77885 Montezuma (Avenida) - La Quinta Museum
DPR 523L (09/2013)
Identifier: La Quinta Historical Society and Museum Date Constructed: 1936
UTM Zone: 11S, 564321 mE; 3726384 mN
Neighborhood: The Village
Tract: Santa Carmelita Unit No 14; Recorded June 30, 1935, MB 18/83
Owner and Address: City of La Quinta; PO Box 1504, La Quinta CA 92247
Updated Description: 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. The Spanish Colonial Revival style building has a one story form with an octagonal
tower rising from the northwest corner. The building has an irregular, "L" shaped plan on a corner lot. The building has a cross-gable
roof with a slight overhang with open eaves, clad in red barrel tiles. The tower has an octagonal hipped roof with little overhang. The
front entrance is at the corner of the building which has been cut diagonally to the street. The entrance has an arched double door
set within a shallow arched entry porch. Decorative tiles surround the arched entry and the small windows on either side of the
entrance; the tiles are non-original. At the north elevation, there is a large casement window covered with decorative iron work on
the east end of this facade. The north elevation also contains a decorative tile surround that forms a stylized picture frame which has
plaque telling the history of the building attached within. Also on the north elevation there is a small fixed window with window
panes formed of stucco, and surrounded with decorative tiles. At the west elevation there is a small fixed matching window with
stucco panes, and two large casement windows with decorative iron work overtop. At the north west side of the second story tower,
there is signage for the La Quinta Historical Museum.There does not appear to have been any significant alterations to the building
since the previous survey. A new museum building has been constructed adjacent to the subject property. This resulted in the patio
space behind the subject property being updated and a wall has being constructed around the rear of the property. No significant
alterations appear to have occured since the prior survey.
Updated Significance: A prior 1997 survey evaluated the 77885 Avenida Montezuma building as status code 5S1: individual
property that is listed or designated locally. While the La Quinta Cove Historic District neighborhood has not been formally
designated, the subject property is considered an important element of its history. As the administration building for the marketing
and sale of the La Quinta Cove casitas, the earliest residences in the Cove, the building represents the origins of the potential La
Quinta Cove Historic District. The building was constructed in 1936 and was originally known as the Palm Springs Land and Irrigation
Sales Office. This building should also be considered individually eligible as an important element of La Quinta's history, separate
from the wider Cove neighborhood. Therefore, the property should be assigned a 3S status code: Appears eligible for NR individually
through survey evaluation. Additionally, a 3CS status code should be assigned: Appears eligible for CR individually through survey
evaluation. The 5S1 status code should also be changed because the property is an individually significant property that contributes
to the proposed La Quinta Cove Historic District. The 5S1 status code is revised to 5B: Locally significant both individually (listed,
eligible, or appears eligible) and as contributor to a multi-component resource like a district that is locally listed, designated,
determined eligible, or appears eligible through survey evaluation.
The subject property is one of the defining characteristics of the Cove neighborhood, constructed just outside the neighborhood
during the 1930s, as well as an important element of La Quinta's early residential development. The property has been found
individually eligible under NRHP/CRHR/Local Criterion A/1/B (events) as it is associated with significant events or patterns of events
in local, regional, state, or national history. It is individually eligible under Criterion B/2/B (persons), as the property is associated with
E.S. "Harry" Kiener, who worked out of the building selling casitas and lots from 1936 to 1941. The property is not individually eligible
under Criterion C/3/C, as it does not embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction; and not
individually eligible under Criterion D/4/D, as further study of the dwelling would not appear to yield information which could be
considered important in local, regional, state, or national history. The property was found to be individually eligible under Local
Register Criterion A, as it exemplifies a special element of the City of La Quinta - the former center of development within the Cove
and place where casitas and lots were developed and sold during the 1930s. The current survey found that the building retains its
integrity from the prior survey.
State of California — The Resources Agency
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
CONTINUATION SHEET
Primary#:
HRI #: None
Trinomial: N/A
CRHR Status Code: 3S / 3CS / 5B
Other Listings: Urbana Survey No. 051
ý Update
Resource Name: 77885 Avenida Montezuma
Page 1 of 3
DPR 523L (09/2013)
77885 Avenida Montezuma_1: View facing southeast of the northern and western elevations.
77885 Avenida Montezuma_2: View facingnorthwest of the east elevation.
State of California — The Resources Agency
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
CONTINUATION SHEET
Primary#:
HRI #: None
Trinomial: N/A
CRHR Status Code: 3B / 3CB / 5B
Urbana Survey No: 051
Resource Name: 77885 Avenida Montezuma
Page 2 of 3
DPR 523J (09/2013) *Required Information
*Map Name: La Quinta *Scale: 1:24,000 *Map Date: 2021
State of California — The Resources Agency
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
LOCATION MAP
Primary#:
HRI #: None
Trinomial: N/A
CRHR Status Code: 3B / 3CB / 5B
Other Listings: Urbana Survey No. 051
Resource Name: 77885 Avenida Montezuma
Page 3 of 3
State of California -- The Resources Agency
DEPARTMENT OF PARIES AND RECREATION
PRIMARY RECORD
Other Listings
Review Code
Primary #
HRI #
Trinomial
NRHP Status Code 551
Date
Page
Page 1 of 2
`Resource Name or #: 77-885 Avenida Montezuma
P1. other Identifier: La Ouinta Historical Society and Museum
*P2. Location: [IN ot for Publication ❑ Unrestricted a. county Riverside
b. USGS 7.5' Quad La Quinta Date 1980 T 065 , R 06E- NE 114 of SE114 of Sec 1� B.M.
c. Address 77-885 Avenida Montezuma city La Ouinta zip 92253
d. UTM: (Give more than one for large and/or linear feature) Zone mE1 mN
e. Other Locational Data: (e.g. parcel #, legal description, directions to resource, elevation, additional UTMs, etc. as appropriate)
0133a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.)
77-885 Avenida Montezuma originally housed offices of a development company and now contains the La
Quinta Historical Society and Museum. The one-story building has an octagonal tower rising out of the
northwest portion of its irregular plan, which is cut diagonally to the street at the northwest corner. The
cross -gabled roof, clad in red Mission tiles, has overhanging eaves with open rafters; a portion of the roof at
the southern portion is flat. The arched double door opening at northwest corner has shallow entry porch with
arched opening; door is inset behind decorative iron grilles. Tiles surrounding outside arch and small windows
on either side are newer. Two larger multi -paned casement windows are found at the south end of the west
elevation; a similar window is set into the east end of the north elevation; the same type of window is found at
the south elevation. All have decorative iron grilles. Two bullseye windows are set into the tower, at the
northwest and southwest faces. The building walls are large brick, painted white.
*P3b. Resources Attributes: (List attributes and codes( HP6. Commercial Building, 1-3 Stories
*P4. Resources Present: M Building, ❑ Structure ❑ Object ❑ Site ❑ District ❑ Element of District ❑ Other (Isolates, etc.)
,y. P5b. Description of Photo: (View, date, etc.)
"P6, Date Constructed/Age and Sources:
❑ Prehistoric p Historic ❑ Both
1938; City of La Quinta
Historic Context Statement
*P9. Date Recarded: R/18/1997
*P10. Survey Type: (Describe)
C --Comprehensive Survey
*P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report/other sources or "none"} City of La Quinta Historic Context Statement
*Attachments: ❑ NONE ❑ Location Map []Sketch Map ® Continuation Sheet ❑ Building, Structure and Object Record
❑ Archaeological Record ❑ District Record ❑ Linear Feature Record ❑ Milling Station Record ❑ Rock Art Record []Artifact Record
❑ Photograph Record ❑ Other: (List)
DPR 523A (1195) *Required information
*P7. Owner and Address:
La Quinta Historical Society _
i WN
77-885 Avenida Montezuma
Quinta, CA 92253
P --Private
*P8. Recorded by:(Name, affiliation, address)
Vicki StiegemeyerlMarcy Roth
Mellon & Associates
Riverside CA
*P9. Date Recarded: R/18/1997
*P10. Survey Type: (Describe)
C --Comprehensive Survey
*P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report/other sources or "none"} City of La Quinta Historic Context Statement
*Attachments: ❑ NONE ❑ Location Map []Sketch Map ® Continuation Sheet ❑ Building, Structure and Object Record
❑ Archaeological Record ❑ District Record ❑ Linear Feature Record ❑ Milling Station Record ❑ Rock Art Record []Artifact Record
❑ Photograph Record ❑ Other: (List)
DPR 523A (1195) *Required information
tate of California -- The Resources Agency Primary #
EPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRE #
:QNTINUATIQN SHEET Trinomial
Page 2 of 2 'Recorded by Vicki Stiegemeyer/Marg Roth *Date 10/18/1997 ® Continuation ❑ Update
*Resource Name or #. 77-885 Avenida Montezuma
DPH 523L (1195) "Required information
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