Casa Palmeras Apartments/Hotel (1929)

Architect: Paul R. Williams

Paul R. Williams designed the Palmair Apartments (original name) on undeveloped Tamarisk Road as a high-end apartment for visitors who wanted a more permanent place to stay during the "season." Period photographs from 1930 show a free-standing, single-story structure built on a desolate sandy area without streets, curbs, sidewalks or formal landscaping. The apartments, a mix of small studio and one or two-bedroom units, were clustered around a central court designed as a sitting area for residents. The central court now contains a swimming pool.

For Casa Palmeras, Williams incorporated many of the typical Spanish Colonial revival elements: thick adobe-like walls for coolness, hand-made-red-clay-tiled roof, extensive wrought ironwork details including window grills (rejas), mismatched chimneys, imposing archways and a picturesque bell tower.

At the peak of its popularity Casa Palmeras was home to a number of film stars who enjoyed the winter season but did not want to make a permanent commitment to the Palm Springs area by buying a home. Regulars included Cary Grant, Randolph Scott, Clifton Webb, Ann Sothern, Bert Wheeler, and Harold Lloyd.

In 1986, the City of Palm Springs created the Las Palmas Business Historic District. The Casa Palmeras Apartments were listed as an important anchor. Current photographs show a building little changed from Williams’ original design. A 2012 report nominating the apartments for inclusion as an historic site notes the architect’s skill at adapting an overused revival style “to create an intimate and warm residential living environment for the small apartment dweller… This building is a clear example of Williams’ command of the Spanish Revival style and …his ability to adapt the style to a multi-family setting.”

Credit: https://www.paulrwilliamsproject.org/