Twin Palms facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Frank Sinatra House
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 Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1148 E. Alejo Rd. Palm Springs, California |
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| Built | 1947 |
| Architect | E. Stewart Williams |
| Architectural style | Mid-century modern |
| MPS | Architecture of E. Stewart Williams MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 16000893 |
| Added to NRHP | December 27, 2016 |
The Twin Palms house, also known as the Frank Sinatra House, is a famous home in Palm Springs, California. It's a great example of mid-century modern design. This house was specially built for the famous American singer and actor Frank Sinatra. It was designed by a talented architect named E. Stewart Williams.
Contents
A Star's Desert Home
How Sinatra Found Palm Springs
Frank Sinatra first visited Palm Springs in the late 1940s. His friend, composer Jimmy Van Heusen, told him about the beautiful desert. Sinatra was so excited that he insisted they fly there that very evening! Other famous friends of Sinatra, like Lana Turner and Dinah Shore, also started visiting Palm Springs around this time.
Choosing a Modern Design
On May 1, 1947, Sinatra walked into the office of architect E. Stewart Williams. He asked Williams to build him a house in the Georgian style. This was for a weekend home. Sinatra had just signed a big movie contract and was making a lot of money.
However, Williams felt that the Georgian style wouldn't fit well in the desert. He showed Sinatra two drawings: one for the Georgian style and one for a modern, single-story house. Sinatra chose the modern design! This was Williams's first time designing a home. Williams's brother, Roger, was very happy with the choice. He believed a Georgian house would have looked out of place in the desert.
Sinatra wanted the house finished quickly. He planned to host a big Christmas party there.
Life at Twin Palms
The house was finished just before the new year in 1947. It cost about $150,000 to build. Sinatra lived in the house from 1947 until 1954. He sold it in 1957.
Before selling it, Sinatra let the writer Moss Hart rent the house. Hart and actress Judy Garland worked there to rewrite the movie A Star is Born. The famous photographer Julius Shulman later took pictures of Twin Palms.
Design of Twin Palms
The Twin Palms house is a single-story building. It has 4 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms. The house is built with long, straight lines using steel and aluminum. Its windows stretch all the way to the ground.
The house has a flat, slightly sloped roof. It also has a unique swimming pool shaped like a piano. This shape was actually an accident! The house gets its name from the two palm trees that stand right next to it. Twin Palms became an early and important example of a style called desert modernism.
