Join the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation for a tour of the historic Kirk Douglas Estate in the Old Las Palmas neighborhood. Designed by famous Modernist architect Donald Wexler and built by Robert Higgins in 1954, the home was originally commissioned as a spec house by R. S. Howard (heir to the Seabiscuit racing fortune). When Douglas acquired the property in the late 1950s, he made some minor changes to accommodate his family, and went on to use the house as the family retreat for four decades. Tour the nearby tennis pavilion where Douglas papered the walls with the colorful (and now vintage) movie posters of his celebrated career. More recently, the house underwent a sensitive renovation uncovering some of the original architectural features. With the help of PSPF, the home was designated a Class 1 Historic Resource by the city of Palm Springs in January of 2020.

The Palm Springs Preservation Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is “to educate and promote public awareness of the importance of preserving the historical resources and architecture of the city of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley area.” PSPF offers free membership as a public benefit. To learn more about the work of the foundation see www.pspreservationfoundation.org.