Author: lindsay

This opulent estate, built in 1952, was Liberace’s third desert abode. Mr. Showmanship purchased the one-story structure in 1968 and sold it just four years later. Surprisingly, the statuaries that line the front walk today are not holdovers from the performer’s day but were the addition of a later owner. While the property’s interior has been remodeled several times since the 1972 sale, most recently in 2010 by renowned designer Christopher Kennedy, the exterior remains intact (unlike Liberace’s Cloisters house, which has been modified beyond recognition), and boasts countless nods to its former famous inhabitant, including music notes dotting the front gates and a whimsical piano-shaped mailbox.

The longtime weekend home of Cary Grant, this property was originally built in 1927 for Dr. Jacob John Kocher, Palm Springs’ first pharmacist. The movie icon purchased it in 1954 and owned it for nearly two decades, nicknaming the sprawling Andalusian-style farmhouse “Las Palomas,” Spanish for “the doves.” During his tenure, Grant hosted everyone from Alfred Hitchcock to Grace Kelly to Sophia Loren on the premises. Don’t miss Cary’s initials embedded in the front gate, nor the mailbox, a small-scale replica of the residence said to have been constructed for the actor by legendary architect Wallace Neff. Copley’s on Palm Canyon, Grant’s former offsite guest quarters and one of my favorite spots for cocktails, is located just a few blocks west.

This rambling 1937 abode belonged to George Hamilton and then-wife, Alana, for a few years in the early 1970s until desert life proved too quiet for the latter, at which point the couple relocated to Beverly Hills. Divorced in 1975, the duo has remained close and even popped bythe Spanish-style property to reminisce about the good old days for an episode of their short-lived reality series “Stewarts & Hamiltons” in 2015. Be sure not to miss George’s autograph and handprint, which the actor engraved on the north portion of the driveway on December 6, 1971, and remains intact today, over five decades later.

Cameron Crowe called this Movie Colony East residence home during his early years before relocating with his family, first to nearby Indio and then ultimately to San Diego, where the Hollywood multihyphenate spent his teens (as was famously depicted in his hit semi-autobiographical film “Almost Famous.”) Gorgeously renovated, the property now serves as a fashionable vacation rental known as “Fleetwood of the Desert.” Available via Airbnb, where it has become a “guest favorite,” rates start at around $700 a night.

Another Donald Wexler creation, this dwelling was crafted in 1964 for legendary singer and actress Dinah Shore. It is now perhaps even more famously pedigreed, thanks to current owner Leonardo DiCaprio, who purchased it in 2014. Don’t go looking for the “Titanic” heartthrob anywhere on the premises, though, as the property is utilized full-time as a vacation rental/event venue, meaning you, too, can book it for an extended stay and find yourself walking in the footsteps of Hollywood royalty!

Designed by Donald Wexler and Richard Harrison, this Desert Modern residence was commissioned by actress Andrea Leeds and her husband, Robert Howard, owner of the nearby Colony Palms Hotel, in 1954. Kirk Douglas snapped it up just three years later and continued to hold onto it for the next four decades, welcoming such guests as Natalie Wood, Gregory Peck and Billy Wilder during his long tenure. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn even leased the house from Douglas for two summer getaways, and Vincente Minnelli and his fourth wife, Lee Anderson, held their wedding reception there. The pad boasts yet another claim to fame, as well – it cameoed as Jill St. John’s home in the 1971 James Bond movie “Diamonds Are Forever.”

Moviedom’s first child star, Jackie Coogan, who later became known for his portrayal of Uncle Fester in the original “The Addams Family” TV show, relocated to the desert in his later years, purchasing this Racquet Club Estates dwelling with his fourth wife, Dorothea, in 1966. The butterfly-roofed, William Krisel-designed pad was the actor’s last home. Dorothea sold it shortly following his passing at the age of 69 in 1984. Remodeled in the years since, it still maintains many of its original MCM elements.