In a beautiful park-like setting with a noteworthy fountain, the Village Green is the focal point for the town’s origins with four unique and historic buildings (now museums of the Palm Springs Historical Society): McCallum Adobe, our oldest house (1884), built of adobe brick for one of the first permanent non-native settlers, the McCallum family; Cornelia White House, the 2nd oldest residence (1893), made of railroad ties, home of the adventurous White Sisters; Ruddy's General Store, with over 6,000 authentic—and surprising--products typically found in a general store of the 1930s & 1940s; Oasis Gallery, a section of our 1st Modernist-designed hotel, the Oasis Hotel (1923), which currently holds special exhibits celebrating the life and legacy of Trini Lopez, the iconic folk-rock musician and Latino cultural trailblazer.
A visit here will introduce you to our courageous and hardy pioneers, the visionary women who “built this town,” Hollywood stars who made Palm Springs their personal playground, and architects who brought avant-garde Modernism to the desert. A knowledgeable docent will tell fascinating and amusing stories of colorful characters, entrepreneurial spirit, heroism, rivalry, intrigue, and occasional scandal—tales of both then and now.
The tour includes free visits to the four museums.
pshistoricalsociety.org