Tahquitz River Estates

You don’t have to live in Los Angeles to know the name Paul Trousdale. The man known for housing Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Ray Charles, and Tony Curtis in Angeleno's midcentury splendor built the first modern ranch houses in Palm Springs years earlier.

 

Tahquitz River Estates presents an attractive collection of high-end and family homes from early homesteads to the present day. Cozy bungalows join properties upward of 3,000 square feet. First developed as Palos Verdes Estates in the 1930s, the area shows several quaint Spanish revivals as sought-after architectural relics. Its most memorable homes, however, are the handiwork of developer Trousdale and architect Allen Siple.

 

In 1947, Trousdale partnered with developer Pearl McManus in what has been called “the most ambitious housing development that had ever been attempted in Palm Springs.” Step one: Install a $100,000 storm drain to alter the flow of water coming down from Tahquitz Canyon. Trousdale built his modern ranch homes with cinder block construction on either side of the banks to form the Tahquitz River Estates. Eight plans promised complete privacy from the pool plus a lanai, a wall of glass, and a mid-mod breezeway. Making the shape of a revolver around Deepwell, the neighborhood claims excellent real estate in the south part of downtown Palm Springs by combining the best of both worlds: old Spanish charm and authentic modernism. Fitness buffs and outdoor enthusiasts appreciate view-laden jogging and bike paths along the wash outside their door.