In 1947, Frank Sinatra commissioned Twin Palms in Palm Springs; 64 years later, the glass-walled desert home was designated a Class 1 Historic Site

Frank Sinatra was only 31, but he had already sold a million records and signed a new film contract. He wanted a house that matched his new fortune, something big and grand, with columns, built right there in the desert. In the late spring of 1947, he walked into architect E. Stewart Williams' office in Palm Springs eating an ice cream cone, snapped his fingers, and said he wanted a house done by Christmas. According to the Class 1 Historic Site nomination filed with the city of Palm Springs, that visit began the story of Twin Palms, a desert home that also happened to be Williams' very first residential project, a fact confirmed separately in the National Register of Historic Places nomination filed with the National Park Service.

A star who wanted a mansion

Sinatra's first idea was that of a two-story Georgian house with columns, designed specifically for the desert. Williams didn’t agree with this. He had joined the architectural business of his father just a year ago after being discharged from his duties in the Navy during World War II and thought that the Georgian style would not work well in such extreme desert conditions. The nomination form says Williams drew up two designs: a Georgian-style house Sinatra requested and a modern version better suited to the climate. Sinatra chose the latter option.

Glass walls instead of brick columns

The final structure used open space and light instead of massive columns. According to the same nomination, it used tongue-and-groove Douglas fir for the slanted ceiling, Arizona flagstone for the chimneys, and large glass walls that blurred the boundary between the living room and the desert outside. The architect later mentioned that he tried to make the building "compatible with the land on which they sit." There was also a swimming pool near the building that was covered with a pergola and cabana. Many later write-ups describe it as piano-shaped, a nod to Sinatra's music career. However, Williams said the curving shape of the pool was meant to match the surrounding landscape and mountain view. The building took until 1947 to be completed. The house could not be completed by Christmas as intended by Sinatra, but was finally done in time for a New Year's Eve party, the record confirms.

The six years that shaped his life

Sinatra lived at Twin Palms for about six years, between 1947 and 1953, as per the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation. This was a turbulent period in his life. His singing career had taken a downturn in the 1940s but quickly bounced back with his renowned comeback in 1953. His marriage to Nancy Barbato ended during this period. He began a relationship with actress Ava Gardner in 1949 and got married to her in November 1951. Twin Palms saw much of this personal upheaval. Since Sinatra sold the house, it has changed hands several times. The restoration work carried out in 1998 saw the replacement of the redwood walls with the more appropriate cement plaster to match the desert climate, as well as the installation of double-glazed windows. Even so, the house kept its original layout and character, the nomination adds.

How the house earned its protection

Formal protection efforts began decades later. The Palm Springs Preservation Foundation officially nominated Twin Palms as a Class 1 Historic Site to the city on December 27, 2010, on behalf of owners Tom and Marianne O’Connell. City records show that on February 8, 2011, the Historic Site Preservation Board of the city voted in favor 5-0. The next month, on March 16, 2011, the City Council of Palm Springs voted unanimously 4-0 to approve the designation, and an awarding ceremony took place on October 13, 2011. That last vote came 64 years after Sinatra first purchased the home in 1947. “Class 1” designation now meant that all future alterations to the property undergo review by the city’s preservation commission. The recognition did not end there. As noted in the National Register nomination form, Twin Palms was further added to the federal National Register of Historic Places in December 2016, now in a broader listing that encompasses the architecture of E. Stewart Williams throughout the Coachella Valley.

Why Twin Palms matters

For a generation used to watching old Hollywood homes get flipped or torn down, Twin Palms is a rare survivor. It suggests that a house built on a young singer's whim, and shaped by an architect willing to push back against his client, can help define how a city sees itself. Palm Springs is famous globally for its mid-century modern architectural style, and Twin Palms is often cited as the beginning of that story. Sinatra wanted a quick weekend escape. What he got instead was a landmark that has outlasted him by decades.