As the 2022-2023 season gets underway, we are embarking on a new chapter for Preservation Mirage. From our early days as an informal group of midcentury homeowners to our incorporation in late 2017, we have grown to 530 members! One year after mailing out the Architecture Map to all Rancho Mirage residents – the next phase of Preservation Mirage includes: Securing a path forward to update the 20-year-old Historical Resources Survey Continuing advocacy for the preservation of the historic Thunderbird Country Club Cottages Expanded community outreach and educational programs Producing an online version of the printed Architecture Map Providing resources to Coachella Valley realtors through historic home research Introducing a welcome mailer for new Rancho Mirage residents
MEMBERSHIP
Today we are launching four paid memberships, in addition to the free quarterly email newsletter, designed to support our advocacy and education goals while providing enhanced access to educational seminars, events, tours, cocktail parties, limited edition merchandise, and other exclusive benefits being rolled out in 2023. |
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ADVOCATE $50 Early access to merchandise & event tickets* |
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INDIVIDUAL $150 1 invitation to two member events annually (a $200 value)* Early access to merchandise & event tickets* |
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HOUSEHOLD $275 2 invitations to two member events annually (a $400 value)* Early access to merchandise & event tickets* |
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PRESERVATIONIST $1500 Recognized in newsletters, website, and events** Access to 1 hour historic home consultation (1x) Personalized concierge service from our Membership Committee 1 signed copy of Mod Mirage hardcover book (1x) 2 invitations to three events annually (an $800 value)* 20% discount on merchandise |
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* Starting in the 2023 calendar year, excludes February Modernism Week events ** Name(s) can be withheld upon request |
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These new membership tiers allow us to offer unique opportunities to our donors while maintaining free access to our education & preservation content for the Rancho Mirage community. |
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Preservation Mirage is a section 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 82-3717476) and your membership fee may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes, please consult your tax adviser or the IRS. Membership fees are automatically renewed annually and expire one year after joining. You can upgrade or downgrade your membership level annually at the time of renewal, you may cancel your membership anytime but membership fees will not be refunded. |
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OUR NEXT CHAPTER BEGINS AT THE HURD RESIDENCE TICKET PRE-SALE FOR OUR SEASON KICK-OFF FUNDRAISER
Join us as we resume in-person events with a cocktail reception and fundraiser on Saturday, November 5th at the Hurd Residence at Tamarisk Country Club from 5 - 7 PM, with cocktails, wine, appetizers, and complimentary valet parking. Designed by C.H. Barlund and built in 1967, the home combines the design simplicity of Desert Modern with touches of the luxe formalism of the International Style to create an exceptional example of the Rancho Mirage country club aesthetic. |
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“We hope you will join us to kick off the season at a gorgeous home in the perfect setting at Tamarisk Country Club,” said Dan Allen, Events Committee Chair. “We will introduce our new board members and unveil our full suite of programming for 2023 at this fundraiser event.” We are offering ticket pre-sales exclusively to our newsletter subscribers, they are $125 per person and go on sale today, a week earlier than the public who can purchase tickets beginning October 6th. Country club chic attire requested. |
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PRESERVATION MIRAGE BOARD & COMMITTEE UPDATE
As we have transitioned to a working board, we have defined seven committees focused on bringing our mission to life, each chaired by a board member: We will be staffing these committees with members who graciously volunteer their time. If you are interested in joining a committee, please check the box on your membership profile [link to profile page] for the committee(s) of interest and we will be in touch with you shortly via email. This June we welcomed Scott Goldstein to the board who will be the chair of our Membership & Fundraising Committee. Scott is an entrepreneur and artist who took his first steps in Rancho Mirage the year after it became a city. His family has been in the desert for over sixty years and as a result, he has an unhealthy obsession with midcentury modern architecture. He and his wife feel very lucky to own a 1959 Mar-Val home that shelters them from Chicago winters. This month we also welcome back Carol LeFlufy, who will be rejoining the board and the Events Committee. |
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DISCOVERY: FLYING H RANCH Tucked away in Rancho Mirage are houses that tell part of the city’s history. In the Tamarisk neighborhood there’s a bronze plaque on a brick post that says ‘Flying H Ranch – 1950,’ on Sunny Lane near Palm View Rd. Hiram U. Helm was a financier and developer, credited with starting Holmby Hills in Los Angeles. He moved to Palm Springs in 1945 and started his Flying H Ranch subdivision, buying significant acreage in what was then the Wonder Palms area. By 1947, he was settled at his Sunny Lane home when he was featured as a ‘man of distinction – a distinguished rancher’ in this national advertisement for Lord Calvert Whisky |
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February 1947 ad in Palm Springs Villager, Hiram U. Helm in Lord Calvert ad |
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He dug a well (still next door to the Flying H plaque) that supplied 2.5 million feet of water a day from a depth of 500 feet and formed a mutual water corporation that gave shares with each lot sold. He paved roads and put utilities underground. He also developed several homes. The house shown in the ad below still stands at the corner of Sunny Lane and Palm View Road. |
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House today, corner of Sunny Lane and Palm View Rd |
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NEW HISTORIC HOME DESIGNATIONS
The latest home to receive historic designation by the City of Rancho Mirage is the Fine-Rizzo Residence (1957, David Freedman, AIA) at 37190 Marber Drive in the Tamarisk area. The house was designed as the model home for the Sunny Lane Palms Estates tract. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission cited it as an important example of a tract home of the era and the City Council voted unanimously in favor of its designation in July. David Freedman designed numerous tract home developments across southern California in the 1950s and 60s in particular, often working alongside Palmer & Krisel. The original owner of the home was Ray Fine, founder of the renowned Sportsman’s Lodge in Los Angeles and subsequent president of Don the Beachcomber. Pat Rizzo was the owner in the 70s. He was a respected musician (Sinatra, Sly & the Family Stone, Ry Cooder, War) entertainer, local philanthropist, and recipient of a star on the Walk of Stars in Palm Springs. |
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Marber Drive model home for Sunny Lane Palms Estates |
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The Jimmy Hines Residence at Thunderbird North (1956, William F. Cody, FAIA) was submitted to the Historic Preservation Commission in August. Already noted as a historic resource on the city’s 2003 survey, the commission voted unanimously to approve the designation, which will now go forward to the city council for ultimate approval. Jimmy Hines made a significant contribution to the local community as well as nationwide to the game of golf. As the original golf pro at Thunderbird his reputation secured Eisenhower’s first visit, the 1955 Ryder Cup, and the many tournaments between club members and celebrities that grew into Pro-Am tournaments we know today. He was instrumental in the popularization of the electric golf cart. Hines commissioned William F. Cody to design his first desert home. The street elevations are still very similar to the original design. |
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No one knows why Cody marked this rendering ‘Tamarisk Country Club’ when the house appears on Cody’s project list as Thunderbird North |
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EISENHOWER MEDICAL CENTER Opened in 1971, this iconic medical center by the internationally renowned architect Edward Durell Stone, was featured 50 years ago (September 1952) in Architectural Record magazine, with stunning images by Julius Shulman. Today the original buildings designed by Durell Stone are architectural landmarks in Rancho Mirage (in 1972 the location was not yet part of Rancho Mirage which was incorporated in 1973). By the 1970s Durell Stone had achieved international recognition: he appeared on the cover of Time Magazine in the late 50s, and was awarded multiple high-profile commissions from US Embassies to the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. We are in planning stages with EMC to organize tours and talks for Preservation Mirage members and guests, so do watch this space. This quote by Stone has significance in these days of architectural anonymity. |
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“I believe the inspiration for a building should be in the accumulation of history. Although none of my buildings copy classical examples, they have a formality and, I hope, a dignity that one associates with historic monuments . . . I try to find an architecture that is hopefully timeless, free of the mannerisms of the moment. Architecture should follow a grander and more ageless pattern and it can and should be approached simply.” Find out more about Edward Durell Stone’s life and career here: www.edwarddurellstone.org |
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We are a section 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 82-3717476) and your donation may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes, please consult your tax adviser or the IRS. |
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