorative tile, carved stonework, or other facade ornamentation91
Property Types
Mission style buildings in La Quinta are largely commercial properties. In La Quinta, other
character defining features for Mission style commercial buildings are listed below.
• Two to three stories
• Wide courtyards in -front of primary entryways
• One-story porches with driveway entrances
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Figure 24. Figure 24. Mission Inn, Riverside, California.
A significant example of a Mission style property in Riverside County.
(Courtesy of the National Archives Catalog https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860496)
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Spanish Colonial Revival (1915-1940)
As the popularity of the Mission Revival style waned by the 1910s, Bertram Grosvenor
Goodhue, pioneered a fresh style when he was selected as the chief designer for the
Panama -California Exposition held in San Diego's Balboa Parkin 1915. This style blended
aesthetic precedents from the Iberian Peninsula (Mediterranean, Italian, Spanish and
Moorish traditions) with the architecture of early settlement patterns in California and other
southwestern states as well as Florida; all regions where Spanish Colonial buildings
occurred. Popularized in Southern California, the Spanish Colonial Revival (or Spanish
Eclectic) style suited the state's warm climate and became the favored building form in
the 1920s and 1930s. Innumerable houses were built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style in
California and became a distinctly American blend of architectural traditions.
There are five principal subtypes for Spanish Colonial Revival style buildings which include
structures with side -gabled, hipped, cross -gabled, combined hipped -and -gabled, and flat
roofs. The basic stylistic features of the Spanish Colonial Revival / Spanish Eclectic style are
listed below.
• Low pitched roof covered in terra cotta (Spanish / Mexican / Mission) tile
• Boxed eaves or limited eave overhang
• Smooth stucco siding (usually painted white)
• Arched windows and doors, particularly at principal openings
• Asymmetrical facade composition and floor plan
• use of outdoor balconies and patios
• arched openings
• thick wall dimensions
• colorful tile work
• ornamental vents and grille work at windows and doors
• ornamental elaborations at windows and doors in the form of relief surrounds92
Property Types
In La Quinta, Spanish Colonial Revival style buildings dominated areas associated with the
early development of the resort industry, residential subdivisions, and commercial districts.
In La Quinta, resort and commercial buildings in the Spanish Colonial Revival style do not
significantly differ in size, massing, or configuration from residential buildings and do not
have many other character defining features.
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Figure 25. 51001 Eisenhower Drive.
A typical example of a Spanish Colonial Revival style "casita" in the Cove.
Figure 26. Casa Magnolia (La Quinta Resort and Club).
A significant example of Gordon Kaufman's Spanish Colonial Revival style.
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Monterey (1925-1955)
Building upon the Spanish Colonial Revival style established after the 1915 Panama -
California Exposition, the Monterey style grew out of loose interpretation of the Anglo-
influenced Spanish Colonial houses of northern California. The Monterey style fused adobe
construction techniques with low-pitched roof, massed -plan English shapes brought to
California from New England. Monterey style balconies, or two-story porches, were inspired
by tropical homes built in the southeastern United States, the Caribbean, and the
Bahamas. Early examples from 1920s through 1940s tended to favor Spanish Revival
detailing, while examples from the 1940s and 1950s often displayed English details.
In La Quinta, the style was used for the La Quinta Building and Lumber Company office
and residence. There are no other known instances of this building type.
The basic stylistic features of a Monterey style building are listed below.
• Two-story buildings with low-pitched gable roofs
• Second -story cantilevered balconies covered by a principal roof
• Paired windows with false shutters
• Balconies featuring wooden columns or balustrades
• Stucco walls and surfaces
• Low-pitched gable roof
• Double -hung and casement wood windows with mullions
• Paneled doors with sidelights, fanlights, and recessed panels
• French doors and bay windows93
Property Types
In La Quinta, the style was used for the La Quinta Building and Lumber Company office
and residence. There are no other known instances of this building type. The commercial
building does not significantly differ in size, massing, or configuration from examples of
Monterey style residential buildings and commercial buildings do not normally display
many other character defining features for the identification of the Monterey style.
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Figure 27. 77895 Avenida Montezuma (La Quinta Milling and Lumber Company office).
A significant example of a Monterey style building in the Village.
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Pueblo (1910-Present)
Like other period revival styles in the southwestern United States, Pueblo style buildings were
influenced by local building traditions and new eclectic designs. The Pueblo style became
a combination of Spanish Colonial buildings and Native American pueblo design. The
buildings were constructed to imitate the hand -built nature of their Native American
predecessors, while incorporating modern design features popular during the early to mid-
20th century. Pueblo style structures became most popular in the desert communities of
Arizona and New Mexico, particularly in Tucson, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe.94
The character defining features of Pueblo style buildings are listed below.
• Flat roofs with parapet walls above
• Wall and roof parapets with irregular, rounded edges
• Projecting wooden roof beams (vigas) extending through walls
• Stucco wall surfaces, usually earth colored and resembling adobe
• Small casement or wood windows
• Blunted or rounded corners
• Wall surfaces with irregular stucco textures
• Irregularly massed floor plans and forms95
Property Types
The desert environment of La Quinta lent itself to the expansion of the established Pueblo
style already ubiquitous in the nearby desert communities Arizona and New Mexico. Within
the boundaries of La Quinta, Pueblo style buildings are most prevalent in single-family
residences within the Cove and other early residential subdivisions. There do not appear to
be any Pueblo style commercial buildings in La Quinta. Any unrecorded businesses in
Pueblo buildings are likely be converted residences which would not display any other
commercial character defining features.
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Figure 28. 77535 Calle Chihuahua.
A typical example of a Pueblo style building in the Cove.
Figure 29. 78660 Avenida La Fonda.
A typical example of a Pueblo style building in the Avenida La Fonda neighborhood.
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Art Deco and Streamline Moderne (1925-1950)
Art Deco originated in France in the 1910s from the earlier European Art Nouveau and was
popularized at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes held
in Paris in 1925 where the term Art Deco was coined. The style stressed hard -edged
geometric patterns augmented by bold colors, with stylized animal and plant motifs
represented in flat linear patterns. In the United States, the Art Deco style is most strongly
associated with the 1922 International Competition for a New Administration Building for
the Chicago Tribune design competition. The 2nd place submission designed by Finish
Architect Eliel Saarinen which is simultaneously traditional and progressive, with gothic
verticality and articulations and modern massing featuring a series of European -inspired
setbacks. The design informed American and European architects in their subsequent work
through the 1940s.
An offshoot of Art Deco, Streamline Moderne (Art Moderne) represented the earliest
aesthetic phase of International or Universal Modernism. Streamline Moderne architecture
promoted sleekness and modernity, with curving forms, horizontal emphasis, and
sometimes nautical elements. The aesthetic was widely applied to suburban houses,
modernist estates, commercial buildings, and industrial and household products including
railroad locomotives, automobiles, ships, buses, telephones, toasters, and other appliances.
Streamline Moderne was initially pioneered by members of the Deutscher Werkbund (the
German Association of Craftsmen) and architects of the Bauhaus school of design, but
American architects and builders were further exposed to the Streamline Moderne in the
1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago, Illinois where designers followed the
ideology of sparse ornamentation and functional designs with streamlined features and
forms indicative of automobiles and airplanes.
The basic stylistic features of the Art Deco style are listed below.
• Smooth stucco walls
• Flat roofs with boxed / no eave overhang and parapet walls
• Steel casement windows
• Symmetrical elevations
• Vertical elements projecting beyond the principal roof
• Geometric motifs and decorative articulations at cornice, windows and doors, and
other facade locations96
The basic stylistic features of the Streamline Moderne style are listed below.
• Asymmetrical cubist form
• Smooth white stucco walls void of ornamentation
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• Rounded corners
• Steel casement windows, occasionally installed in a ribbon pattern along principal
elevations and installed at corners
• Flat roofs, some with broadly overhanging eaves (Moderne) and some without
eaves (International Style)
• Horizontal articulations including incised grooves, balustrades, steel bands at
windows
• Glass block as a secondary material at windows / facade openings97
Property Types
There are no Art Deco buildings currently recorded in La Quinta though known Art Deco
buildings exist in nearby Coachella Valley communities. Future survey efforts may locate Art
Deco style residential or commercial buildings within the boundaries of La Quinta based on
local survey data. The Desert Club clubhouse was designed in a Streamline Moderne
design. However, the Desert Club was demolished, and no elements remain extant. This
was a recreational complex. No other recreational, residential, commercial, institutional, or
civic Streamline Moderne style buildings have been recorded in La Quinta.
Figure 30. The Desert Club, ca. 1937 (demolished).
A previously extant example of a Streamline Moderne style building in La Quinta.
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International (1925-1955)
The International style originated in Europe when architects such as Walter Gropius and Le
Corbusier sought a style that was not based on cultural traditions or historic precedent and
could be used by any architect in any country. International style was based on the
volume, form, and three-dimensional composition of a building rather than the
ornamentation applied to the building. The International style was brought to the United
States by European architects immigrating to the country after World War I or fleeing Hitler
before World War 11. The style was disseminated throughout the country by these architects
who were also leading the architectural education at prominent universities such as Walter
Gropius, who worked at Harvard and Mies Van der Rohe, who taught at the Illinois Institute
of Technology. Instead of solid masonry wall structures, International style buildings were
supported by lightweight structural skeletons allowing for walls to be freed to simply
enclose volumes. Fenestration placement could then be more flexible.
The International style is defined by square and rectangular building footprints with strong
right angles with symmetrical and asymmetrical variants. The basic stylistic features of the
International style are listed below.
• Flat roofs
• large expanses of windowless surfaces
• Lack of applied ornament
• Horizontal bands of windows
• Common exterior materials include concrete, brick, stucco and glass
• Flush steel sash or casement windows
• Corner windows98
Property Types
There are few International style buildings currently recorded in La Quinta, and they
appear to be limited to residential properties. Future survey efforts may locate more
International style residential or commercial buildings within the boundaries of La Quinta
based on their presence in other nearby Coachella Valley communities. Commercial
buildings in the International style would display other character defining features, which
are listed below.
• Two or more stories in height
• Full length windows
• Single -story flat roof porches
• Ample automobile parking areas
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Figure 31. 49280 Avenida Fernando.
A significant example of an International style building within La Quinta Golf Estates.
Figure 32. 48841 Avenida Fernando.
A typical example of an International style building in La Quinta Golf Estates.
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Minimal Traditional (1935-1950)
Because of the Great Depression, from the 1930s and through the 1940s, interest grew in
adapting a more affordable and simple aesthetic for working class dwellings. The Federal
Housing Administration (FHA) published technical bulletins which detailed a series of floor
plans and features for small houses between one and four bedrooms to offer the
"maximum amount of usable space." With an emphasis on enlarging the home to meet
user needs, the one-story "minimum" house could be expanded to accommodate
growing families, with aesthetic features and stylistic details similarly tailored to respond to
an owner's aesthetic interests via the inclusion of gable or hipped roofs, porches at
different facades, exterior wall and roof materials, window types and corresponding
adornments. These minimum houses built to FHA principles in the 1930s-1940s became
known as Minimal Traditional homes. Designs were mostly loosely based on Tudor Revival
and Colonial Revival styles with occasional Modernistic details. Minimal Traditional style
homes were built in large numbers throughout the country immediately preceding and
following World War II. The Minimal Traditional style reached its peak in popularity by the
late 1940s.
Single-family Minimal Traditional style homes were typically compact in size and single -
story. The basic identifying features of the Minimal Traditional style are listed below.
• low-pitched or intermediate -pitched gabled or hipped roofs with clipped / boxed
eaves and rake
• Exterior Walls clad in horizontal board siding, stucco, brick veneer, or stone veneer
• Wood frame windows with wide one -over -one or multi-lite divide sash pattern, often
decorated with fixed wood shutters
• Small, recessed porches on the front facade
• Sparse decorative detailing
• Single -car garage units with a tilt -up door built into the building mass99
Property Types
In La Quinta, Minimal Traditional style buildings are present in most areas associated with
early residential subdivisions and the style is entirely reflected in single-family residences.
There do not appear to be any Minimal Traditional style commercial buildings in La Quinta.
Any unrecorded businesses in Minimal Traditional buildings are likely be converted
residences which would not display other commercial character defining features.
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Figure 33. 52569 Avenida Vallejo.
A typical example of a Minimal Traditional style building in the Cove.
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Ranch Styles (1935-1975)
Few houses were built during the 1930s due to the financial uncertainty created by the
lingering Great Depression, and with the United States' entry into World War II, all building
materials were needed for the national defense effort. Very few houses were built during
the war. As a result, at the end of the war the country faced a serious housing shortage.
Four million returning veterans could not find housing, and many people lived in
overcrowded houses. In 1946, President Truman appointed Wilson W. Wyatt as national
Housing Expediter, who recommended programs and legislation with the goal of building
more than one million houses a year. To accomplish this, the Veterans' Emergency Housing
Act was passed, providing $600 million in subsidies to builders who could quickly build small
homes with a maximum of 1,100 square feet. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) also
enforced this policy: by the late 1940s all builders started adhering to the FHA's design
standards because it was a key selling point if all homes in a subdivision were pre -
approved for low-cost mortgages.100
The need for inexpensive, efficiently produced housing coincided with the emergence of
the Ranch style of architecture. The Ranch house was simple to build: a one-story
rectangular or L-shaped house with a low-pitched roof on a concrete slab foundation.
Standardized designs made it possible to build dozens or even hundreds of houses at the
same time, which allowed more efficient site engineering and greater specialization of
labor. Steel casement window units were easy to install. Ornamental features were
sparse.101
Ranch style architecture was deeply rooted in the American West. The Ranch style drew its
inspiration from the 19th century adobe ranch houses of California, as well as the Craftsman
style and early Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie houses. The simple and sparsely adorned houses
reflected the romantic imagery of the past and the new social trends of informality and
casual home life in postwar suburbia. Ranch houses were one story with a long rectangular
or L-shaped plan and a low-pitched roof with deep eaves and a few traditional elements
such as clapboards and false shutters. Ranch homes usually had no true porch, but rather,
a simple extended eave over the entry. Ranches also reflected the growing importance of
the automobile, which brought sprawling subdivisions with larger lots, allowing the broadest
side of the house to be the primary facade. The low horizontal profile of the home facing
the street with its many visible planes and angles was modern, streamlined, simple, and
showed no trace of the elaborate European elements that embellished the earlier period
revival styles. California architects Richard Neutra and Gregory Ain introduced the Ranch
style in the 1930s, but in the late 1940s it became the predominant style for residential
architecture.102
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For the most part, the Ranch style became tantamount to mass-produced standardized
houses of nearly identical design. This is due largely to new emerging approaches to
residential construction. In the early part of the 20th century, one would buy a lot and hire a
contractor to build a house. After World War II, the need for fast and efficient construction
of homes favored partnerships with investors, real estate specialists, architects, and large
construction firms. Land was purchased, a subdivision plat laid out the arrangement of
blocks, lots, and streets, and a single contractor oversaw construction of all houses in a
tract. There were often three or more different models that offered some variety in styling,
but the design differences between houses in a neighborhood tended to be in the
arrangement of minor decorative elements and the placement of windows and doors.
Ranch style houses built by a single contractor are often referred to as Tract Ranch houses.
However, there were also custom-built Ranch houses, each with their own unique design
by an architect for the site. The Custom Ranch houses tended to be larger, with more
elaborate decorative elements. By 1960, Styled Ranch styles became common, with subtle
thematic design elements that created subtypes such as Spanish, French Provincial,
Storybook, American Colonial, and Swiss Chalet Styled Ranches.
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Tract Ranch
In La Quinta, Tract Ranch homes were constructed in the first residential subdivisions
following the Cove between 1960 and 1961. These Tract Ranch houses in Highland Palms
and Indian Springs subdivisions were built by a single homebuilder, but the wide variety of
models and design options suggest that many homes in these areas were built in more of a
hybrid Tract/Custom Ranch style.
Early Ranch style houses (1946-1960) were largely uniform in appearance with one story
with an elongated rectangular or L-shaped plan, with the broad side facing the street. The
character defining features of early Tract Ranch Style homes are listed below.
• Asymmetrical facades
• brick, concrete block, or wood frame construction materials
• Multiple roof types including gable, hip, intersecting gables, or multiple hips that are
low-pitched to very low-pitched with broad overhanging eaves
• Roofs covered with asphalt shingles
• Steel casement windows with no trim
• Minimal porch, usually in the form of an extended eave, with or without posts
• Few decorative elements, usually limited to faux wood shutters and exposed rafters,
occasionally brick wainscoting
• Attached carport on the side of the house'03
By 1960, changes in the design and construction of the Ranch style added other character
defining features which are listed below.
• Fixed and sliding aluminum frame windows
• Attached garages replaced carports
• Larger floorplans
• A greater range of decorative elements, including brick or stone wainscoting,
board -and -batten siding, wrought iron porch posts, weeping mortar, and scroll -cut
decorative fascia
• Roofs covered with clay tiles or wood shakes
• Hip roofs with gablets and eyebrow dormers
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Figure 34. 78390 Singing Palms Drive.
A typical example of a Tract Ranch style building in Highland Palms.
Figure 35. 79905 Westward Ho Drive.
A typical example of a Tract Ranch style building in Indian Springs.
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Custom Ranch
Custom Ranch homes were constructed throughout the early La Quinta residential
subdivisions including the Cove, Highland Palms, Indian Springs, and Desert Club tracts.
Custom Ranch homes were also built throughout specific neighborhoods in private country
clubs, like the La Quinta Country Club Estates subdivision.
Custom Ranch homes were usually one story with elongated rectangular, L-shaped, U-
shaped, or irregular -shaped plans, with the broad side facing the street and with wings
occasionally extending to the rear. These homes were often much larger than Tract Ranch
Houses with a much broader facade. The character defining features of the Custom
Ranch Style are listed below.
• Asymmetrical facades
• Brick, concrete block, or wood frame construction materials, with exterior walls often
clad in more than one material
• Strong horizontal emphasis/massing; occasionally bands of brick, wood, metal, glass,
stone, or pierced block
• Many different roof types including gable, hip, intersecting gables, or multiple hips
that were low pitched to very low pitched with broad overhanging eaves
• Variety of roofing materials, including asphalt shingles, clay tiles, wood shakes, or
metal
• Steel casement windows or aluminum framed windows
• Minimal extended eave porch, recessed entry, or a more prominent porch with a
gabled or hipped extension
• Attached or detached carport or garage
• Diversity in plan, roof type, building materials, and ornamentation
• High quality of artisanship in construction'04
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Figure 36. 51453 Avenida Martinez.
A typical example of a Custom Ranch style building in the Cove.
Figure 37. 79179 Ahmanson Lane (Rancho Xochimilco) in the SilverRock Resort.
A significant example of a Custom Ranch style home in La Quinta.
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Styled Ranch
Styled Ranch homes were constructed throughout the early La Quinta residential
subdivisions including the Cove, Highland Palms, Indian Springs, and Desert Club tracts.
Styled Ranch homes were also built throughout specific neighborhoods in private country
clubs, like the La Quinta Country Club Estates subdivision. Most Styled Ranches in La Quinta
were constructed in a Spanish style.
Due to the nature of Styled Ranch homes, the character defining features vary based on
the selected style. However, Styled Ranch homes generally followed the same form and
massing of other Ranch style homes. The different character defining features of Styled
Ranch homes based on their theme are included below.
• Spanish Ranch
o clay tile roofs
o brick or stucco clad walls
o rounded or parabolic arched openings at porches, windows, or courtyards
o exposed rafters and beams
o metal window grilles
o inward -slanting chimneys or wing walls
• French Provincial Ranch
o features include L-shaped or irregular plan
o multiple hipped roofs with molded eaves
o pairs of tall casement windows and corner casement windows
o segmental arches
o paneled front doors
• Storybook Ranch
o Scalloped vergeboards on the front facade
o Window boxes with diamond -shaped windowpanes
o Decorative stone or brick chimneys
o Horizontal board siding
• American Colonial Ranch
o Side -gabled or hipped roofs
o Wood or brick siding
o Federal or Greek Revival door surrounds
o classical moldings
o louvered shutters
• Neoclassical Ranch
o Symmetrical form
o Clad in brick or wood frame
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o Multi -pane windows
o Roof dormers
o Porch supported by Classical columns
• Swiss Chalet Ranch
o Gabled roofs
o Chaletesque dormers
o scrolled fascia board
o wood and stucco siding'°5
Property Types
In La Quinta, Ranch style buildings are present in most areas associated with early
residential subdivisions and country club neighborhoods. The style is entirely reflected in
single-family residences. There do not appear to be any Ranch style commercial buildings
in La Quinta. Any unrecorded businesses in Ranch buildings are likely be converted
residences which would not display other commercial character defining features. One of
the earlier extant institutional buildings in La Quinta, the La Quinta Christian Fellowship
building, is a Custom Ranch style building that was constructed in 1974. The building was
not evaluated as part of the current historic resource survey, but it appears to display no
other character defining features apart from those listed above for single-family
residences.
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Figure 38. 48800 Avenida Fernando (Mary Mead-Maddick House #2).
A significant example of a Styled Ranch building within La Quinta Golf Estates.
Figure 39. 51489 Avenida Martinez.
A typical example of a Styled Ranch building in the Cove.
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Contemporary (1955-1965)
Contemporary style buildings were similar to the Ranch style homes in construction
methods and materials but reflected quite different forms. These styles included the front -
gabled Contemporary style and a simple post-war version of the International style. Like
the Ranch style, both had a strong horizontal emphasis, but Contemporary styles had a
more massed plan.
Contemporary style homes featured a variety of subtypes with various roofing forms which
included front -gabled, side -gabled, varied gable, flat, shed, and butterfly and slant roofing
forms with broad overhanging eaves. The basic character defining features of the
Contemporary Style are listed below.
• Symmetrical and asymmetrical plans
• Central entryways with no porch, but with an entry courtyard or recessed corner
entry
• Wing walls, short courtyard, or landscape, walls
• Heavy piers supporting the gable
• Exposed roof beams
• Broad expanses of uninterrupted wall surfaces
• Horizontal bands or tall vertical bands of windows, often present in gable ends
• Carport or garage incorporated under the main roof'06
Property Types
In La Quinta, Contemporary style single-family residences were largely constructed in the
Cove. Larger Contemporary style homes were constructed within specific neighborhoods
in private country clubs, like the La Quinta Country Club Estates subdivision. An apartment
complex built in 1979 (not currently eligible for evaluation) was observed on the southeast
corner of Calle Tampico and Eisenhower Drive during the current historic resource survey.
The apartment complex appears to display elements of late Contemporary style with
Spanish elements common throughout structures in La Quinta. The apartment complex
appears to be the only multi -family residence constructed with Contemporary style
influences.
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Figure 40. 51371 Avenida Martinez.
A typical example of a Contemporary style building in the Cove.
Figure 41. 48855 Avenida Anselmo.
A significant example of a Contemporary style building in La Quinta Golf Estates.
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Post and Beam (1950-1970)
Post and Beam architecture was a method of construction in which structural framing
consisted of load bearing steel or wood beams supported by steel or wood columns rather
than solid load bearing walls. The use of structural framing allowed for more flexibility in wall
and window design including more expansive use of glass, a character defining feature of
the style. Post and Beam style houses were defined by the large sections of floor -to -ceiling
glass windows and doors and clerestory windows. The predominant roof style for Post and
Beam houses utilized flat roofs or low-pitched gable rooflines. Some examples exhibited
simplified aspects of Japanese and Ranch design. The open, rectilinear floor plans of Post
and Beam houses were created by the structural framing and lack of dividing load bearing
walls. The houses tended to be laid out in a grid with standardized beam length.107
The basic character defining features of the Post and Beam style are listed below.
• Direct expression of the structural system, usually wood or steel frames
• Horizontal massing
• Flat or shallow pitch roofs, often with deep overhangs
• Floor -to -ceiling glass
• Repetitive facade geometry
• Minimal use or solid load bearing walls
• Absence of applied decoration
• Strong interior/exterior connection
• Open interior floor plan
• Exterior finish materials usually wood, steel, and glass108
Property Types
Post and Beam houses were generally constructed on large lots of land found within
private country clubs, like the La Quinta Golf Club Estates subdivision. The Post and Beam
style is exclusively regulated to single-family residences in La Quinta. It is not extant in any
other property types.
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Figure 42. 49295 Avenida Fernando.
A typical example of a Post and Beam style building in La Quinta Golf Estates.
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Organic Geometric (1955-1975)
Organic Geometric architecture was a philosophy of design which promoted a
harmonious relationship between buildings and nature. The father of Organic Geometric
architecture in the United States was Frank Lloyd Wright, who in 1939, coined the phrase
"Organic Architecture" in his speech, An Organic Architecture. Designers of this modern
sub -style employed natural building materials, such as wood and stone, and designed
buildings that were respectful to the site. Glass was also used to minimize the separation
between interior and exterior encouraging the indoor/outdoor living concept. Buildings
were thoughtfully sited to take advantage of views, often built on steep slopes with large
balconies. Form was based on rectilinear geometry, designs are characterized by
asymmetrical facades, unusual rooflines, and angular shapes.'09
The basic character defining features of the Organic Geometric Style are listed below.
• Exposed structure and materials
• Square, diamond, and polygon design motifs
• Natural materials (wood, stone, glass)
• Sharp angular massing
• Asymmetrical facades
• Complex roof forms
• Site specific design"°
Property Types
No known examples of Organic Geometric style buildings have been recorded in La
Quinta, but Organic Geometric style buildings have been evaluated within other nearby
Coachella Valley communities. Future evaluations within La Quinta may locate instances
of this architectural style.
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Figure 43. 7345 Remley Place, La Jolla, San Diego, California.
A significant example of an Organic Geometric building in Southern California.
(Courtesy of Urbana Preservation & Planning LLC.)
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Brutalism (1950-1970s)
The name "Brutalism" originated from the French beton brut which means "raw concrete."
The term referred to the honest expression of materials, not a social attitude toward
people. The style was largely inspired by Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Brutalist buildings
were generally strikingly blockish, geometric, and composed of repetitive shapes. The
predominant building material was concrete, frequently revealing the intentional textures
of the wood formwork. The concrete was intended to be fully expressed as both the
primary structural material and finish. Critics of the style argued that it disregarded the
social environment, making such structures inhuman, stark, and out of place.
Character defining features of the Brutalist Style are listed below.
• Exposed and expressive structural system
• Monumental massing
• Angular and rectilinear forms
• Exposed concrete as building finish
• Repetitive patterns
• Intentional avoidance of traditional elements or ornament"'
Property Types
No known examples of Brutalist style buildings have been recorded in La Quinta, but
Brutalist buildings have been evaluated within other nearby Coachella Valley communities.
Future evaluations within La Quinta may locate instances of this architectural style.
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Figure 44. Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, California.
A significant example of a Brutalist building in Palm Springs.
(Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palm_Springs_Art_Museum.jpg)
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Known Architects and Builders in La Quinta
Below are short summaries of known architects and builders who worked in La Quinta
during the historic -era and who may be associated with eligible properties within the
region.
Gordon B. Kaufmann, Architect
Gordon B. Kaufmann (1888 - 1949) was the architect of the La Quinta Hotel throughout the
original 1920s period and for additional facilities built in the 1930s. Born in London,
Kaufmann worked in Europe, Canada, and other US locations before settling in Southern
California. Kaufmann designed of many of Southern California' s most important residences
in the 1920s, including Greystone, the Doheny residence in Beverly Hills (1925-1929), as well
as residential -based campuses and hotels such as his multi- building projects for La Quinta,
the Scripps College campus (1926 through the 1930s), and the Athenaeum and student
dormitories at the California Institute of Technology 1930). Kaufmann' s work shifted to large
commercial, institutional, and industrial projects in the 1930s, which included Hoover Dam,
the Santa Anita Park Racetrack (1933), St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, the Arrowhead
Springs Hotel (1939), and many other residences, offices, and commercial buildings in the
Los Angeles area.
Kaufmann was honored as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. During his
career he was awarded the Legion of Merit, a Certificate of Honor from the AIA for the La
Quinta Hotel (1930), and a Gold Medal at the French Exposition (1937). Kaufmann was one
of Southern California' s most prolific and highly regarded architects from the 1920s until his
death in 1949. In addition to the La Quinta Hotel, Kaufmann also designed the three
private residences adjacent to the hotel that are now a part of the complex: the Morgan
House, Casa Magnolia, and the Cyrus Pierce House.12
S. Charles Lee, Architect
S. Charles Lee (1899 - 1990) was the architect of the Desert Club clubhouse which began
construction in 1937 and was open by 1940. Born Simeon Charles Levi in Chicago in 1899,
Lee attended Chicago Technical College and graduated with honors in 1918. He was
influenced by the early (and nearby) Modernism of pioneers Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd
Wright. After serving in the Navy during World War I, Lee earned an architecture degree
from Armor Institute of Technology in 1921. He moved to Los Angeles in 1922 and received
his first theatre design commission within a few years.
Completed in 1927, Following the construction of the Tower Theatre on Broadway in
downtown Los Angeles in 1927, Lee's career expanded and commissions for further
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theaters followed. His theaters blended all types of architectural styles and decorative
motifs and were designed as striking advertisements, to both garner attention from passing
automobile traffic and draw in pedestrians by using the sidewalk itself. By 1950, Lee had
designed around 400 theatres-250 in the L.A. area alone. After World War II, Lee
recognized the emerging requirement for more practical, modular structures. In addition to
theatres, Lee also built dozens of small factories throughout post-war Los Angeles.
Lee received numerous awards throughout his lifetime, including the Society of Registered
Architects' Synergy Award in 1975. In 1986, the UCLA School of Architecture and Urban
Planning established a chair in his honor. The Conservancy was honored to have Lee
attend the first season of our Last Remaining Seats series of classic films in historic theatres in
1 987."3
Cliff May, Architect
Clifford "Cliff" Magee May (1908 - 1989) designed at least two homes in La Quinta at 78045
Calle Cadiz and 53815 Avenida Bermudas. Born in San Diego, California, in 1908, May was
a sixth -generation Californian with lineage tracing back to Presidio de San Diego Captain
Jose Maria Estudillo. Prior to his entry into the building industry, May pursued a career as a
musician, composer, and singer with the Cliff May Orchestra, the Hotel del Coronado
Casino Orchestra, and the El Cortez Orchestra. He later attended San Diego State
University where he pursued a degree in business. His calling, however, would be in
architecture and construction, where he would eventually be regarded as a Master
Designer + Builder and the Father of the California Ranch House.
Before his wedding to Jean Lichty, in the Spring of 1932, May completed his first residential
building, a hacienda style dwelling intended to emulate the early California aesthetic
exhibited in May's ancestral home, Casa de Estudillo. Located at 4725 Norma Drive, May's
first house is regarded as the "progenitor of the ranch house movement." Like vernacular
bungalows finished with Craftsman, Spanish, or other Revival style facades, May's
Rancheria and Hacienda homes were modeled after the traditional Zaguan plan - a
single -pile house plan configured with a central passageway that leads from the front door
to the patio or courtyard - a configuration is common to historic -era homes constructed in
Mexico and throughout the southwestern United States. In a Zaguan plan house, all rooms
face the street or the courtyard. This connectivity via a single corridor became a
character -defining feature of May's early work.
In September 1933, May received his first residential commission, marking an advancement
in his design -build career from constructing on speculation to custom work built specifically
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to a client's expressed needs. In 1934, his project output quadrupled in that year with
numerous other commission and speculative projects occurring simultaneously. He moved
to Los Angeles in 1935, during the Great Depression, and evolved his aesthetic to offer low -
slung, horizontally oriented, pitched -roof ranch houses that would come to characterize
suburban living. By 1941, he had established a national reputation as the designer of the
California Ranch House. In the post -WWII period, he collaborated with Sunset Magazine to
publish Western Ranch Houses, the seminal publication on May's Ranch style.
Over the course of his career, the aesthetic and scale of May's work evolved dramatically
from rustic haciendas and rancherias that emulated Californio-era dwellings, to
modernistic custom residences and residential tracts with full -height window walls, and
mono -chromatic and mono -material facades that are regarded as the height of
Contemporary design in the mid-century period. Cliff May died in 1989 at the age of 81.
Archibald (A.) Quincy Jones, Architect
Archibald (A.) Quincy Jones (1913-1979) was the architect of Frank Capra's house at 49280
Avenida Fernando in 1961. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1913, Jones received his
Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Washington in 1936. Following graduation,
he moved to Los Angeles, where he worked in the offices of the modernist architects
Douglas Honnold and George Vernon Russell (1936 to 1937) and Burton A. Schutt (1937 to
1939). From 1939 to 1940, he worked for the renowned architect Paul R. Williams.
Following the conclusion of WWII, Jones returned to Los Angeles and opened an
architecture office in the house in Laurel Canyon he had built with his former wife. During
the years after the war, Jones again partnered with Paul R. Williams on several projects in
the Palm Springs area, including the Palm Springs Tennis Club (1947), the Town & Country
Restaurant (1948), and Romanoff's on the Rocks (1950).
As a participant in John Entenza's Case Study House Program, Jones was deeply invested
in the experiment's goal of reinventing houses to reflect how people lived in the post -World
War II era. His belief that the quality of life could be improved through architecture led him
to introduce new materials and design elements to his residential projects, such as glass
walls, usable atriums, high ceilings, and post -and -beam construction. He designed
buildings using a variety of materials that promoted a new way of living within the built
environment that focused on informal, outdoor -oriented open plans. In his non-residential
buildings, Jones was recognized as an innovator and master of improving the integration
and efficiency of mechanical systems while maximizing usable space.
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During his partnership with Joseph Eichler, Jones was given the projects where he had the
freedom to implement park -like common areas, or greenbelts, in tract housing
developments. In 1960, Jones was hired by William Pereira as a planning partner in the
development of the city of Irvine, CA, where he became a model for greenway
development in urban planning.
The Eichler commission prompted Jones to reconnect with Frederick Emmons. Their
partnership lasted from 1951 until Emmons' retirement in 1969. Their designs are reflected in
some 5,000 Eichler -developed houses. Jones and Emmons were awarded national AIA Firm
of the Year in 1969. Jones was professor and later Dean of Architecture at the University of
Southern California 1951-1967. By the 1960s Jones was designing university and corporate
buildings including the 1963 IBM Aerospace Headquarters in Westchester, CA, and
University of California campus buildings. He designed the Sunnylands Annenberg Estate in
Rancho Mirage in 1966. Jones died in 1979 at the age of 66 years.
L.C. Major and Associates, Architect
Following initial construction by the Macco Corporation between 1960 and 1963, Hadley -
Cherry Inc. rebranded the Highland Palms neighborhood as Shadow Palms and began a
development project of 78 new homes surrounding the existing improved lots. They hired
L.C. Major and Associates to design the floor plans for their development. L.C. Major and
Associates, one of the largest firms in the country, was founded by LeRoy Cluff Major
following WWII in Downey, California. By 1964, one out of every nine single-family
residences in California were designed L.C. Major and Associates. By the mid-1960s L.C.
Major and Associates had designed homes for approximately 3,000 subdivisions and
planned communities.14 As the post-war period ended, L.C. Major and Associates evolved
to design custom homes, condominium complexes, and retirement housing. Later, LeRoy
Cluff Major also drove the company toward designs for institutional buildings, such as
convalescent homes, and low-cost, energy -efficient housing. Over the course of its history,
the firm created designs for more than a million tract homes across the country.115
La Quinta Building and Lumber Company, Builder
In 1934, Harry Kiener partnered with his previous associate from the Peter Pan Woodland
Club, Guy Maltby, to form the La Quinta Building and Lumber Company and construct the
Spanish style adobe bungalows, called casitas in the Cove. Principal floorplans for the early
casitas in the Cove involved single -story "L" and "I" shaped plans for Spanish Colonial
Revival style adobe residences with small front patios, matching style the original cottages
built within the grounds of the La Quinta Hotel. To construct the homes, Maltby set up an
office for the La Quinta Building and Lumber Company, in what would become the Village
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commercial district, on the north end of the Cove next to Kiener's small Cove
administration building, which housed his Palm Springs Land and Irrigation Sales Office.
From these two buildings, Kiener and Maltby built and sold homes for the Cove financed
by the Federal Home Administration (FHA) program.16
Macco Corporation, Builder
The first substantial residential tract subdivision in La Quinta was proposed and built by
Macco Corporation in 1960. Highland Palms, a small neighborhood of 76 modest homes,
was to be built south of Highway 1 1 1 and west of Marshall Street, on the undeveloped
northern end of the community. Formed by John MacLeod to construct military facilities in
California during World War II, the Macco Corporation began building homes with the help
of MacLeod's share of ownership in San Diego's National Steel & Shipbuilding Company,
which provided access to steel needed for construction." 7 The Highland Palms subdivision
was apparently one of Macco Corporation's first ventures into residential development.
After completion of Highland Palms, Macco Corporation became managing partner in the
development of the 87,500-acre Rancho California in Riverside County, which was one of
the largest homebuilding projects in the country. By the mid-1960s Macco was one of the
largest homebuilders In Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties." 18
Westward Ho and Bellwood Discount Corporation, Builder
Another early subdivision in La Quinta was proposed and built by the Westward Ho and
Bellwood Discount Corporation in 1961. Indian Springs was a small 320-acre neighborhood
with 175 lots laid out around a golf course. Headed by President John E. Gurley, a
Chevrolet dealership owner in Indio, the Westward Ho and Bellwood Discount Corporation,
designed the tract to have 124 lots, ranging from 8,000 to 15,000 square feet located north
of Highway 1 1 1 at Jefferson Street and filed two approved plats on January 4 and March
22, 1961. Once completed, the Indian Springs Golf Course within the subdivision was
Coachella Valley's second 18-hole public golf course.
Hadley -Cherry Inc., Builder
Ray Cherry and John Hadley co-founded Hadley -Cherry Inc. and developed properties in
Southern California in locations such as Malibu and Big Bear. Cherry and Hadley founded
the company in the post-war period in Los Angeles and started constructing residential
and commercial properties by 1948. After 1965, the builder ceased operation." 19
Other Builders
Other builders that appeared in building records or permits during the current survey effort
are listed below. Limited information was available regarding these companies and
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individuals associated with historic -era properties in La Quinta. Further research in the future
may result in additional information regarding the location, operation, and activity of these
builders in the region.
• Barton Construction Company
• Desert View Construction Company
• Dale C. Hagerty
• Hill Top
• Phillip A. Sellery
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Historic Resource Survey Results
Bordered by Indio to the northeast, Indian Wells to the northwest, Vista Santa Rosa to the
east, and Bermuda Dunes to the north, La Quinta encompasses a roughly 36 square mile
area in the Coachella Valley region. The city is also demarcated by the Santa Rosa
Mountains to the south and west, with State Highway 1 1 1 intersecting the northern portion
of the city (Figure 1).
Today, La Quinta is perhaps best characterized in terms of the resort and golfing industries.
Since 1926, La Quinta has catered to visitors who travel to the area during the winter
months to enjoy the mild desert climate. More recently, the golf industry has become the
most widespread enterprise in the area. La Quinta contains more than 20 golf courses, and
is frequently the home of professional golf tournaments. While large golf resorts and gated
communities have changed the layout of La Quinta over time, original residential
developments, such as the Cove, remain largely intact, with historic structures still present in
cohesive blocks. Many of the single-family homes in the Cove, and other neighborhoods,
built during the 1960s and 1970s are now eligible for evaluation with a historic resources
survey. See Figures 45 and 46 below for maps of La Quinta's historic and contemporary
neighborhoods.
Incorporated in 1982, the city commissioned citywide historic resource surveys in 1997 and
2006 as part of ongoing efforts to identify and preserve historic resources. As part of the
current survey effort, conducted primarily in 2022, Urbana utilized historic aerial imagery
and Assessor year -built data to identify 489 historic -era properties within the city
boundaries. Of these 489 properties, 263 of these properties were previously surveyed.
Urbana updated the previous findings for these properties and also documented and
evaluated 100 additional properties on DPR 523 series forms, the standard technical
documentation for properties in California. All DPR forms are contained within Appendix D.
Survey findings are detailed in the following pages, arranged by updates to previously
recorded properties and newly identified properties.
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- Ilif=k.-Era
® CalwerromorEsa F1Elphbeeheo r i _ 1 4 J t
Figure 45. City of La Quinta Neighborhoods.
•r
.
City of La Quinta Neighborhoods
City of La Qurnte Historic Resource Stirvey arrd Context Statement
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=,.,r Tim r5afr I,
PkcSEvoMIDN & RANN K"'
Figure 46. Historic -Era Neighborhoods.
City of La Quinta Historic Resource Survey and Coy -Ilex!' Sta emerit
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Updates to Previously Recorded Properties
Of the 263 previously recorded properties 29 are demolished, with documentation
updated to reflect that change in status; 12 are eligible for listing on the National Register
of Historic Places (NRHP) and California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) and meet
the definition of an historic property and historical resource under the federal and state
regulatory framework; and 80 are eligible for listing on the Local Register but do not appear
to qualify under the criteria of the NRHP and CRHR, including the La Quinta Cove Thematic
Historic District (with 79 contributing properties, 30 of which are also individually eligible)
and Rancho Tecolote. One previously recorded property could not be fully evaluated due
to access and visibility challenges.
Of the 263 previously recorded properties, Urbana determined 142 are not eligible for listing
on the NRHP, CRHR, and Local Register. These 142 properties do not qualify as an historic
property or historical resource under the federal and state regulatory framework.
Table 1 includes updated findings on previously surveyed properties that are individually
eligible for listing on the NRHP, CRHR, and Local Register. Table 1 does not include
contributors to the La Quinta Cove Thematic Historic District that are not individually
significant / eligible. Refer to Appendix E for a complete list of La Quinta Cove Thematic
Historic District contributing properties. A list of La Quinta Hotel Historic District contributors is
also found in Appendix E.
Newly Identified Properties
Urbana examined 100 previously unrecorded (newly identified) properties 45 years old or
older to ascertain which have strong associations with significant aspects of the historic
context. Of the 100 properties, eight are eligible for listing on the NRHP and CRHR and meet
the definition of an historic property and historical resource under the federal and state
regulatory framework; two are NRHP ineligible but are eligible for the CRHR and Local
Register; and one property is eligible for the Local Register but appears NRHP and CRHR
ineligible.
Urbana determined that 89 newly identified properties are not eligible for listing on the
NRHP, CRHR, and Local Register through a survey evaluation. These 89 properties do not
appear to qualify as an historic property or historical resource under the federal and state
regulatory framework. Refer to Table 2 for the list of newly identified properties determined
eligible in the current survey effort.
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Previously Recorded Significant properties
City of La Quints Historic Resource Survey and Context Statement
Figure 47. Previously Recorded Significant Properties.
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Table 1. Previously Recorded Significant Properties - Individually Eligible for the NRHP, CRHR,
and Local Register.
Urbana
Survey No.
Resource Name
CRHR Status
Code
001
Coachella Canal
3S / 3CS / 5S2
018
49401 Avenida Obregon
Walter H. Morgan House
3S / 3CS / 5S2
020
49499 Eisenhower Drive
La Quinta Hotel Historic District
2S2 / 5S2
021
Casa Magnolia (La Quinta Resort & Club)
3S / 3CS / 5S2
022
Cyrus Pierce House (La Quinta Resort & Club)
"San Vicente" Suite, Rooms 220-224
3S / 3CS / 5S2
023
49280 Avenida Fernando
Frank Capra Residence
3S / 3CS / 5S2
026
48841 Avenida Fernando
3S / 3CS / 5S2
047
78039 Calle Estado
House of O'Brien
3S / 3CS / 5S2
048
78023 Calle Estado
Roxie Yessayian Real Estate Office
3S / 3CS / 5S2
050
77895 Avenida Montezuma
La Quinta Milling and Lumber Company
3S / 3CS / 5B
051
77885 Avenida Montezuma
Administration Building
3S / 3CS / 5B
053
La Quinta Cove Thematic Historic District
5S2
054
51001 Eisenhower Drive
5B
058
51095 Avenida Vallejo
5B
059
51133 Avenida Vallejo
5B
062
51262 Avenida Ramirez
5B
063
51290 Avenida Carranza
5B
064
51333 Avenida Ramirez
5B
068
51407 Avenida Velasco
5B
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Urbana
Survey No.
Resource Name
CRHR Status
Code
074
51411 Avenida Villa
5B
088
51537 Avenida Herrera
5B
092
77495 Calle Hidalgo
5B
098
51733 Avenida Madero
La Casita
5B
104
51775 Avenida Madero
5B
107
51842 Avenue Diaz
5B
115
51802 Avenida Martinez
5B
124
51780 Avenida Villa
5B
127
52031 Avenida Villa
5B
131
52155 Eisenhower Drive
5B
132
52217 Eisenhower Drive
Marcelene Carnes Home
5B
136
51984 Avenida Herrera (51872 Avenida Herrera)
5B
137
52042 Avenida Herrera
5B
140
52057 Avenida Rubio
5B
153
52519 Avenida Mendoza
5B
158
52493 Avenida Villa
5B
159
52337 Avenida Navarro
5B
160
52301 Avenida Bermudas
5B
161
52333 Avenida Bermudas
5B
166
77619 Calle Ensenada
5B
170
52693 Avenida Obregon
5B
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Urbana
Survey No.
Resource Name
CRHR Status
Code
180
52862 Eisenhower Drive
5B
183
52830 Avenida Navarro
5B
258
78505 Old Avenue 52
Marshall Ranch
3S / 3CS / 5S2
262
81773 Avenue 58 (58200 Almonte Dr.) and
58300 Almonte Dr.
Rancho Tecolote
5S2
CRHR Status Code Descriptions
2S2 - Individually determined eligible for NR by the Keeper. Listed in the CR.
3S - Appears eligible for NR individually through survey evaluation.
3CS - Appears eligible for CR individually through survey evaluation.
5B - Locally significant both individually (listed, eligible, or appears eligible) and as a
contributor to a district that is locally listed, designated, determined eligible or appears
eligible through survey evaluation.
5S2 - Individually eligible for local listing or designation.
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▪ Gl} is China6aun.7.'ny
ilPn4 ltln�#AM Slwii-ar!
▪ Prc*1�r.
Newly Identified Significant Properties
City of La Quints Historic Resource Survey and Context Statement
Figure 48. Newly Identified Significant Properties.
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Table 2. Newly Identified Significant Properties - Individually Eligible for the NRHP, CRHR,
and Local Register.
Urbana
Survey No.
Resource Name
CRHR Status
Code
301
48780 Eisenhower Drive
Fred Rice House
3S / 3CS / 5S2
302
48855 Avenida Anselmo
3S / 3CS / 5S2
486
La Quinta Stormwater Protective Works
Bear Creek Channel
3S / 3CS / 5S2
308
78310 Clarke Ct
DuPont House
3S / 3CS / 5S2
484
79179 Ahmanson Lane
Ahmanson Ranch House
3S / 3CS / 5S2
485
Lake Cahuilla Reservoir
3S / 3CS / 5S2
482
48800 Avenida Fernando
Mary Mead-Maddick House #2
3S / 3CS / 5S2
489
78136 Francis (Frances) Hack Ln.
Station House for the La Quinta Volunteer Fire Department
3S / 3CS / 5S2
491
77227 Calle Ensenada
Fred and Kay Wolff Home
3CS / 5S2
490
78105 Calle Estado
First City Hall
3CS / 5S2
304
78045 Calle Cadiz
Mary Mead-Maddick Home #1 / Cunard's
5S2
CRHR Status Code Descriptions
2S2 - Individually determined eligible for NR by the Keeper. Listed in the CR.
3S - Appears eligible for NR individually through survey evaluation.
3CS - Appears eligible for CR individually through survey evaluation.
5B - Locally significant both individually (listed, eligible, or appears eligible) and as a
contributor to a district that is locally listed, designated, determined eligible or appears
eligible through survey evaluation.
5S2 - Individually eligible for local listing or designation.
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Properties Eligible for the NRHP and CRHR
One property is previously determined individually eligible for the NRHP and is listed on the
CRHR: the La Quinta Hotel Historic District (P-33-007258). Located within the grounds of La
Quinta Resort and Club, the La Quinta Hotel Historic District contains the original Gordon
Kaufmann -designed main building and 20 bungalows / casitas constructed in the 1926-
1927 construction campaign. Each casita was historically constructed to include two to
three units, and today, include one to three units.
One free-standing building is a non -contributor: the " bell cottage" directly east of the main
building, where guest luggage is stored. The southwest wing of the main building (Capra
Ballroom) is non -historic construction and does not contribute to the significance of the
district. The historic landscape designed by Edward Huntsman -Trout is also a contributor to
the overall La Quinta Hotel Historic District.
Three other properties are closely associated with the La Quinta Hotel and are considered
eligible for the national, state, and local registers. These include the Walter H. Morgan
House, Casa Magnolia, and the Cyrus Pierce House. The Walter H. Morgan House was
originally designed and constructed in 1927 by Gordon Kaufmann as a single-family
residence for Walter Morgan, founder of La Quinta Hotel. It was built in the Spanish Colonial
Revival style with Mission style influences. The Casa Magnolia was constructed in 1927. It is
located at the southwest corner of the La Quinta Resort and Club, on the east side of
Avenida Obregon. The Cyrus Pierce House, also constructed in 1927, is a single-family
residence that was once a private home built on the western edge of the historic core of
the La Quinta Hotel, on the east side of Avenida Obregon. The house was designed by
architect Gordon Kaufmann in 1927. The previously private residence is now a part of La
Quinta Resort & Club and houses the "San Vicente" suites.
Two properties associated with the development of the Cove are considered eligible for
listing on the NRHP, CRHR, and Local Register. The 77895 Avenida Montezuma building was
constructed in 1935 as the La Quinta Milling and Lumber Company. The lumber yard
company supplied building materials for the casitas being built in the La Quinta Cove. The
building was used to house the contractor's family on the second floor with the lumber yard
at the back. The 77885 Avenida Montezuma building was constructed by 1936 as the
Administration building for the marketing and sale of the La Quinta Cove Casitas within the
Village commercial district. The historic name of the building is the Palm Springs Land and
Irrigation Sales Office.
Two other commercial buildings are considered eligible for listing on the national, state,
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and local registers. The 78039 Calle Estado building was constructed in 1936 in the Village
commercial district. It has housed several businesses over the years, starting with starting
with House of O'Briens Gift and Date Shop in 1948 and later including Cafe La Quinta. The
other eligible commercial building in the Village at 78023 Calle Estado housed the Roxie
Yessayian Real Estate Office. Roxie Yessayian opened the La Quinta Real Estate office in
1962. She was a charter member of the La Quinta Chamber of Commerce and was a
prominent real estate professional in La Quinta.
Several properties associated with ranching, agriculture, and water resources are
considered eligible for listing on the national, state, and local registers. These include the
Hacienda Del Gato, which is the only extant building from the former Marshall Ranch.
Completed by 1920, the Hacienda Del Gato was constructed as a replacement to the
original Marshall Ranch home built in 1910. The building is in the gated Tradition Golf Club.
Significant properties associated with water resources include the Coachella Canal, the
Lake Cahuilla Reservoir, and the La Quinta Stormwater Protective works. The Coachella
Canal branch of the All -American Canal was completed in 1948. The canal runs west and
south through La Quinta to the Lake Cahuilla Terminal Reservoir. The canal was
constructed as an unlined main canal and underground distribution system, bringing water
from irrigation from the Colorado River to the Coachella Valley. The Lake Cahuilla Reservoir
is a part of Coachella Valley Water District. The lake is cement -lined and sealed with a six-
inch layer of soil cement. It was constructed in 1969 at the base of the foothills of the Santa
Rosa Mountains as a reserve storage facility for irrigation water. The La Quinta Stormwater
Protective Works were completed in 1975 to protect the Cove from flood waters originating
from the Bear Creek Channel.
Properties associated with prominent individuals are also among those considered eligible
for listing on the national, state, and local registers. Among these is the Frank Capra
residence. The residence was designed by Archibald Quincy Jones, a Los Angeles based
architect known for his modernist style designs. The home was owned by famed La Quinta
resident and renowned filmmaker Frank Capra, who added a library to the house. Another
house associated with a prominent individual is the DuPont House. It was constructed for
DuPont chemical heir William DuPont Jr. between 1954 and 1959. The Fred Rice house was
another property associated with a significant individual. Fred Rice was an influential figure
before and after he retired to La Quinta in 1970. Known as an "idea man", Rice was trained
as a mechanical engineer who worked for Capitol Records in Los Angeles, first as an artist,
and later as a national merchandising director, working with the Beatles, Beach Boys,
Rolling Stones, the Monkees, Linda Ronstadt, and Michael Jackson. The Ahmanson Ranch
House / Rancho Xochimilco was developed in 1961 when Howard Ahmanson, president
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and founder of Home Savings and Loan Association and art patron, built the existing ranch
house, guesthouse, manager's house, several outbuildings, and a 9-hole golf course. Mary
Mead-Maddick (1901-1997) was a prominent photographer for the Hollywood movie
industry and later a celebrated advertising photographer. At one time, Maddick was
noted as one of the top five photographers in the world. Born in 1901 in Wissahicken, PA to
Mary Ann Hellings and Samuel C. Mead, Maddick moved to Los Angeles with her husband
in 1928, and operated the Mead-Maddick photography studio for over 40 years. Maddick
worked with many well-known brands, such as Ivory Soap, Camel cigarettes, and MGM,
and photographed many noted celebrities, including Elizabeth Taylor, Lana Turner, Gary
Cooper, and Rock Hudson.
While properties associated with prominent individuals are among those considered
eligible for listing on the national, state, and local registers, because these individuals may
have several properties associated with them their houses are sometimes conserved
significant for other reasons such as architecture. Some properties are significant for
architecture alone. Examples include 48841 Avenida Fernando, constructed in 1961 in the
gated La Quinta Golf Estates neighborhood within the La Quinta Country Club. This
property individually embodies the distinctive characteristics of an International style
dwelling and is considered individually significant under NRHP/CRHR/Local Criterion C/3/C
for embodying the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction.
Although La Quinta is a relatively new community, incorporated in 1982, several properties
are associated with early civic development. One civic property considered eligible for
listing on the national, state, and local registers is the Station House for the La Quinta
Volunteer Fire Department. The property at 78136 Francis (Frances) Hack Lane was
constructed in 1952 as the station house for the local fire department. Other civic
properties are considered eligible at the local level only and are discussed in the section
on properties eligible for state or local listing.
Properties Eligible for the CRHR and Local Register
Several properties that were re-examined and updated as well as new properties that
were examined for the first time in the current survey were considered eligible for listing on
the state or local register only. One of the most prominent of these is the La Quinta Cove
Thematic Historic District located within the Santa Rosa Cove and encompasses all units of
the Santa Carmelita de Vale subdivision between Calle Tampico to the north, Avenida
Bermudas to the east, Calle Tecate to the south, and Avenida Montezuma / Bear Creek to
the west. The thematic historic district contains 79 contributing properties, almost entirely
single-family residences, of which 3 properties were also found to be individually eligible. Of
the contributing properties, most are original "casitas" developed between 1935 and 1941
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developed by the La Quinta Building and Lumber Company in the style of the La Quinta
Hotel casitas built between 1926 and 1927. Two commercial buildings in the Village
commercial district, Harry Kiener's administration building for the Palm Springs Land and
Irrigation Sales Office and Guy Maltby's La Quinta Building and Lumber Company building,
are contributing properties to the thematic historic district that are also individually
significant and eligible for listing on the national, state, and local registers. A thematic
district is a group of contributing resources that are related to one another by a common
theme within the context of the city's history. In the case of the Cove, the contributing
properties were directly related to the context of early residential development in La
Quinta and the theme of Spanish Revival style architecture for homes and commercial
properties within the new community. Thematic district resources, like those in the Cove,
are not required to be linked geographically, and are collectively more valuable than
each individual resource. The Cove Thematic Historic District is considered individually
eligible for local listing or designation.
Another property that is considered individually eligible for local listing or designation is
Rancho Tecolote. The property at 58300 Almonte Drive was first improved in 1926 when the
Rancho Tecolote house was constructed on land that was previously used for growing
dates and cotton as early as 1918. Rancho Tecolote was home to the painter and artist
Frances Roberts Nugent. The actors, Brian Aherne and Joan Fontaine, constructed the
secondary residence northeast of the original dwelling for Prince Rainier of Monaco. Phyllis
Harris, daughter of jazz musician and singer Phil Harris and actress Alice Faye, also owned
the house before current owners John Miller and James Blanton.
The property at 78045 Calle Cadiz residence was designed by Cliff May for Mary Mead-
Maddick in 1948. Cliff May was noted for his Southern California homes that made use of
the warm California climate. May began designing homes in San Diego and Los Angeles in
the early 1930s. During his career, May designed homes throughout Southern California.
Homes constructed by May often incorporated the outdoors through floor to ceiling
windows and sliding doors. May was considered the father of the California ranch -style
house, combining elements of western ranch houses, Hispanic hacienda styles, and
modernism. This was Maddick's first home in La Quinta, and originally used as a vacation
home for the Maddick family. The Calle Cadiz property hosted many of Maddick's business
clients, models and magazine art directors from all over the world. The family moved to the
La Quinta property permanently in 1965 after Mary and Tamis retired from their Los Angeles
studio. The family's home took on the name, "The Homestead." Because the property has
been significantly altered since construction and no longer retains integrity of the historic
period, it is not individually eligible for the NRHP or CRHR. The property is considered locally
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significant as a special element of La Quinta, a Custom Ranch style home constructed by
Cliff May with residential and commercial uses over time, and a property associated with
Mary Mead-Maddick an influential local figure. The 78045 Calle Cadiz home of Mary
Mead-Maddick is considered individually eligible for local listing or designation.
Two important civic properties are considered individually eligible for state and local listing
or designation. The first of these is the Fred and Kay Wolff Home, located in the Cove at
77227 Calle Ensenada. Fred Wolff and his wife Kay led the campaign to get La Quinta
incorporated as a city. Although not an official civic building, the Wolff home became a
de facto campaign office for incorporation. Fred and Kay also hosted other local political
meetings in their home, including the Central Valley Democrats and various political
candidates. In 1980, Fred Wolff relocated to Coachella Valley where his family had long
held property. With his wife Marion Kay Wolff, the couple constructed a home in the La
Quinta Cove. Fred Wolff became an active member of his community serving as the
President of the La Quinta Property Owners Association, as a member of the La Quinta
Chamber of Commerce, and as a chairman of the La Quinta Task Force for Incorporation.
Upon incorporation in 1982, Fred became the first Mayor of the city.
A second civic property significant at the state and local level was the location of official
city functions. The property at 78105 Calle Estado was the location of the first city council
meetings and was then known as City Hall. In August of 1982, the city's Planning
Commission held its inaugural meeting at the subject property. It is now occupied by the
La Quinta Barber Shop and La Quinta Bakery / Panaderia. In 1991, the La Quinta City
Council approved plans to construct a new civic center complex on Calle Tampico. The
property at 78105 Calle Estado continued to serve as the City Hall until the new city hall,
part of the Civic Center complex, was completed in 1993 at 78495 Calle Tampico.
because the building was constructed in 1981. The property does not meet the age
threshold for NRHP evaluation. Therefore, the property is assigned a 3CS and 5S2 status
codes: appears eligible for CR individually through survey evaluation and is considered
individually eligible for local listing or designation.
Historic Districts
The La Quinta Cove Thematic Historic District contains a total of 79 previously recorded
properties within the Cove area that were determined by the consultant to be contributors
to the proposed local thematic district. Of these 79, a total of 30 are considered
individually eligible for local designation while 47 are contributors only and not individually
eligible. Two commercial buildings in the Village commercial district, Harry Kiener's
administration building for the Palm Springs Land and Irrigation Sales Office and Guy
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Maltby's La Quinta Building and Lumber Company building, are contributing properties to
the thematic historic district that are also individually significant and eligible for listing on
the national, state, and local registers. A list of contributing properties in the La Quinta
Cove Thematic Historic District is found in Appendix E.
The La Quinta Hotel Historic district contains 21 contributing properties, of which 20 are
individual casitas. The main hotel building constructed in 1926 is also a contributor. A list of
contributing properties in the La Quinta Hotel Historic is found in Appendix E.
NRHP, CRHR, and Local Register Ineligible Properties
The project identified 231 properties that were not considered eligible for listing on the
NRHP, CRHR, and Local Register. Of these, 142 were properties that had been previously
surveyed and were re-examined during the current project. A total of 89 were newly
identified properties. A list of ineligible properties is included in Appendix C.
Demolished Properties
An examination of properties that had been previously surveyed and were revisited during
the current project found that 29 of them had been demolished. Consequently, these
properties are updated as ineligible due to demolition. Some of these properties were
replaced with new construction while some are vacant lots. A list of properties demolished
since the last survey is included in Appendix C.
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Recommendations for Future Action
Urbana recommends the following actions to ensure the future preservation and
protection of historic resources within La Quinta municipal boundaries.
• Complete an Examination of Remaining Unevaluated Properties: The remaining 126
unevaluated properties should be examined. This will complete the city-wide survey
and will inform current and long-range planning and development efforts. The
examination of these 126 properties could be phased in batches of 25 or 50 as
budgets allowed, or the entire group could be evaluated in a single project.
• Cove Designation: 79 previously recorded properties within the Cove area have
been identified as contributors to the proposed Local Register eligible Cove
Thematic Historic District. Of these 79, a total of 30 are considered individually
eligible for local designation while 47 are district contributors only and not
individually eligible. Designation of the district by the city will provide official
recognition of the area's significance to the city's history and to the city and will
add a measure of protection for the area as a larger historic resource.
• Future District Consideration: The current survey effort identified thirteen historic -era
neighborhoods associated with the early development of La Quinta. It is
recommended that these neighborhoods receive comprehensive examination to
determine if any may be eligible for historic district status. This would include
examining neighborhoods, based on historic subdivision tract boundaries, and
working in consensus with any homeowner associations or other corporate
management entities with fiduciary responsibility to that neighborhood or tract.
• Civic Property Designation: Three properties have been associated with the early
civic development of La Quinta: The La Quinta Volunteer Fire Department Building,
the Fred and Kay Wolff Home located in the Cove at 77227 Calle Ensenada, and
the original City Hall and Council Chambers located at 78105 Calle Estado. It is
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recommended that these properties are considered for Local Register designation
by the city.
• Future National, State, and Local Designations: In addition to the civic properties
that are recommended for local designation, other properties significant at the
state or local level should be listed on the Local Register. Properties such as Rancho
Tecolote and the Mary Mead-Maddick house at 78045 Calle Cadiz are significant
properties eligible at the state and local level that are important and noteworthy
candidates. Likewise, properties in La Quinta that are eligible for the NRHP should
be moved forward to nomination and listing. It is recommended that the city work
with interested property owners to nominate eligible properties to the NRHP. This will
further a sense of pride in the history of the area and provide a basis for future
heritage tourism programs.
• Context Representatives: Beyond the more noteworthy and significant eligible
properties that should be moved forward for designation, it is recommended that
the city establish a goal to identify and designate representative examples of the
historic context themes. This will result in a good balance of the several historic
themes that are important to the city. For example, the Hacienda del Gato
residence at the Marshall Ranch is a good example of the ranching and agriculture
theme. Water features such as the Coachella Canal and the Lake Cahuilla
Reservoir are closely related to the agricultural theme. The La Quinta Stormwater
Protective works allowed for continued residential development and is thus
important to that theme. Properties significant as important examples of
architectural styles are worthy of designation. Urbana recommends that the city
work with property owners to gain official designations for properties that are
representative of the important historical themes in the city.
• Remove Properties from Further Study: The current survey effort resulted in the
conclusion that 231 properties are ineligible for the NRHP, CRHR, and Local Register,
with 29 additional properties identified as demolished and thus ineligible. It is
recommended that the provided evaluations serve as conclusive documentation
and evaluation of these ineligible properties as none would be likely to be found
eligible in the future through the passage of time. Removing the future evaluation
requirement on these properties will provide limited streamlining of the planning and
development review process and will signal a clear path forward to property owners
and project applicants relative to historic preservation requirements at the parcels.
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Works Cited / Endnotes
1 Herbert E. Bolton, Anza's California Expeditions (Cleveland: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1920).
2 Lowell John Bean and Lisa Bourgeault, Indians of North America: The Cahuilla (New York:
Chelsea House Publishers, 1989); City of La Quinta, City of La Quinta General Plan (1992), 5-17; City
Of La Quinta. Historic Context Statement (La Quinta Historic Planning Department, 2011).
3 James J. Rawls, Indians of California: The Changing Image (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press,
1984) .
4 Lieutenant R. S. Williamson, Reports of Explorations and Surveys to Ascertain the Most Practical and
Economical Route for a Railroad From the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean Made Under the Direction of
the Secretary of War in 1853-4, Volume V. (https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/williamson1853.htm ); Wikipedia
Foundation, Pacific Railroad Surveys (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific Railroad Surveys)
5 Wikipedia Foundation, "Leland Stanford," (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland Stanford), "Collis P.
Huntington," (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collis Potter Huntington), "Central Pacific Railroad,"
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central Pacific Railroad) .
6 L.B. Lesley, "A Southern Transcontinental Railroad to California: Texas and Pacific versus Southern Pacific, 1865-
1885," Pacific Historical Review 5(1): 1936, 52 -60.
7 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement (2011).
8 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement (2011); Rawls, Indians of California: The Changing Image,
109-110.
9 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement (2011).
10 Nordland, Coachella Valley's Golden Years, 1 1 1.
" California Department of Transportation, A Historical Context and Archaeological Research Design for
Agricultural Properties in California (Division of Environmental Analysis, California Department of Transportation,
Sacramento, CA 2007), 40-45.
12 The definitive work on land laws including homesteading is Paul W. Gates, History of Public Land Law
Development (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1968).
13 Caltrans, Context for Agricultural Properties, 42.
14 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement (2011); W. D. Robinson, Land in California (Los Angeles: University
of California Press, 1948), 147-161.
15 Ibid., 45.
16 BLM land entries can be accessed at: https://glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx .
17 Robert Marcell, World War I and the Homestead Act of 1862: When Farmers Fought and Soldiers Farmed for
America's Homestead States (Nebraska: Homestead National Park, 2020) available electronically at:
https://www.nps.gov/articles/upload/World-War-I-and-the-Homestead-Act-of-1862.pdf
18 California Department of Transportation, A Historical Context and Archaeological Research Design for
Agricultural Properties in California (Division of Environmental Analysis, California Department of Transportation,
Sacramento, CA 2007).
19 Pat H. Stein, Homesteading in Arizona, 1870-1942 (Phoenix: State Historic Preservation Office, 1990), 3-4.
20 Bai "Tom" Tang and Michael Hogan, Cultural Resources Technical Report City of La Quinta General Plan 2010
Update (Colton, CA: CRM Tech, 2010), 9-11.
21 Tang and Hogan, Cultural Resources Technical Report, 16-17; La Quinta Historical Society, La Quinta
(Charleston SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2020), 15.
22 The best description of the public domain is found in Paul W. Gates, History of Public Land Law Development
(Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1968).
23 La Quinta Historical Society, La Quinta, 30-31.
24 La Quinta Planning Department, City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement (La Quinta Historic Preservation
Commission, 2011), 31.
25 La Quinta Historical Society, La Quinta, 39-42; 44-45. Serial Patent 397495 to John L. Marshall (April 10, 1914)
and Serial Patent 402941 to Albert P. Green (May 6, 1914), both available electronically at
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https://glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx See also Vicki Steigemeyer and Pam O' Connor, Hacienda del
Gato Inventory Form, Mellon and Associates, 1997.
26 A description of the ranch in 1980 is found in The Desert Sun (Palm Springs), May 9, 1980, D1. Ahmanson's
obituary is found in the New York Times, June 18, 1968, 47
27 Steigemeyer and O' Connor, Hacienda del Gato Inventory Form, 5.
28 Ibid.
29 Lisa Marie Hart, "The New Side of Tradition," Palm Springs Life (January 2, 2022).
30 Victoria J. Bailey, La Quinta: Legend in the Making (La Quinta CA: Desert Springs Publishing, 2007), 16-17.
31 Ibid.
32 Ibid.
33
Ibid.
34 La Quinta Historical Society, La Quinta, 105-112.
35 Mellon and Associates, City of La Quinta Historic Resources Survey (1997).
36 Tracy Conrad, "History: From experiment to celebrated product, dates find a home in the Coachella Valley,"
Desert Sun (Palm Springs), September 6, 2020.
37 Mellon and Associates, City of La Quinta Historic Resources Survey (1997).
38 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement (2011), 36.
39 Ellen Troyer, History, Development, and Benefit, Colorado River Supply and Irrigation System, paper prepared
for the Coachella Valley Water District, 2016, 11.
40 Ibid., 13.
41 "Man -Made Lake Will Carry on Name of Ancient 'Cahuilla'," The Desert Sun (Palm Springs), August 1, 1969, p.
9; "Lake Cahuilla Opening Slated for October 18," The Desert Sun (Palm Springs), October 2, 1969, p. 7.
42 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement (2011).
43 Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records, https://glorecords.blm.gov/search.
44 Mellon and Associates, City of La Quinta Historic Resources Survey, 1997; City Of La Quinta Historic
Context Statement, 2011.
45 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement, 2011.
46 For photographs and plans of the Cyrus Peirce House, see "A Country House in California, House for Cyrus
Pierce, Gordon B. Kaufmann, Architect," Architectural Record Vol. 68, Issue 2, August 1930, 125-130. For
photographs and plans of the Morgan House, see "Portfolio of Small Houses - House of Walter Morgan, Gordon
B. Kaufmann, Architect," Architectural Record February 1934, 149-151.
47 For Peirce, see "Prominent Man Dies Here," Monrovia News -Post, October 5, 1945, 4. See
also Men Who Made San Francisco, (San Francisco: Press of Brown & Power Stationery,
1915), 119, available electronically at: https://archive.org/details/menmadesanfranci00sanf
48 Erma Cook, "Question: 'Wasn't There Another Mansion Where the Clark Estate Is Today," Santa Barbara
Independent, October 25, 2007; "Mrs. Graham Rites Set," San Francisco Examiner, October 3, 1944.
49 Mellon and Associates, City of La Quinta Historic Resources Survey, 1997.
50 For photos and plans of the La Quinta Hotel and grounds in 1933, see "Portfolio of Low -Cost Houses - La
Quinta Hotel and Cottages at Indio, California, Gordon B. Kaufmann, Architect," Architectural Record Vol. 74,
Issue 5, November 1933, 345-349. For a more recent description, see Jeff Britton, "La Quinta's Glitzy Glow
Endures," The Desert Sun, May 3, 1996.
51 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement, 2011.
52 Ibid.
53 Ibid.
54 Steven Keylon, "Casa Adaire" The Walter Kirschner Residence (Palm Springs: Palm Springs Preservation
Foundation, 2018), 48.
55 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement, 2011.
56 Michelle Mitchell, "Scientologists Plan to Restore House," Desert Sun August 27, 2009; Mariecar Mendoza,
"Church of Scientology Affiliate buys Historic LQ Property," Desert Sun, June 1, 2009.
57
Ibid.
58 Ibid.
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59 Madge E. Cooper, "La Quinta-The Gem of the Desert," Heritage Tales of the Coachella
Valley) .
60 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement, 2011.
61 La Quinta Historical Society, Remembering the Desert Club (1995), 23.
62 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement, 2011.
63 Ibid.
64 Ibid.
65 Riverside Daily Enterprise, "Indian Wells Zoning Bests First Challenge," February 26, 1959, "County Planners OK
Indio Tract," April 30, 1960; Riverside County Recorder, Tract No. 2180 (Map book 41, pages 37-39, filed January
4, 1961), Tract No. 2190 (Map book 41, pages 55-57, filed March 22, 1961).
66 Larry Bohannan, Indian Springs starts over: The old is new at La Quinta (Electronic document,
http://www.golfcalifornia.com/departments/coursereviews/indian-springs-
golf. htm #:-:text=The%20renaissa nce%20of%20the%20course%20bega n%20when%20developer,13th%2C%2014t
h%20and%2015th%20holes%20of%20the%20course, accessed October 2022).
67 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement, 2011.
68 Gretchen Maltby Spence, Guy Sherman Maltby (Unpublished biographical manuscript, n.d., La
Quinta Historical Society).
69 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement, 2011.
70 Ibid.
71 Desert Sun, January 30, 1990.
72 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement, 2011.
73 Ibid.
74 Spence, Guy Sherman Maltby.
75 Spence, Guy Sherman Maltby.
76 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement, 2011.
77 Riverside Independent Enterprise, "La Quinta Zoning Plan Completion Expected by May," December 24,
1954.
78 Riverside Daily Enterprise, "Gets Approval," June 17, 1958, "Hearings Set on Expansion of Trailer Park," July 9,
1960.
79 Riverside County Recorder, Tract 2117 (Map book 40, pages 81-83, filed September 13, 1960); Riverside Daily
Press, "Planners OK La Quinta Subdivision," March 9, 1960,
"Board Approves La Quinta Zone Change," May 2, 1960.
80 San Diego Union and Daily Bee, "Engagement Announced at Employes' Party," September 4, 1942, "Added
Taxiways O.K.'d For Naval Air Station," September 22, 1943, "Climb in Backlog Reported By Macco," October 2,
1960; Riverside Enterprise, "LA Firm Bids Under Estimate For Dam Job," July 7, 1954.
81 San Diego Union and Daily Bee, "Oil Firms Build California Towns," June 8, 1965, "Scripps Ranch Sale Held Up
by Court" August 2, 1968; San Francisco Chronicle, "Pennsy to Acquire Macco Land," August 14, 1965.
82 Riverside Daily Enterprise, "Indian Wells Zoning Bests First Challenge," February 26, 1959, "County Planners OK
Indio Tract," April 30, 1960; Riverside Daily Press, "Desert Tract Lot Variance Hearing Set," March 12, 1959;
Riverside County Recorder, Tract No. 2180, Tract No. 2190.
83 Bohannan, Indian Springs starts over.
84 La Quinta General Plan 1992:4-2; City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement, 2011. The 1997 inventory form
shows a date of 1940; La Quinta Historical Society lists the construction date as 1935.
85 Cooper, "La Quinta-The Gem of the Desert."
86 City Of La Quinta Historic Context Statement, 2011.
87 Ibid, 119; Desert Sun, May 20, 2004.
88 Rich Redding, "In La Quinta, First Library is Long Overdue - City Center Next?" Desert Sun, January 19, 1988, 3;
Kelle Russell, "Architect Hired for La Quinta City Hall," Desert Sun, October 17, 1989, 4; Douglas Haberman, "La
Quinta's City Hall Sparking a Lot of Talk," Desert Sun, August 9, 1993, 3.
89 Bailey, La Quinta Legend, 100-101.
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90 Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses (New York Alfred A. Knopf, 1989); City of San
Diego, San Diego Modernism Historic Context Statement (2007).
91 Ibid.
92 Ibid.
93 Ibid.
94 Ibid.
95 Ibid.
96 Ibid.
97
Ibid.
98 McAlester and McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses; Cooper/Roberts Architects, Historic Homes of
Phoenix; City of San Diego, San Diego Modernism Historic Context Statement; Akros et al., Tucson Post World
War II Residential Subdivision Development.
99 Ibid.
100 Nathaniel S. Keith, Politics and the Housing Crisis Since 1930 (New York: Universe Books, 1973), 59-67; Esther
McCoy, Case Study Houses, 1945-1962 (Los Angeles: Hennessey & Ingalls, 1977), 13; Gwendolyn Wright, Building
the Dream; A Social History of Housing in America (New York: Pantheon Books, 1981), 240-243; J. Paul Mitchell,
(ed.), Federal Housing Policy and Programs; Past and Present (New Brunswick, NJ: Center for Urban Policy
Research, 1985), 9; Clifford Edward Clark, Jr.; The American Family Home, 1800-1960 (Chapel Hill: University of
North Carolina Press, 1986), 194-197; Christine Hunter, Ranches, Rowhouses, and Railroad Flats (New York W. W.
Norton and Company, 1999), 161-166.
101 Wright, Building the Dream, 251-253; Clark, The American Family Home, 1800-1960, 194-195, 221-228; Thomas
Hine, Populuxe (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986), 48-50; McAlester and McAlester, A Field Guide to American
Houses, 477-479; Hunter, Ranches, Rowhouses, and Railroad Flats, 160-168.
102 Wright, Building the Dream, 251; Hine, Populuxe, 46-48; Christopher T. Martin, Tract -House Modern: A Study of
Housing Design and Consumption in the Washington Suburbs, 1946-1960 (Ph.D. dissertation, George Washington
University, 2000).
103 McAlester and McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses; Cooper/Roberts Architects, Historic Homes of
Phoenix (City of Phoenix, 1992); City of San Diego, San Diego Modernism Historic Context Statement (2007);
Akros et al., Tucson Post World War II Residential Subdivision Development, 1945-1973 (City of Tucson Urban
Planning and Design Department, 2007).
104 Cooper/Roberts Architects, Historic Homes of Phoenix; City of San Diego, San Diego Modernism Historic
Context Statement; Akros et al., Tucson Post World War II Residential Subdivision Development.
105
106
Ibid.
Ibid.
107 San Diego Modernism Historic Context Statement.
108 Ibid.
109 Ibid.
110 Ibid.
111 Ibid.
112 Jennifer Trotoux, "La Quinta Hotel Historic District," Architectural Resources Group, (Pasadena: August 30,
2012), 27-28.
113 "S. Charles Lee," Architects, Los Angeles Conservancy, accessed January 11, 2023,
https://www.laconservancy.org/architects/s-charles-lee.
114 "Home Designer Claims Laurel," Desert Sun, (Palm Springs), November 20, 1964,
115 "LeRoy Cluff Major; Tract Housing King," Archives, Los Angeles Times, accessed January 11, 2023,
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jul-01-me-46766-story.html.
116 Spence, Guy Sherman Maltby.
117 San Diego Union and Daily Bee, "Engagement Announced at Employes' Party," September 4, 1942, "Added
Taxiways O.K.'d For Naval Air Station," September 22, 1943, "Climb in Backlog Reported By Macco," October 2,
1960; Riverside Enterprise, "LA Firm Bids Under Estimate For Dam Job," July 7, 1954.
118 San Diego Union and Daily Bee, "Oil Firms Build California Towns," June 8, 1965, "Scripps Ranch Sale Held Up
by Court," August 2, 1968; San Francisco Chronicle, "Pennsy to Acquire Macco Land," August 14, 1965.
119 "Cherry Builds Imaginatively," Desert Sun, (Palm Springs), January 8, 1965, 38:134.
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