Buildings are only half the story. At Tamarisk, the other half includes Frank Sinatra, the Marx Brothers, Red Skelton and a country club that from its founding in 1952 was “unrestricted”—open to people of any race or creed, a rarity at the time.

Join Preservation Mirage, the local nonprofit working to bring the story of Rancho Mirage to life, for a two-hour guided walking tour of the neighborhood that holds some of the Coachella Valley’s most significant midcentury homes. We begin with the history of Tamarisk Country Club, then walk two miles of quiet, flat public streets past houses designed by William F. Cody, Hugh Kaptur, William Krisel, Val Powelson, Stan Sackley, Crombie Taylor and Donald Wexler.

Along the way you’ll see the first two historic districts Rancho Mirage ever designated. You’ll step inside a home at Cody Court, William F. Cody’s 1969–1970 courtyard community and the city’s first designated district, and stroll the central courtyard of Tamarisk Ranchos 1, William Krisel’s 1958 take on resort-style desert living and the second.

Every guest goes home with a complimentary Rancho Mirage Historic Architecture Map. This program is presented by local nonprofit Preservation Mirage, an official sponsor of Modernism Week, as part of Preservation Mirage’s tenth anniversary season. For ten years, Preservation Mirage has been bringing the story of Rancho Mirage to life by connecting people to its vibrant architectural history—through tours, talks, films, education and scholarships—and a percentage of funds raised supports that work. Ten years on, we’re just getting started.

Preservation Mirage