ATTACHMENT C_Application_HSPB 167_457 N Palm Canyon — Palm Springs City Council, November 12, 2025

ATTACHMENT C

HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALUATION REPORT
OF
457 NORTH PALM CANYON DRIVE,

PALM SPRINGS, RIVERSIDE COUNTY
CALIFORNIA 92262
APN: 513-082-007

Prepared for:

Rest Area LLC
709 Randolph Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Prepared by:

Pamela Daly, M.S., Principal Architectural Historian
Daly & Associates
951 East Beacon Drive, Eugene, OR 97404
(951) 369-1366

August 2025

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Proposed Undertaking: The subject building at 457 North Palm Canyon Drive is situated within a 6,534 square-foot parcel identified as Riverside County Assessor Parcel Number (APN) 513-082-007. The multi- family commercial building on the property is currently occupied , and the pa rcel is currently owned by Rest Area LLC, Costa Mesa, CA. The current property owners have requested that the built-environment resource be evaluated for historic significance in anticipation of undertaking future repairs and rehabilitation to the building.

Purpose and Scope of the Survey: Daly & Associates was retained to conduct a survey of the building situated at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. , and provide a historic evaluation for said building. The resulting report develops the historic context and statement of significance for the building located in the City of Palm Springs, California. Repairs and alterations of the building fall under the regulatory authority of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and City of Palm Springs.

Summary of Investigation: An intensive-level survey was made of the building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. by Architectural Historian Pamela Daly, M.S. , on May 20, 2025. The fieldwork consisted of performing a physical inspection of the interior and exterior of the building to determine if there is evidence of the subject property having the potential to be listed in the California Register of Historical Resources and as designated building in Palm Springs, CA.

Summary of Findings: Our investigation revealed that the property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. meets the criteria to be listed in the California Register of Historical Resources under Criterion A and C, and as a designated historic resource in the City of Palm Springs.

The property met the criteria to be a designated historic resource in the City of Palm Springs as a Pre- or Post-WWII commercial and multi-family residential building, and for being a rare and unique example of Regency Revival architecture applied to a commercial building. The subject building was designed in 1946 by the firm of master architect Albert R. Walker, and partners Gus W. Kalionzes and James A.

Zerbe. The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. has met the criteria to be determined a significant historic property for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) for its association with the history of development in the commercial/retail dist rict of Palm Springs, and for it being a rare and unique example of Regency Revival architecture applied to a building with a retail arcade and penthouse apartment units, and for being an important example of Albert R. Walker’s body-of-work.

As the prope rty at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. has been found to be eligible for being considered a designated historic resource in the City of Palm Springs, and for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources, any future projects that will have the potentia l to alter the physical appearance of the exterior elevations of both the first floor arcade and second level, will be required to make any alterations in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Disposition of Data: Copies of this report will be filed with the South Coastal Information Center at San Diego State University, San Diego . Original documentation will remain on file at Daly & Associates, Eugene, Oregon.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. i

1.0 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Report Organization ......................................................................................................................... 5

1.2 Previous Historic Property Investigations ........................................................................................ 5

1.2. a South Central Information Center ............................................................................................. 6

1.2. b City of Palm Springs, Planning Department: Historic Resources Surveys ................................. 6

1.3 Data Collection ................................................................................................................................. 6

2.0 METHODS .............................................................................................................................. 7

2.1 CRHR Criteria for Historical Resource Evaluation ............................................................................ 7

2.1. a California Register of Historical Resources ................................................................................ 7

2.1.b. California Office of Historical Preservation Survey Methodology............................................. 8

2.2 City of Palm Springs Historic Preservation Ordinance ..................................................................... 9

2.3 Historical Research......................................................................................................................... 11

2.4 On-Site Evaluation Process ............................................................................................................ 11

3.0 HISTORIC CONTEXT .............................................................................................................. 11

3.1 City of Palm Springs ....................................................................................................................... 11

3.1. a Early Settlement .............................................................................................................. 11

3.1.b Palm Springs 1919-1941.................................................................................................. 12

3.1. c. Palm Springs post World War II 1945-1969 .................................................................... 13

3.2 457 North Palm Canyon Drive ....................................................................................................... 15

3.2. a. Isador Rubin .................................................................................................................... 15

3.2. b. Albert Raymond Walker .................................................................................................. 19

4.0 HISTORIC STRUCTURES EVALUATION .................................................................................... 20

5.0 ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION AND RECOMMENDATION ........................................................ 29

5.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 29

5.3 Palm Springs Designation .............................................................................................................. 32

6.1 Mitigation Measures ...................................................................................................................... 33

6.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES .............................................................................................. 34

LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: Preparer Qualifications
APPENDIX B: "As-built drawings" for 457 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, 2025 APPENDIX C: California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Inventory Site Forms APPENDIX D: Original blueprints for 457 N. Palm Canyon Drive, 1946

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
This report provides a historic evaluation , and develops the historic context, of a built-environment resource located at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. , in the City of Palm Springs (City), Riverside County, California. The subject building is situated within a 6,534 square -foot parcel identified as Riverside County Assessor Parcel Number (APN) 513-082-007. The building is currently occupied, and is owned by Rest Area LLC, Costa Mesa, CA . F uture projects at the property may call for repairs and rehabilitation work to the multi-family commercial property located at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr.

The property is situated ½ of a mile south from the intersection of North Palm Drive and West Alejo Road, on the west side of the street. Figures 1 and 2 present the location of the property in Section 10 of Township 4 South, Range 4 East, on the “ Palm Springs” 1996 USGS 7.5-minute topographic map (San Bernardino Base and Meridian). A current aerial view of the property legal parcel is presented in Figure

3. The study of 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. was conducted in order to identify any potentially significant built - environment resources over 50 years of age that may be physically affected by a future project . The evaluation of the built-environment resource at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. was conducted by Pamela Daly, M.S., a qualified Principal Architectural Historian. Contained within this report is the baseline data used to determine if the building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. has the potential to be designated as a historic resource in the City of Palm Springs, and/or for inclusion in the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR). T he future p roject falls under the regulatory authority of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) , and City of Palm Springs Historic Preservation Ordinance codified in section 8.05 of the Municipal Code.

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1.1 Report Organization

Chapter 1.0 of this report, Introduction, provides an overview of this project and its scope, and presents the legislative requirements that mandate the report’s preparation. Chapter 2.0, Methods, details the methods used to inventory the built -environment resource located within the proposed project area, including a discussion of the CRHR and City criteria. Chapter 3.0, Historic Context, provides a short history of the subject property and the surrounding area. Chapter 4.0 presents a physical description of the built-environment resource located within the proposed p roject area. C hapter 5.0 presents the recommendations for CRHR and/or City historical eligibility, and Chapter 6.0, Bibliography and References, presents the cited works and other materials used in the preparation of this report .

Appendix A presents the qualifications of the person performing the evaluation of the subject property, and Appendix B contains the California Department of Parks and Recreation series 523 (DPR 523) property inventory forms for the property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr.

1.2 Previous Historic Property Investigations

In 2014, the City of Palm Springs commissioned a citywide historic context statement and historic resources survey of built resources as part of the ongoing historic preservation planning efforts in the city. In 2014, the City of Palm Springs became a Certified Local Government; maintaining and updating historic resources surveys of the built environment undertaken by qualified historic preservation professionals is a requirement of that program. The 2014 project included the development of a comprehensive citywide historic context statement and survey update of buildings constructed through 1969. The project was conducted between July 2014 and June 2016 . The survey component of the project reviewed the properties that collectively comprised the City Historic Resources Database, and identified additional properties and neighborhoods that may be eligible as historic resources for inclusion on the City’s inventory.
1 The result of the survey resulted in an updated citywide inventory of properties and neighborhoods with potential historic significance that will satisfy the requirements of the Certified Local Government program; provide baseline info rmation for planning purposes and environmental review in the City of Palm Springs; and assist property owners and the Historic Site Preservation Board in the identification of properties for local designation.

The property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. was surveyed as part of the 2014 Citywide Survey project and determined eligible for listing in the Citywide Historic Resource Inventory as an individual property “eligible for local listing or designation through survey evaluation” and assigned California His torical Resource Status Code 5S3.

The current owner of the property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. communicated to the City of Palm Springs that they may wish to enter into a contract for abatement of property taxes under the Mills Act. City staff advised the property owner that an intensive-level survey and history of the property would need to be performed, and the report (Historic Resource Evaluation Report) should to be submitted to the City as part of the Mills Act application process.

1 “City of Palm Springs Citywide Historic Context Statement and Survey Findings, December 2018”, prepared by Historic Resources Group (Pasadena, CA) for the City of Palm Springs :
https://www.palmspringsca.gov/government/departments/planning/historic -resources/citywide-historic-survey

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1.2. a South Central Information Center

The South Central Information Center (SCIC) is a branch of the C alifornia Historic Resources Information System (CHRIS) , established by the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP), and maintains information concerning cultural resources and associated studies recorded in the county in that Information Center’s jurisdiction. 2 The Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD) at SCIC does not have in their database documents submitted to the SCIC for the property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. as of May 22, 2025.

1.2. b City of Palm Springs, Planning Department: Historic Resources Surveys

The City initiated its first comprehensive historic resources survey in 1976 as a result of the community's desire to identify and document its rich architectural heritage. During that effort, primarily Native American sites were identified. Citywide surve ys undertaken in 1983 and 1987 resulted in the creation of a base list of potential architectural and historical resources throughout the city. These surveys were updated in 2001 and 2004. As a result of these previous surveys and a variety of other effort s, the City has a list of approximately 700 properties included in the City Historic Resources Database. Previous surveys are housed in the City Planning Department.

The 2014 -2016 survey project reviewed all properties on the City Historic Resources Database list for potential significance, and identified additional properties and neighborhoods that may be eligible as historic resources. The result of the 2014 -2016 survey is an updated citywide inventory of properties and neighborhoods with potential historic significance for use as a planning tool by the City.

1.3 Data Collection

A request was made for the building permit records from the Office of City Clerk, City of Palm Springs, for the property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. on May 15, 2025. This request resulted in the receipt of records dating only as far back as 1997. An additional request was made August 5, 2025 resulting in the receipt of Building Department records dating to the original building permit request of March 14, 1946.

Additional resources include:
• Ancestry.com: U.S. Census records, U.S. Immigration records, U.S. Military records, U.S.

Birth/Death/Marriage records, “Find-A-Grave” records, City of Riverside City Directories, City of Riverside historic newspapers.
• Genealogy Bank.com: U.S. historic newspapers.
• Los Angeles Public Library: The Los Angeles Times archives. • California Historic Newspaper Collection: Desert Sun archives. • Newspapers published in California from 1848.

Historic maps accessed for this study include:
• 1940 USGS Palm Springs, CA 1:62,500
• 1944 USGS Palm Springs, CA 1:62,500
• 1957 USGS Palm Springs, CA 1:24,000
• 1975 USGS Palm Springs, CA 1:24,000
• 1996 USGS Palm Springs, CA 1:24,000

2 Prior to June 2024, the Eastern Information Center (EIC) located at the University of California Riverside was the document repository for cultural resources and property inventory site forms in the City and Riverside County.

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2.0 METHODS

The current survey of the built -environment resources at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. included conducting archival research, internet research, and a pedestrian-level inspection of the property. These data were used to prepare the descriptions of the built-environment resource, and prepare a contextual statement and site-specific history for the property . This will provide sufficient baseline data to formulate conclusions about whether the built -environment resource would, or would not meet the criteria for inclusion in the CRHR, or designated as a significant historical resource in the City.

2.1 CRHR Criteria for Historical Resource Evaluation

The Office of Historic Preservation , as an office of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, implements the policies of the duties as set forth in the Public Resources Code (PRC) and maintains the CHRIS. The State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) is an appointed official who implements historic preservation programs within the state’s jurisdictions.

2.1. a California Register of Historical Resources

Created by Assembly Bill 2881, which was signed into law on September 27, 1992, the CRHR is “an authoritative listing and guide to be used by state and local agencies, private groups, and citizens in identifying the existing historical resources of the state and to indicate which resources deserve to be protected, to the extent prudent and feasible, from substantial adverse change.” 3 The criteria for
eligibility for the CRHR are based upon the criteria for listing a property in the NRHP. 4 Certain resources are determined by the statute to be automatically included in the CRHR, including California properties formally determined eligible for, or listed in, the NRHP. 5 The CRHP consists of resources that are listed automatically and those th at must be nominated through an application and public hearing process. The CRHP automatically includes the following:
• California properties listed in the NRHP and those formally determined eligible for the NRHP; • California Registered Historical Landmarks from No. 770 onward; • Those California Points of Historical Interest that have been evaluated by the OHP and have been recommended to the State Historical Resources Commission for inclusion in the CRHR. 6 Other resources which may be nominated to the CRHR include:
• Individual historical resources;
• Historical resources contributing to historic districts; • Historical resources identified as significant in historical resources surveys with significance ratings of Category 1 through 5;
• Historical resources design ated or listed as local landmarks, or designated under any local ordinance, such as a historic preservation overlay zone. 7 3 California Public Resources Code § 5024.1(a).
4 California Public Resources Code § 5024.1(b).
5 California Public Resources Code § 5024.1(d).
6 California Public Resources Code § 5024.1(d).
7 California Public Resources Code § 5024.1(e).

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To be eligible for listing in the CRHR, a historic resource must be significant at the local, state, or national level under one or more of the following four criteria:

1. Is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of California’s history and cultural heritage;

2. Is associated with the lives of persons important in our past;

3. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represents the work of an important creative individual, or possesses high artistic values; or

4. Has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

Additionally, a historic resource eligible for listing in the CRHR must meet one or more of the criteria of significance described above and retain enough of its historic character or appearance to be recognizable as a historical resource and to con vey the reasons for its significance. Historical resources that have been rehabilitated or restored may be evaluated for listing. 8 Integrity under the CRHR is evaluated with regard to the retention of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, fe eling, and association. The resource must also be judged with reference to the particular criteria under which it is proposed for eligibility. 9 The seven factors that define integrity are location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The following is excerpted from National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) Bulletin #15, How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, which provides guidance on the interpretation and application of these factors.

• Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred.
• Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of the property.
• Setting is the physical environment of a historic property. • Materials are the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form a historic property. • Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory.
• Feeling is property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time. • Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property.

In assessing a property’s integrity, the NRHP criteria recognize that properties change over time; therefore, it is not necessary for a property to retain all its historic physical features or characteristics.

The property must, however, retain the essential physical features that enable it to convey its historic identity.

2.1.b. California Office of Historical Preservation Survey Methodology

The evaluation instructions and cl assification system prescribed by the California OHP in its Instructions for Recording Historical Resources provide a three -digit evaluation rating code for use in classifying

8 California Code of Regulations, California Register of Historical Resources (Title 14, Chapter11.5), Section 4852(c). 9 Ibid.

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potential historic resources. The first digit indicates one of the following ge neral evaluation categories for use in conducting cultural resources surveys:

1. Listed in the NRHP or the CRHR;

2. Determined eligible for listing in the NRHP or the CRHR;

3. Appears eligible for listing in the NRHP or the CRHR through survey evaluation;

4. Appears eligible for listing in the NRHP or the CRHR through other evaluation;

5. Recognized as Historically Significant by Local Government;

6. Not eligible for any Listing or Designation; or

7. Not evaluated for the NRHP or CRHR, or needs re-evaluation.

The second digit of the evaluation status code is a letter code indicating whether the resource is separately eligible (S), eligible as part of a district (D), or both (B). The third digit is a number that is used to further specify significance and refine the relationsh ip of the property to the NRHP and/or CRHR.

Under this evaluation system, categories 1 through 4 pertain to various levels of NRHP eligibility. The CRHR, however, may include surveyed resources with evaluation rating codes through level 5. In addition, properties found ineligible for listing in the NRHP, CRHR, or for designation under a local ordinance are given an evaluation status code of 6.

2.2 City of Palm Springs Historic Preservation Ordinance The seven -member Palm Springs Historic Site Preservation Board (HSPB), established by the Palm Springs City Council in May 1981, identifies, nominates, and recommends potential historic sites and districts to the City Council while fostering public awarene ss and appreciation of the City’s rich cultural and architectural heritage. The purpose and authority of the HSPB as outlined in section 8.05 of the Municipal Code is to stabilize and improve buildings, structures, or areas which are considered to be of historical, architectural, archaeological or ecological value, to foster civic beauty, to strengthen the local economy, and to promote the use of specific buildings for the education and welfare of the citizens of Palm Springs.

In 2014, the City of Palm Sp rings became a Certified Local Government (CLG). The CLG program is a preservation partnership between local, state, and national governments focused on promoting historic preservation at the grass roots level. The program is jointly administered by the National Park Service (NPS) and the State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) in each state, with each local community working through a certification process to become recognized as a CLG. CLGs then become active partners in the Federal Historic Preservation Program and the opportunities it provides.

The City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance is codified in section 8.05 of the Municipal Code. The Historic Preservation Ordinance defines the criteria for designating historic resources in the City:

(a) Historic Site. An historic site is any real property such as: a building; a structure, including but not limited to archways, tiled areas and similar architectural elements; an archaeological excavation or object that is unique or significant because of its location, design, setting, materials, workmanship or aesthetic effect and:

(1) That is associated with events that have made a meaningful contribution to the nation, state or community; or

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(2) That is associated with lives of persons who made meaningful contribution to national, state or local history; or
(3) That reflects or exemplifies a particular period of the national, state or local history; or
(4) That embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction; or
(5) That presents the work of a master builder, designer, artist, or architect whose individual genius influenced his age; or that possesses high artistic value; or (6) That represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or
(7) That has yielded or may be likely to yield· information important to national, state or local history or prehistory.

(b) Historic District. Any area of the city of Palm Springs containing a number of structures, natural features o r sites having historic, architectural, archaeological, cultural or aesthetic significance and designated as an historic district under the provisions of this chapter. (Ord. 1320 § I, 1988; Ord. 1140 §I (part), 1981).

Designations are made by the City Council by categorizing nominated sites and districts into one of the following classifications and such other categories as may be designated by resolution:

Class I. Structure/site qualified for city designation; may be qualified at the federal, state and/or county level. Archival file will be maintained. Structure/site may not be modified nor objects removed without the approval of the city council; usage may be limited by the city council to the extent that it may impa ir the integrity of the site. Site will be plaqued. (Intended for use when the structure or site still exists as it did during the historical period or is restorable).

Class 2. Site qualified for city designation; may be qualified at the federal, state and/or county level. Archival file will be maintained. Site is eligible for plaquing. (Intended for use when the site is not occupied by a modern structure or use which is different than that of the historical period or if structure is unusable, nonconforming, unrestorable or the like).

Class 3. Structure/site was constructed before 1969, or a year to be determined by the city council, or construction date cannot be confirmed. Eligible for a six -month stay of demolition.

Action of the HSPB may include reco mmendation to reclassify. All structures built prior to the subject date would be automatically so classified.

Historic District. Qualified for city designation; may be qualified at the federal, state and/or county level. Archival file will be maintained and shall contain a map delineating contributing and noncontributing structures or sites. Contributing structures/sites shall be subject to Class I regulations until such time that they may be reclassified. Noncontributing structures/sites shall be subject to review by the HSPB before demolition or construction. A specific plan, containing special regulations pertaining to the subject area, may be adopted for each district. (Ord. 1320 § 5, 1988: Ord. 1140 § I (part), 1981).

In order to complete the desig nation process, the City Council must make a finding according to

8.05.160 of the Municipal Code:

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If the city council shall find that the purposes of this chapter are furthered by designation of property as an historic site or district, such findings shall be stated in a resolution designating such property within such historic site or district. From and after the adoption of such resolution, all property within such historic site or district shall be subject to the rules and regulations governing the dem olition, preservation, rehabilitation or alteration of historic sites. (Ord 1140 § 1, 1981).

2.3 Historical Research

The evaluation of the property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. involved a review of the history of Palm Springs, and specific neighborhoods and cultural aspects of the City of Palm Springs. In addition to the collection of City of Palm Springs documents noted above in Section 1. 3, research was performed using the online resources of Ancestry.com, Los Angeles Times archives, GeneologyBank.com, the California Digital Newspaper Collection, Desert Sun archives, and historic aerial photographs.

2.4 On-Site Evaluation Process

An intensive-level field survey of the building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. was conducted on May 22, 2025 by Architectural Historian Pamela Daly, M.S. The fieldwork consisted of inspecting the building within the legal parcel and its overall interrelationship with the surrounding landscape.

The evaluation by Daly & Associates examined the built-environment resour ce in the context of its surrounding landscape, noting the condition of the existing structure, construction materials, historic design, and any noteworthy physical elements of the resource. The field survey also included obtaining color digital photos of the structure, elevations, and landscape. The current property owners were able to supply the selection of the original drawings/plans for the building that had been left by previous owners. This information was used to create baseline data to determine the potential eligibility of the subject property as a historic resource.

3.0 HISTORIC CONTEXT

3.1 City of Palm Springs10

3.1. a Early Settlement
The Coachella Valley’s first permanent Anglo settler was John Guthrie McCallum, a San Francisco attorney and former State Legislator who arrived in the Cahuilla village of Agua Caliente with his wife Emily and their five children in the spring of 1884. A t yphoid epidemic five years earlier had left the McCallum's eldest son, Johnny, with tuberculosis; the family doctor had advised that the boy’s only hope for recovery was to relocate to a warm, dry climate. The family moved to Los Angeles and McCallum secured an appointment as Indian agent in San Bernardino. It was from the nearby town of Banning that a local Indian guide named Will Pablo led McCallum through the San Gorgonio pass to Agua Caliente.

10 Excerpt from the “City of Palm Springs Citywide Historic Context Statement and Survey Findings, December 2018.”

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McCallum purchased an initial 64 acres of railroad land (of his eventual vast land holding in the area) and employed local Indians to build a small adobe house at what is now the southwest corner of Palm Canyon Drive and East Tahquitz Canyon Way (now located at 221 S. Palm Canyon Drive). When the adobe was comple te McCallum fetched his family, with the youngest, four -year-old daughter Pearl, perched on the back of his saddle.

The Tahquitz Ditch had long been a feature of village life by the time John Guthrie McCallum arrived in 1884. He expanded the Tahquitz Ditc h, increasing its flow by tapping into one of the canyon’s springs.

McCallum began using water from the ditch to irrigate his ranch, and, as new settlers came, they availed themselves of the water provided by the Tahquitz Ditch. This became increasingly pr oblematic for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians as settlers continued to arrive in Palm Springs.

Although McCallum had significantly increased the output of the Tahquitz Ditch, its resources were far from enough to accommodate the influx of new settlement he hoped to generate. In 1887, after forming the Palm Valley Water Company, McCallum embarked on the creation of an extensive new canal that would carry water from the Whitewater River for over eight miles across the rugged desert until it reach ed the McCallum ranch.

Completed in the fall of 1887, the stone -lined Whitewater Ditch had the capacity to carry an ample supply of water into Palm Springs.

In 1886 McCallum persuaded Scottish-born Dr. Welwood Murray to move from Banning and establish a health resort in area of Palm Springs.

Murray purchased a five-acre parcel on the north side of what is now Tahquitz Canyon Way, between Palm Canyon Drive and Indian Canyon Drive, and opened the village’s first hostelry, the Palm Springs Hotel (demolished). Murray built a one-story, wood-framed building with a wraparound veranda and accommodations for 20 guests, and planted the land with oranges, ornamental shrubs, and trees.

Some of the visitors stayed in the area and Murray’s hotel , and settled the little village that began to develop around the McCallum adobe and the Palm Springs Hotel, at what is now the intersection of South Palm Canyon Drive and East Tahquitz Canyon Way . In 1887, 320 acres were platted to create the township of Palm Springs. With the establishment of the Southern Pacific Railroad line running from San Bernardino, east to Indio, south to Yuma, Arizona, and eventually to Texas, 137 lots of the new Palm Springs township were sold in November of 1887.

Episodes of s evere drought, and violent floods, combined with land ownership disputes between the U.S. Government and the local indigenous tribes, led recent residents to the near abandonment of the newly created town of Palm Springs. It wouldn’t be until the nineteen-‘teens that outsiders were willing to invest in the dream of building a seasonal and healthy retreat for visitors from all across California and the United States.

3.1.b Palm Springs 1919-1941
11 Automobile tourism played an early and important part in the success and growth of Palm Springs as a resort destination. In 1914, highway bonds were passed in Riverside County for extensive road improvements and construction of new routes. As part of these efforts, the highway connecting Los Angeles and Palm Spr ings was completed in October 1916 allowing travelers to drive all the way from Los Angeles to Palm Springs in less than 4 hours, all on paved roads.

11 Ibid: Palm Springs Historic Context: Palm Springs between the Wars (1919-1941).

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The first residential subdivisions were recorded in the early 1920s on tracts largely concentrated on land immediately surrounding the existing village and the resorts. In the 1920s, business tycoons, industrialists, and other wealthy businessmen, along with the Hollywood elite, discovered the desert and began to transform Palm Springs into an international resort. While the movie stars primarily stayed at the resort hotels when visiting Palm Springs, other wealthy residents and seasonal visitors started building architect-designed estates and drawing increased attention to the growing resort town.

Wealthy capitalists who came to Palm Springs in the 1920s include King Camp Gillette; Carrie Humphrey Birge, widow of George K. Birge, the wallpaper & Pierce -Arrow magnate; businessman and philanthropist William Mead; Frederick W. Stevens of the American Locomotiv e Company; Chicago capitalist John Burnham; steel magnate Louis R. Davidson; and cereal king S.K. Kellogg, who began wintering in Palm Springs as early as 1926.

The 1930s saw Palm Springs blossom, as more and more celebrities made it their winter weekend getaway, and more development sprang up to house and entertain them. By the start of World War II, Palm Springs had so long been thought of as a movie star's playground that some of the neighborhoods were described as "Beverly Hills in the desert." One section was so filled with film notables, the neighborhood was ultimately dubbed the "Movie Colony."

In the 1930s important figures in finance and business continued to flock to the desert in the winter, helping to cement the village's reputation as one of the nation's top winter resort destinations.

Internationally famous names such as Walter P. Chrysler; Alfred Vanderbilt; Herbert F. "Hib" Johnson of the S.C. Johnson Co.; John Jakob Raskob, head of finance for both General Motors and Dupont Chemical Company, and builder of the Empire State Building; auto magnate Walter Marmon; Arthur K. Bourne of Singer Sewing Machine fortune; Franklyn Hutton, James S. Kemper and his brother Hathaway of the Kemper Insurance Group; Russell Vought of Vought Aircraft; and Law rence Mario Giannini, son of A.P.

Giannini who made the Bank of America into one of the world's largest financial institutions.

3.1. c. Palm Springs post World War II 1945-1969
12 As prosperity returned with the war, and as the peacetime return of soldiers brought a demand for new development, a young generation of architects exposed to Modernism in their training or travels before and during the war wanted to put those ideas into pr actice. This was also a period of exuberance and optimism that was directly reflected in the architecture.

Prior to World War II, Palm Springs had been a tourist and vacation home destination for the wealthy.

Postwar prosperity brought a new group of tour ists and second home -owners to the city: the upper - middle and middle classes. This gradual democratization of Palm Springs would irrevocably change the city during the 1950s and 1960s, first with expansive single -family residential development and ultimately through the creation of innovative forms of multi- family residential development and ownership options. The creation of new tracts and subdivisions also resulted in a less concentrated, more scattered development pattern.

Residential designs in the 1940 s established the pattern of a wide range of interpretations of Modern architecture. The decade brought Palm Springs the building which was, and remains, the most famous in terms of international recognition: Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House. Following arch itects like Albert

12 Ibid: Palm Springs Historic Context: Post-World War II Palm Springs (1945-1969).

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Frey and John Porter Clark, who began working in Palm Springs before the war, more architects who would become central figures in the Palm Springs School settled there in the 1940s. William Cody, a graduate of the USC School of Architect ure, moved to Palm Springs in 1946 for health reasons. After serving in the war, E. Stewart Williams joined his father, Harry, and his brother Roger to begin their joint practice.

Peace returned to Palm Springs just in time for the winter season of 1945 -46, and so did the Hollywood movie stars and Eastern industrialists. Along with them, in ever- increasing numbers, came ordinary tourists; the growing prosperity of the postwar years and the rise of the car culture created a leisured, mobile middle class that sought, in Palm Springs, a resort lifestyle that had previously been available primarily to the very rich. This surge of visitors and seasonal residents coincided with Modernism’s rise in popularity. As a result, commercial architecture in Palm Springs from this period reflected this acceptance of Modernism and expressed a wide range of Modern interpretations as it increasingly served two purposes: the need for tourist-oriented buildings for seasonal residents and visitors, and the need for practical daily services, such as banks, shops, and gas stations, for the growing population of permanent residents.

Commercial development during this period consisted of both infill development in the original commercial core, and the continued northward and southwar d expansion of the commercial district along Palm Canyon and Indian Canyon Drives. A number of motels and other commercial services were constructed to the south of the original downtown, with a cluster of postwar commercial development along S. Palm Canyon Drive.

Several significant retail buildings were constructed in the years immediately after the war. The city's wealthy leisure class had always attracted exclusive shops. In 1947 Bullock's, one of Los Angeles' fashionable department stores, moved out of its boutique at the Desert Inn and into a new building by Los Angeles architects Walter Wurdeman and Welton Becket, with landscape design by Ruth Shellhorn (demolished).

It reflected the Late Moderne style the pair used the same year at Bullock's Pasadena to attract a stylish, suburban clientele. In the late 1950s Becket designed the Saks Fifth Avenue branch at 490 S. Palm Canyon Drive (altered) with highly textured walls of stone and molded concrete block.

Two other notable Los Angeles architects, Paul R. Williams and A. Quincy Jones, were hired by Pearl McCallum McManus to update her Tennis Club and design a new restaurant for the facility. Williams and Jones also collaborated on The Center (1948, 146 N. Palm Canyon Drive; listed in the National Registe r), also known as the Town & Country center, a two -story, Late Moderne-style collection of shops, offices, and a fashionable restaurant in the center of the block off the main retail area on Palm Canyon Dr.

The
complex fronts onto both Palm Canyon and Indi an Canyon Drives, and was configured around a central landscaped courtyard, accessed from the streets by pedestrian passages. It is a rare example of a modern adaptation of the courtyard type more typically associated with Spanish and Mediterranean Revival styles.

Examples of commercial buildings from this period may include hotels, motels, retail stores, banks, restaurants, commercial storefront buildings, and automobile -related resources including auto dealerships and drive -ins. There was a great deal of commercial development in Palm Springs in the immediate postwar period, and continuing into the 1960s.

Commercial properties in Palm Springs associated with this period and listed as historical resources in the City of Palm Springs include the Hotel Del M arcos (1946- 47, HSPB -78), the Town and Desert

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Apartments (1947; now the Hideaway; HSPB-90), the Town & Country Center (1948; HSPB-51), the Oasis Commercial Building (1953, HSPB- 55), and the Esso station (1963 -65, HSPB -33 and HSPB -37; now the Visitors Center).

3.2 457 North Palm Canyon Drive

3.2. a. Isador Rubin
Isador Rubin (née Rubinstein) was born in Suwolki, Poland in July 15, 1885. He immigrated to the United States in 1902 by way of Ellis Island in New York , and made his way to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1911. 13 The U.S. Census data for 1910 points to Rubin starting his profession as a garment merchant in Oklahoma City , but it appears he would connect with extended members of the fraternal branch of his family – around that same time – who were located in San Diego, California. Isador Rubin married Anna Kellner of Oklahoma City in 1915, settled at 825 West 21 st Street in that city. They would have two children; a boy born in 1916 and a girl born in 1926.14 In San Diego, California, in 1898, Meyer (wife Ethel) Rubin had established Rubin’s Furniture Store in San Diego.15 Rubin’s were located at 552 5 th Street in San Diego in 1905. In 1909, Rubin’s moved to 1611 - 1619 D Street, and i n 1913 Rubin’s was located at 1704 H Street. Meyer’s brother Isaac (wife Miriam) joined the firm in 1912, and together the brothers would expand Rubin’s furniture store with the establishment of a men’s and women’s clothing department. It was in May of 1913 that I. (Isaac) Rubin placed an advertisement in the San Diego Sun stating they would be selling “Ladies and Gents Suits.”16 The clothing store of I. (Isaac) Rubin – called I. Rubin’s after its founder - moved to 839 Broadway in San Diego in 1917, and the final move to a location just one block to the east of the future John D. Spreckels building at 625 Broadway, was completed in 1924.17 With this move, I. Rubin’s was situated in the best part of the commercial district of San Diego.

From U.S. Census records, it appears Isador Rubin’s wife and children remained living in Oklahoma City, while Rubin conducted business on the West Coast.18
By the early 1930s, Isador Rubin was able to establish his own fur “salon” i n Los Angeles , and he used the name of “I. Rubin” for his business name (hopefully with the blessing of Isaac Rubin.) In those days, many of the better hotels that were visited by well -to-do guests would have small retail shops on the property to allow guests to buy items of clothing, or other sundries, that they may not have packed for a visit to Southern California. The luxury hotels such as the Beverly Wilshire, El Mirador, Hotel Bel Air, and Beverly Hills Hotel were visited by guest relatively untou ched by the economic downturn of the Great Depression.

13 Ancestry.com. “Isador Rubin.”
14 Ancestry.com. “Isador Rubin.”
15 San Diego Sun. “Rubin’s” advertisement, May 3, 1913. 16 National City Star-News. “I. Rubin came for vacation”, December 9, 1938. 17 John D. Spreckels (1853-1926) was heir to the Spreckels sugar fortune. He invested substantial money and effort into improving the little shipping port town of San Diego in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the construction of transportation facilities, supporting the 1915 Pan American Exposition, and other cultural ventures in the city.
18 Los Angeles Directory Co. “San Diego City Directory 1918”.

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Also, aside from attracting hotels guest to purchase furs, women of all economic strata in the 1930s and 1940s were including an item of fur clothing to adorn their best outfits. These items ranged from just a simple fur pelt that could be attached to a coat collar, to a full length “opera coat” of ermine or mink expected to be seen at a movie premier. Two of the hotels that Rubin most likely had “in -house” fur salons were at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and the Ambassador Hotel.

Figure 4: Advertisement for I. Rubin, clothing merchant. San Diego Union Tribune, 1923.

Figure 5: Fashion show models wearing fur stoles, jackets, and coats, Beverly Hills 1932.

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In 1939, Rubin is able to establish his own fur salon shop at 9482 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, just a half block to the east of the magnificent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, which had been constructed in 1928.19 In 1941, when Rubin’s son was to be married, the announcement in the Los Angeles Times noted that his father was “I. Rubin of Beverly Hills.” 20 When Rubin’s daughter – attending Stanford University - was to be married in 1946, the wedding announcement in the Los Angeles Times noted that her father was “I.

Rubin of the Ambassador Hotel.”21
With his success having storefront shops at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and the Ambassador Hotel, he most probably had a shop at the 165- room El Mirador Hotel in Palm Springs when it opened in 192 8.

The Desert Sun reported in late 1935 that Rubin was building a house in the desert, outside of town. 22 Rubin was frequently spotted by the society columnists of the Desert Sun at the Racquet Club with various important persons and movie stars.

On the personal side, Isador Rubin had continued to be recorded up to 1930, as having his main residence at the house with his family in Oklahoma City. Isador’s son Eugene M. Rubin had moved out to California to attend University of Southern California in 1935 , leaving his daughter and wife still in Oklahoma. Isador’s wife passed away in 1938, and his daughter moved to California at that time. Based on information from the U.S. Census of 1940, and U.S. Department of War draft card registration for Isador Rubin, he maintained an apartment in Los Angeles in the early 1940s.23 Rubin remarried in 1944, but the marriage was over quickly with his second wife suing for divorce in 1948. He was referred to as a “Beverly Hills furrier” in the article about the divorce in the Los Angeles Times, September 10, 1948.

Figure 6: Historic postcard of North Palm Canyon Drive circa 1946.

Penthouse Apartments is the second building from the right.

19 Los Angeles Times. “I. Rubin” advertisement, September 24, 1939. 20 Los Angeles Times. Wedding announcement for Eugene Marvin Rubin, dated April 7, 1941. 21 Los Angeles Times. Wedding announcement for Gloria Beth Rubin, dated August 26, 1946. 22 Desert Sun. “No title”, December 27, 1935.
23 Ancestry.com. “Isador Rubin”.

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The Desert Sun reported that a permit had been filed in 1946 by I. Rubin for the construction of a commercial property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr., and proposed project was estimated to cost $60,000.24 The City of Palm Springs issued Building Permit #2212 on March 14 1946 for the construction of “ The Rubin Building” at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. 25 Finding full -time tenants to rent the office spaces in the arcade may have been difficult, resulting in the conversion of some of the offices into studio apartments in 1950.26 In 1951, an office space at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. is advertised in the Desert Sun as being located in the “Hotel Penthouse Arcade.”27
Art Lasky, the famous boxer from the 1930s – now turned physical therapist - rented office space in the “Hotel Penthouse” building in February 1953, and was a tenant there for several years. 28 The Palm Springs Tourist Bureau occupied an office there for an extended period , and acted as Rubin’s rental agent for property.29 Classified ads would be occasionally posted in the Des ert Sun seeking to rent the office units or penthouse apartments.

Rubin is recorded in 1950 as being “retired” and is using an apartment in Los Angeles as his primary residence – not the house in Palm Springs. 30 Rubin continued to be mentioned in the Desert Sun attending social or tennis events in Palm Springs. In 1956, “I. Rubin of 457 North Palm Canyon Drive” posts a legal notice that he and Monte Warshauer (Monart Motors of Wisconsin) “are conducting a Building and Investment Business” in the City of Palm Springs under the fictitious business name of M & R Investment Co.
31 An article written by Bill Rashall of the Desert Sun in February 1957 , would report how Monte Warshauer and I. Rubin ha d purchased the 20 -acre Palm Vista Estates (adjacent to Las Palmas Estates) property for the purpose of developing the lots with luxury -priced homes. 32 Palm Vista Estates is located just up the hill from Las Palmas Estates, with lots on West Stevens Drive and Camino Norte . The lots themselves in the Palm Vista Estates had been selling for $5,000 and $8,000, prior to M & R Investments purchasing the development. The proposed project by M & R Investments was to build just 19 homes on the 20 acres, with “each home costing between $150,000 and $200,0 00 each.” The M & R Investments proudly boasted that “when completed this development will run into about $3,000,000 or more.”
33 In March of 1957, the Desert Sun reported on the completion of the first luxury home in Palm Vista Estates, which was given the name of “Castle in the Air.” 34 The house had been designed by architect
Howard Lapham and Thor Fredricksen was the general contractor for the project. 35 The cantilevered house provided “breathtaking views” of Palm Springs and the valley, and was of concre te construction,

24 Desert Sun. “March Building Passes Three Million Mark as New Hotels, Stores Start”, March 22 1946. 25 City of Palm Springs Building Permit #2212 for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. 26 City of Palm Springs Building Permit #4544 for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. 27 Desert Sun. “Classifieds: Office for Rent”, September 21, 1951. 28 Desert Sun. “Art Lasky, Former Ring Figure, Opens Office Here”, February 2, 1953. 29 Desert Sun. “Business Rentals, classified”, September 21, 1951. 30 Ancestry.com. “Isador Rubin.” U.S. Census for 1950. 31 Desert Sun. “Legal Notices”, May 12, 1956.
32 Rashall, Bill. “Unedited”, Desert Sun; February 22, 1957. 33 Ibid.
34 Desert Sun. “Castle in the Air is Latest Example of Distinctive Luxury Architecture Which Has Given Palm Springs Reputation of Leadership in Homes”, March 2, 1957.
35 Desert Sun. “Palm Vista Estates are Complete in Every Detail, Ultimate in Luxury”, February 23, 1957.

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with large expanses of curtain wall glass and “modern Chinese décor.” The “spec” house was offered for sale at $195,000.36

Figure 7: Advertisement in the Desert Sun, February 16, 1957.

Shortly after the Palm Vista Estates development owned by M & R Investments was heavily publicized and promoted, another development in Palm Springs appeared with the same name. This – other - “Palm Vista Estates” development was comprised of more modest houses, designed to attract first time homebuyers and/or full-time residents. The other Palm Vista Estates is located east of State Route 111 and north of West San Rafael Drive.

The success or failure of M & R Investment development of Palm Vista Estate s, adjacent to Las Palmas Estates is unknown. Isador Rubin appears to have led a quiet life until his passing in 1968.

3.2. b. Albert Raymond Walker
Albert R. Walker was born in 1881 in Sonoma, California. After the death of his father in 1900, Albert and his mother moved to San Diego, California. After high school, Walker went to work as a

36 Ibid.

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draughtsman for the San Diego architectural team of William S. Hebbard and Irving Gill. In 1906, Walker moved to Los Angeles where he first worked as a draftsman fo r architects John Parkinson and George Bergstrom, as a designer for Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey, and as a designer for Alfred Rosenheim.

Walker went out on his own in 1908, and designed the Fullerton First Methodist Episcopal Church, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. 37 Walker teamed up with Architect
John Terrell Vawter in 1910, and they worked together for seven years before Walker formed a partnership with architect Percy A. Eisen in 1918.38
Over the next 20 years, Eisen and Walker were the architects for a great nu mber of the landmark buildings constructed in Los Angeles before 1940. Major projects of Eisen and Walker in Los Angeles included the Hotel Normandie, the Ambassador Hotel, the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, the Title Insurance and Trust Company Building, and th e United Artists Theater. The El Cortez Hotel in San Diego was designed by Eisen and Walker, and opened its doors in 1927.

In Palm Springs, Eisen and Walker designed the 165-room El Mirador Hotel in 1928. From 1941 to 1954, Walker formed a partnership with Gus W. Kalionzes and James A. Zerbe , and in 1946 the team designed the building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. for Beverly Hills furrier Isador Rubin. 39 The building was
designed with decorative attributes that harkens of Beverly Hills before the 1960s, an d this style of building would attract shoppers in Palm Springs wanting to find that level of sophistication. Mr. Walker was 65 when he designed the Hotel Penthouse building for Rubin, and passed away in 1958.

4.0 HISTORIC STRUCTURES EVALUATION

The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Drive is a rectangular-massed structure that sits on a rectangular lot in an east-west orientation, and is comprised of three separate components: the arcade level, and two penthouse structures. The building is construct ed of steel frame , concrete and concrete masonry unit framing. The front elevation of the building faces east towards N. Palm Canyon Dr. The rea r elevation faces west towards North Belardo Road and Mount San Jacinto. There are neighboring buildings set t o the immediate north and south along the property lines.

The first level of the building is a single-story, designed to be used for retail/commercial suites. On each side of the front entrance to the arcade, set in the front façade, are two large disp lay windows, in rectangular framing, that project from the main block of the building. The display windows are framed in stainless steel, have three fixed lights, and a valance with a wide overhanging edge. The display windows are accessed from the interior rooms. Fixed planters that are clad with butt -end flagstone veneer are set under the length of the display windows. The wood trim surrounding the entranceway is original, while the green granite wall cladding and the letters “Galleria” are not original.

37 National Park Service Digital Gallery; Fullerton First Methodist Church. https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/01000076
38 Los Angeles Times. “Famed L.A. Architect Albert R. Walker Dies”, September 18, 1958. 39 Original drawings for 457 N. Palm Dr., 1946. Held by the property owner. 40 See Attachment B of this document for a copy of “As-Built” drawings prepared for 457 N. Palm Dr., April 18, 2025.

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on each side of arcade are approximately 18’4” wide, with a ceiling height of 11’ 1”. This first floor component has a flat roof system that spans almost the entire length of the building.

Figure 8: Architect’s sketch of the building for Isador Rubin for project at 457 North Palm Canyon Drive, 1946.

The ten office suites are of identical size on each side of the arcade , with t he front units, #1 and #2 designed to have approximately twice the square footage of the other eight suites. The front entrances of units #1 and #2 present classic design elements of Regency Revival (Georgian 1700 -1780) architecture. A wood paneled door is set in a wood frame that is comprised of an entablature at the top of the door way with spaced fluted blocks, and Doric columns on each side of the doorway . The pedestrian door has a single fixed light framed in the upper two -thirds of the door , and symmetrically set raised panels set below the light. The light is separated from the raised panels by a horizontal strip of wood molding that references the Doric capital of the columns. The doors of suites #3 to #10 share the same design as that of suites #1 and #2, but have more modest door frames. The front doors of suites #1 - #10 have their original brass hardware, which includes door sets, hinges, and letter slots. The doorways of suites #3 - #10 are headed by transom windows which allowed for an air exchange while the door was shut. The display windows of suites #7 and #8 may have been modified in 1950 to create an additional opening in the suites’ exterior to allow for additional air flow into the units.

The interior walls of the arcade are clad with vertical wood siding, and a wood cornice runs along the walls atop the walls of the suites. Suites #1 and #2 have framed , fixed light display windows, measuring approximately 50 inches wide by 24 inches tall, set into the paneled walls that project into the arcade for the display of small items. The large display windows of the interior suites are framed in wood and sit on bulkheads clad with the same flagstone veneer treatment as the planters on the front façade. The floor of the arcade is set with natural flagstone pavers in ceme nt. Florescent light fixtures are set in the length of the arcade ceiling. F luorescent light fixtures were used in commercial settings in the 1940s, but the current fixtures do not appear to be original to 1946.

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Approximately halfway along the length of the arcade there are metal objects imbedded in the flagstone flooring that suggests there had been a security gate located at this location to keep casual retail visitors from accessing the office suites and stairways to the upper level, farther along the corridor.

At approximately two-thirds along the full length of the arcade, the hallway widens by six feet on each side and an atrium is created. The atrium is created by using this area for utility rooms and staircases that are less wide than the office suites. The utility rooms include public washrooms, a janitor’s closet, and stairways to the upper level on both the north and south sides of the arcade.

Natural light is provided to the atrium from a lightwell opening in the roof situated over the area. The irregular hexagon shaped lightwell measures approximately 6 feet wide by 8 foot long. Continuing to the west along the arcade there are an additional t wo office suites (#7, #8, #9, #10) on each side, until one reaches the rear security gate to the arcade.

To access the upper level, a person must use either of the staircases located on the north and south side of the atrium in the arcade. The steps – on both sides of the atrium - leading to the rooftop of the arcade are clad with natural flagstone set in mortar. There is a wrought metal, painted railing with a curtail and finial at the ground level, and only the handrail – attached to the stairwell wall – continues upward.

The penthouse located towards the east contains two, two-bedroom apartments (units #A and #B), and the rear façade of this penthouse , faces east towards North Palm Canyon Drive with the balcony that spans the front facade. The structure to the west contains two, one-bedroom apartments (units #C and #D) and its rear elevation faces the alley and adjacent parking lot.

The balcony on the front elevation of the building was created by recessing the rear (bedroom) walls of penthouse units A and B under the overhanging roof eave. The structural wall of the front elevation was carried up from the arcade level to meet the roof eave, and a cutout created along the façade to give the appearance of a balcony with the open space spanning the approximate height of a balcony railing up to the eave. The balcony wall of units A and B are each set with metal framed casement window units and a set of wood-frame french doors.

Concrete brick walls, approximately 5 feet tall, run along the north and south edges of the open patio space between the end walls of the penthouses to create an enclose d patio. The penthouses are covered by medium -pitch gable roo fs set on a north -south alignment and the roof eaves overhang across the front facades of the units. The entrances to units A and B are situated within a recessed area under the enclosed overhanging eave that creates a modest porch entranceway. The enclosed overhanging eave to units C and D cover the front entrances that are set flush in the front wall of each apartment. The front facades of the penthouse units are clad with horizontally set, wide novelty wood siding. The front doors of the apartments are paneled in the “cross and bible” pattern, and the hardware on the doors (except for deadbolt locks) appears to be original.

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into the exterior wall for the kitchen spaces within units A and B. There is a wide, wood cornice that runs along the top of the exterior wall of units A and B. For units C and D , the units were designed to make it appear they shared one large, multi- light, metal framed casement bay window with right -angle end frames. The one bay window is actually divided by the framing between the two apartments. Set immediately in front of the long bay window of units C and D is the lightwell opening. The lightwell is surrounded on its open sides by a railing of decorative metal cast panels in the acorn leaf design. These same panels are used as decorative elements on the outside of the penthouse units, and on the walls of the balcony, of units A and B.

A Freedom of Information Act request was made to the City of Palm Springs for all permits, documents, etc. contained in the Building Department records for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. as part of this evaluation.

The request returned 49 records in the file for the subject property. The records consisted primarily of permits for electrical repairs, plumbing repairs, occupancy pe rmits for the individual office spaces, and installation and repair of the HVAC units. Other than the original construction permit for the building dated in 1946 (Permit #2212) , and a permit to “alter office for use as apartments” ( Permit #4544, October 21, 1950), there were no permits filed for any physical alterations to the original building.

Character-defining features of the property. Include – but are not limited to:

First level (Arcade) and Penthouse level:

Wide overhanging eaves; including on the front façade display windows Vertically set wood paneling and cornice trim
Concrete masonry brick construction
Flat front façade with upper balcony created by opening rectangular space in the front elevation.

Painted, cast metal tracery used on staircases and wall cresting Bulkhead window units and their trim
Front display windows and their trim
Display windows in arcade with stainless steel and wood framing Large, fixed, single panels of plate glass used in each arcade unit and front display windows The flagstone veneer on the front planters (narrow butts and rectangular flats) • The front planters do not appear on the building’s blueprints, but the plans do call for the application of flagstone butt veneer to be applied to the wall directly under the front display window units. A historic, photo postcard from circa 1946 (Figure 6 [the date of the postcard photograph is based on the models and styles of the auto parked on N. Palm Canyon Dr.]) clearly shows that there is greenery set in the planters in front of the display windows on the front façade.

Wood doors and their surrounds
Transom openings above doors
Brass door and window hardware
Steel frame casement windows on apartments
Flagstone paving on the floor and butt-end veneer used to clad bulkheads in arcade

Not original and can be replaced:
• The green granite used to surround the arcade opening on the front façade. Based on the original drawings of the building, it appears where the granite is located on the façade – used to be flat wood trim board as part of the decorative surround of the entrance way. Our guess is that the granite was used to cover up damaged portions of the CMU wall surface around the entranceway.

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• The lettering “Galleria” on the front façade. The wall surface should be appropriately repaired after the letters are removed.
• The front entrance gate. This replaced a shorter metal gate that was situated at the entranceway, and is visible in the photograph of the building in the survey of 2014-2016. • Security gates used at the ground level of the penthouse stairwells • Date of rear gate is unknown. It could be replaced.

Figure 9: Front (east) elevation of 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. View looking west.

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Figure 10: South portion of rear elevation. View looking northeast.

Figure 11: Front elevation, looking southwest.

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Figure 12: Front elevation, looking west.

Figure 13: Entrance to storefront Unit #2.

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Figure 14: Interior view of the arcade from the front entrance. View looking west.

Figure 15: View of the lightwell in the arcade in front of Units #7 and #8. The stairwells to the penthouse level are situated to the left and right of the lightwell where the metal security gates are situated.

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Figure 16: Rear entrance security gate and entrance to the arcade hallway. View looking east.

Figure 17: The entrance façade to #B, one of the two-bedroom units. View looking southeast.

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Figure 18: The entrance to #D and #C, the two-bedroom apartments. The lightwell opening is situated between the two units in the patio floor, surrounded by the decorative railing. View looking northwest.

5.0 ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1 Overview

The main objective of this study is to provide an evaluation of significance and eligibility recommendations for the historic -era resource that ha s not been previously subjected to an intensive - level evaluation for potential to be considered a historical resource in the City of Palm Springs. The baseline level of documentation provided in this report presents the information necessary to make such an evaluation for the building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. Once the recommendations of eligibility are made, future management considerations for the resources can be determined.

Pursuant to California Public Resources Code §5024.1(a), it is required that state and local agencies perform an intensive -level evaluation of historic buildings, structures, objects, features, or landsc apes located w hen that resource may be subject to changes in a future project which have not been fully evaluated for CRHR eligibility in any prior survey.

The City of Palm Spring’s Historic Preservation Ordinance is codified in section 8.05 of the Municipal Code. The Historic Preservation Ordinance defines the criteria for designating historic resources in the City.

As part of this current assessment report, the building at 457 N. Palm Dr. was evaluated under City of Palm Springs Section 8.05 of the Municipal Code designation criteria, and CRHR criteria to determine the eligibility of the building as a significant resource on a local and state level (see Section 2.0, Methods).

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Based on the applicable criteria, the building was then evaluated for its possession of historic integrity:
location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association, within its historic context.

The assessment of the significance of a property within its historic context is based on OHP guidelines:
• Identify the historic context represented by the property. • Determine how the theme of context is significant in local, state, or national history. • Determine if the property type represents the context. • Determine how the property illustrates an important aspect of the history. • Determine if the property retains the physical features necessary to convey its significance (historic integrity).

5.2 CRHR Eligibility Recommendations
The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. was constructed in 1947 in the Regency Revival or Modern Georgian (named after King George IV of Great Britain) style of architecture that was “popular in the 1930s, although post WWII examples can be found” .41 The subject building is unique for being an example of property that was designed with the first level serving as an arcade -style retail shopping and office suite complex, while the second level has four apartments units in a penthouse setting. This multi-use building was designed in a rare example of Regency Revival style architecture applied to a commercial building in Palm Springs.

The twenty-year partnership of Walker and Eisen resulted in the design of a number of buildings that have been preserved as landmarks in Southern California, and are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

While the building designs for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. were signed in 1946, and the building constructed in 1947, we believe that the subject property should be evaluated in consideration of two themes listed below. The building presents an architectural style that was popular for a brief period primarily during the 1930s, and that the theme for “ Multi-Family Residential Development Between the Wars ” clearly includes mixed -use commercial and residential properties with a nod towards the bungalow court (arcade court) style of design.

We would also like to make note of the fact that the historic themes developed for evaluating architecture in Palm Springs, leaves out the period of 1941 to 1945. While it is true that with the participation of the United States into World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 had a substantial impact upon the development and construction of new buildings throughout the country, not all of the new architectural designs coming out after 1945 were immediately put into application. The various “revival” styles of architecture that were popular for residential – and some commercial – design in the United States , and dated from the 1910s, continued to be used for clients well into the 1950s.

41 Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. “Architectural Style Guide: Regency Revival”. Accessed June 15, 2025: https://dahp.wa.gov/historic-preservation/historic-buildings/architectural-style- guide/regency-revival

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The property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. is eligible for being determined a historical resource under the following themes as presented in the “ City of Palm Springs Citywide Historic Context Statement and Survey Findings, December 2018”:

Multi-Family Residential Development Between the Wars (1919-1941[-1945]) Post-World War II Commercial Development (1945-1969)

Criterion 1 : This property is an excellent example of the development of multi -function properties in urban settings in the 1940s , and specifically in the City of Palm Springs . The property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Drive w as constructed to serve as a multi- family residential building that also has dedicated space for retail and office suites. Being designed just after the end of World War II, the owner and architect decided on the Regency Revival style of architecture that was able to reference both the refinement of detail, and delicacy of design to point to pre -WWII revival styles - and also present a building using strong geometric shapes and horizontal aspects post-WWII Modernism architecture. The subject building bridges the trend in Palm Springs of constructing Spanish Revival style bungalows and courtyard properties before the outset of WWII, to the arrival of the sleek and sparse Modern/International Style of architecture being designed in the City after the end of WWII.

Criterion 2: The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. has not been found to be directly associated with any persons that have made a significant contribution to the history of real estate development or the construction of housing developments i n the City of Palm Springs . Isador Rubin, who developed the property, was just one of many land speculators buying land, and developing commercial and residential buildings post-WWII in Palm Springs. The property is not eligible for listing in the CRHR u nder Criterion

2. Criterion 3: The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. is an excellent and rare example of a Regency Revival property dating from 1947, and is the work of a master architect . The subject building was designed in 1946 by the renowned architectural team of Albert R. Walker, Gus Kalionzes, and James A. Zerbe. Albert R. Walker started his career in San Diego working with master architect Irving R. Gill, and then moved to Los Angeles to work first with John Parkinson, and then Myron H. Hunt, before setting up his own office.

The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. is in excellent condition with 95% of its original materials and workmanship, and arcade configuration, still intact. As a Regency Revival style multi- use building of retail and residential use, with the residential units built as penthouses above the retail level, it is a rare and threatened property. The property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. is eligible for listing in the CRHR under Criterion 3.

Criterion 4: The subject property does not appear to have the potential to provide information about the prehistoric history of Palm Springs, Riverside County, or California. The property is not eligible for listing under Criterion 4.

By having the original drawings that document the proposed front façade of Rubin’s building in 1946, we can easily see how little the building as it appears today varies from the original concept. The property has retained the aspects of design, workmanship, materials, location, setting, feeling, and association as explained below:

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Location: The subject property, 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr., continue s to be located where it was constructed.

Setting: The subject property continues to be located in the retail and commercial corridor of Palm Springs.

Design: A review of the blueprints for the subject property, and an intensive-level survey of the physical aspects of the property, supports the finding that the building has retained its original form, plan, space, structure, and architectural style from when it was constructed in 1946.

Materials: A review of the original blueprints for the subject property, and an intensive level survey performed on the property, supports the finding that the building has retained a n overwhelming amount of its original physical elements that were used in 1946 to construct the building.

Workmanship: The subject pro perty has retained physical evidence of the construction and carpentry skills of workers trained in the first half of the twentieth-century.

Feeling: The subject property has retained the aesthetics and historic sense of retail shopping emporiums located in urban areas such as Beverly Hills or Hollywood, and dating from Post -World War I to circa 1950.

Association: The subject property allows a visitor to Palm Springs today, to have the authentic experience of shopping along North Palm Canyon drive immediately after the end of World War II.

The building at will be assigned the California Historical Resource Status Code of 3CS for being eligible for listing in the CRHR as an individual property through survey evaluation.

5.3 Palm Springs Designation
The property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. is eligible for being designated a Class I Structure/site in the City of Palm Springs for meeting the requirement of being a historic site and criterion 3, 4, and 5 under the following themes as presented in the “ City of Palm Springs Citywide Historic Context Statement and Survey Findings, December 2018”:

Multi-Family Residential Development Between the Wars (1919-1941[-1945]) Post-World War II Commercial Development (1945-1969)

Criterion 3: The property at 457 N. Pal m Canyon Dr. reflects and exemplifies the transitional period of American architecture that occurred in the 1940s punctuated by the global conflict of World War II that affected all aspects of life from circa 1939 to 1945. Once World War II ended in 1945, new construction of both residential and commercial properties could beg in again in earnest since building materials, and manpower that had been directed towards the war effort, could be redirected to domestic projects.

Colonial Revival, Re gency Revival, Monterey Ranch) that appealed to an owners pre -War taste and personal preference. The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. , constructed in 1946, eschewed a more sleek and sparse modern design to incorporate integral architectural details that reflected the glitz and glamour of Beverly Hills and Hollywood, using ornate cast metal railing panels and cresting on the penthouse patio walls, and classical forms in the trim work and carpentry.

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Criterion 4 : T he property at 457 N. Pa lm Canyon Dr. embodies the distinctive characteristics of a n unusual type of commercial/retail building with the construction of an arcaded retail space on the first floor, and penthouse residential units on the second floor. Quite a few of California’s h istoric business districts are home to the open, garden patio style of small shops surrounding an open space, and many of these have second story residential units above the shops. The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. may have been designed by a collabo ration of I. Rubin and Albert Walker to create - on a small scale – the “feel” of the row of shops within an enclosed space such as found in the better hotels of pre- World War II. Palm Springs was known as a seasonal vacation site, and Rubin’s building may have been designed with the idea of the small shops offering ladies and/or gentlemen’s garments, sportswear, shoes and hosiery, a milliner, and a haberdashery. We could find no specific trend to the types of goods sold in Rubin’s building, and in fact, in 1950 at least two of the units were converted to use as small studio apartment units.
42 In regards to the penthouse units, their existence was so private that it wasn’t until 2016 when the Riverside County Register of Voters became aware that the property was comprised of ten commercial units and four residential units (being the homes of potential voters).43

Criterion 5: The property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. was designed by Albert R. Walker, who had either individually, or in partnership with o ther well known architects, contributed to the built environment of Southern California evidenced by his designs for large -scale projects for churches, banks, hotels, office buildings, apartment buildings, movie theaters and hotels – including the El Mirad or Hotel in Palm Springs constructed in 1927 -28.44 The subject property is a well -preserved example of a Regency Revival style of multi- function building with a retail arcade on the first level, and the presence of two penthouse buildings on the roof of the arcade. This property is a contribution to his known body -of- work as an important architect of the first-half of the twentieth-century in California.

As such the property may not be modified nor objects removed without the approval of the city council; usage may be limited by the city council to the extent that it may impair the integrity of the site. Site will be plaqued as the building still exists as it did when constructed in 1947.

6.1 Mitigation Measures

Any future project at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr., which has the potential to alter the physical integrity of the building, must be reviewed for adherence t o the National Park Service Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties . As the building has been found eligible for listing in the CRHR, the owners may use the California Historic Building Code for future repairs or rehabilitation projects.

42 City of Palm Springs Building Department, Building Permit # 4544 “alter office for use as apartments”, October 21, 1950.
43 Letter from the City of Palm Springs to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters, January 21, 2016. Letter is in the records of Palm Springs Building Department for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. 44 Pacific Coast Architecture Database. “Albert R. Walker”, “El Mirador Hotel”. Accessed August 6, 2025:
https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/11569/

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6.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES

Burden, Ernest. Elements of Architectural Design. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; 2000.

Carley, Rachel. The Visual Dictionary of American Domestic Architecture. New York: Henry Holt and Company; 1994.

Ching, Francis D.K. A Visual Dictionary of Architecture. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold; 1995.

City of Palm Springs. Building permit file for 457 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA.

McAlester, Virginia Savage. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf; 2013.

Office of State Historic Preservation. California Historic Resources Inventory, Survey Workbook (excerpts). State of California: Sacramento, 1986.

Pacific Coast Architecture Database. “Albert R. Walker”, “El Mirador Hotel”. Accessed August 6, 2025:
https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/11569/

Parker, Patricia L. National Register Bulletin 24, “Guidelines for Local Surveys: A Basis for Preservation Planning.” Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1985.

United States Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 15, “How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation.” Washington, DC: National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division, rev. 1991.

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APPENDIX A:

Preparer Qualifications

HISTORICAL RESOURCES EVALUATION REPORT
457 N. PALM CANYON DR., PALM SPRINGS

Daly & Associates
Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P., Principal Architectural Historian Daly & Associates, 951 East Beacon Drive, Eugene, OR 97404 (951) 369-1366 [email protected]

Ms. Daly is a Qualified Architectural Historian with more than 27 years of experience in historic resource management and consulting in California, Vermont, New York, and Nevada. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Elmira College in Elmira, New York, and a Master of Science degree in Historic Preservation at University of Vermont. Ms. Daly’s coursework in Historic Preservation included the study of American Architecture, Historic L andscapes, and Building Conservation Techniques.

Ms. Daly has expertise not only in assessing and evaluating classic residential architectural styles of the United States dating from the eighteenth to the twenty -first century, but she has a wide range of experience in the survey and evaluation of military sites and structures in both the western and eastern United States. She has performed studies on airplane hangars, military housing, helicopter hangers, ammunition bunkers, flight simulators, and Cold War radar arrays. Industrial archaeological sites include automobile and railroad bridges, irrigation canals and ditches, gravity -fed water supply systems, sewer treatments systems, g old mines, water- pumping systems, privately -owned reservoirs, electric transmission line towers, roads, historic signage, airplane hangars, steam -powered belt and pulley systems, and a historic zanja.

Studies of built-environment resources include archival research, field investigation, significance criteria and determinations, assessment of impacts/effects, management plans, and mitigation implementation.

Mitigation measures include preparation of Historic American Building Survey (HABS) documentation, Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentation, Historic American Landscape (HALS) documentation, interpretive signage, layout and production of brochures, websites, and video displays.

Ms. Daly has also worked with clients with historically significant buildings to restore or rehabilitate them in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Ms. Daly has experience with federal agencies including U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife. She is accepted as a principal investigator for both Architectural History and History by the California State Office of Historic Preservation, and h olds the qualifications to work throughout th e United States. Ms. Daly belongs to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Vernacular Architecture Forum, Society of Industrial Archaeology, and Association of Preservation Technology.

HISTORICAL RESOURCES EVALUATION REPORT
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Daly & Associates

APPENDIX: B
“As-Built” Drawings for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs April 18, 2025

UNIT 8UNIT 6UNIT 4

HALLWAY
UNIT 9UNIT 7UNIT 5
679 SQ FT 298 SQ FT272 SQ FT
266 SQ FT265 SQ FT256 SQ FT

HALLWAY
283 SQ FT248 SQ FT
261 SQ FT715 SQ FTUNIT 3UNIT 1
UNIT 2 UNIT 10

CLICK HERE TO VIEW YOUR PLANS USINGPPM'S WEB VIEWER POWERED BY

COVER PAGE
457 N PALM CANYON DRIVEPALM SPRINGS, CA 92262

VICINITY MAP

AS-BUILTDOCUMENTATION

SHEET INDEXPPM PROJECT CONTACTS

CORPORATE OFFICE
SOUTHWEST OFFICECAMERON SLATTERBECKREGIONAL [email protected](562) 621-9100 [email protected](855) 272-8458 EXT. 100HTTPS://ASBUILTDRAWINGS.COM/

AERIAL VIEW
N.T.S.

PROJECT LINKS
PALM SPRINGS, CAALL SITE PLANS CREATED BY PRECISION PROPERTY MEASUREMENT LTD "PPM" ARE MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR LANDSCAPING PURPOSES (CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §8727), & DO NOT INVOLVE THEDETERMINATION OF ANY PROPERTY LINE, & AS SUCH DO NOT CONSTITUTE LAND SURVEYING (CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §§8726-8727). IN ADDITION, PPM SERVICES & PLANS DO NOT CONSTITUTE CIVILENGINEERING (CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §§6702-6704), & THUS SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR ANY STUDIES OR ACTIVITIES DEFINED AS CIVIL ENGINEERING (CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §6731). ALL FLOORPLANS CREATED BY PPM ARE INTENDED TO BE USED AS A REFERENCE FOR DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION & SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE SERVICES OF A LICENSED STRUCTURALENGINEER OR LICENSED ARCHITECT. PPM MAKES EVERY REASONABLE EFFORT TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION FOUND IN OUR PLANS. HOWEVER, EVERY AS-BUILT DRAWINGINHERENTLY CONTAINS ERRORS TO SOME DEGREE. IT IS THE DUTY OF THE ARCHITECT, CONTRACTOR, DESIGNER OR OTHER LICENSED PROFESSIONAL, AS A CONSULTANT TO THE PROPERTY OWNER, TODETERMINE THE SUITABILITY OF THE AS-BUILT PLANS PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION. MEASUREMENTS SHOULD BE FIELD CONFIRMED BEFORE COMMENCING CONSTRUCTION.SHEET PRECISION PROPERTYMEASUREMENTSPLAN TYPESCALEOF 9433_SW04/18/2025PROJECT NUMBERDATE CHRIS BENNETT457 N PALM CANYON DRIVE PROJECTPREPARED FORPROJECT NAME13 LINDSEY GREENEPROJECT [email protected](510) 479-7109 EXT. 222

RETAIL BUILDING
SHEETNAME1COVER PAGE21ST FLOORPLAN32ND FLOORPLAN
XX15472HH: 102
X15472HH: 102X
X7272HH: 102
X6672HH: 1027272HH: 102
X6672HH: 102
X4418HH: 96X4420HH: 92
UP155"
UP155"UP59"
XX11264HH: 94
X9664HH: 94
X5664HH: 94X
X4622HH: 70X6622HH: 70 X
X5664HH: 94
X6622HH: 70X4622HH: 70
X10864HH: 94
X9664HH: 949464HH: 94
9464HH: 94
X114HH: 9674X116HH: 9674
11'-11" CLGUNIT 811'-11" CLGUNIT 611'-1" CLGUNIT 411'-1" CLG11'-1" CLG HALLWAY8'-11" CLG
UNIT 911'-11" CLGUNIT 711'-11" CLGUNIT 511'-1" CLG11'-1" CLG11'-1" CLG 1ST FLOOR
14'-3"
18'-3"8'-2" CLG7'-2" CLG7'-2"HIGH 9'-6" CLG
6'-2" CLG
11'-1" CLG
7'-10" CLG7'-1" CLG7'-1" CLG8'-2" CLG8'-1" CLG
14'-4"18'-8"14'-7"18'-8"14'-2"18'-3"34'-1"
18'-3"18'-4"40'-1" 14'-7"18'-11"14'-6"18'-8" 14'-6"18'-11"14'-1" 18'-3"
679 SQ FT
7'-2" CLG

AREAINACCESSIBLEAT TIME OFDATAACQUISITION
298 SQ FT272 SQ FT
266 SQ FT265 SQ FT256 SQ FT
1ST FLOOR = 5477 SQ FT
HALLWAY8'-11" CLG
5452HH: 8652HH: 8654
2ND FLOOR = 4011 SQ FTTOTAL SQ FT = 9488 SQ FT
283 SQ FT248 SQ FT
261 SQ FT715 SQ FTUNIT 3UNIT 1
UNIT 2 UNIT 10
1/4" = 1'-0" FLOOR PLAN
TWHPVWH= WATER HEATERFURLOW CASEWORKFULL HEIGHT CASEWORKUPPER CASEWORKCLGHH= CEILING HEIGHT= HEADER HEIGHT= GAS METER= WALL HEATER= TRASH COMPACTOR= DISH WASHER= OVEN= REFRIGERATOR= RANGE = DRYER= WASHER= WASHER/DRYER COMBO= ELECTRIC METERWREFOVDWTC= FURNACE= ELECTRICAL PANEL= SOLAR COMPONENTS= TANKLESS WATER HEATER= FLOOR DRAINWS= WATER SOFTNER= DATUM POINTLEGEND DW/D
PALM SPRINGS, CAALL SITE PLANS CREATED BY PRECISION PROPERTY MEASUREMENT LTD "PPM" ARE MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR LANDSCAPING PURPOSES (CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §8727), & DO NOT INVOLVE THEDETERMINATION OF ANY PROPERTY LINE, & AS SUCH DO NOT CONSTITUTE LAND SURVEYING (CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §§8726-8727). IN ADDITION, PPM SERVICES & PLANS DO NOT CONSTITUTE CIVILENGINEERING (CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §§6702-6704), & THUS SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR ANY STUDIES OR ACTIVITIES DEFINED AS CIVIL ENGINEERING (CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §6731). ALL FLOORPLANS CREATED BY PPM ARE INTENDED TO BE USED AS A REFERENCE FOR DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION & SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE SERVICES OF A LICENSED STRUCTURALENGINEER OR LICENSED ARCHITECT. PPM MAKES EVERY REASONABLE EFFORT TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION FOUND IN OUR PLANS. HOWEVER, EVERY AS-BUILT DRAWINGINHERENTLY CONTAINS ERRORS TO SOME DEGREE. IT IS THE DUTY OF THE ARCHITECT, CONTRACTOR, DESIGNER OR OTHER LICENSED PROFESSIONAL, AS A CONSULTANT TO THE PROPERTY OWNER, TODETERMINE THE SUITABILITY OF THE AS-BUILT PLANS PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION. MEASUREMENTS SHOULD BE FIELD CONFIRMED BEFORE COMMENCING CONSTRUCTION.SHEET PRECISION PROPERTYMEASUREMENTSPLAN TYPESCALEOF 9433_SW04/18/2025PROJECT NUMBERDATE CHRIS BENNETT457 N PALM CANYON DRIVE PROJECTPREPARED FORPROJECT NAME23 DN155"
DN155"
X3640HH: 80X3640HH: 80
X4224HH: 98X4224HH: 98
XX2064HH: 80XXREF
X4224HH: 98A/C
X3640HH: 80X3640HH: 80
XX2064HH: 80XX2064HH: 80XX4224HH: 98X4224HH: 98

REFDWW/D
X4224HH: 98
X
X5464HH: 82
X3840HH: 82X5440HH: 82
REF
X1864HH: 82
X3840HH: 82
REF
X
XX1864HH: 82
XXX5464HH: 82
2ND FLOOR
APARTMENTLIVING ROOM8'-3" LOW
APARTMENTLIVING ROOM8'-3" LOW
APARTMENTLIVING ROOM7'-10" LOW
KITCHEN7'-10" CLG
KITCHEN7'-10" CLG
APARTMENTLIVING ROOM7'-10" LOWBEDROOM8'-7" LOW
BEDROOM8'-7" LOW
BEDROOM8'-7" LOW
BEDROOM8'-7" LOW
7'-10" CLG
7'-11" CLG7'-8" CLG
7'-10" CLG
8'-0" CLG8'-0" CLG
8'-1" CLG
8'-1" CLG8'-1" CLGKITCHEN8'-1" CLG
KITCHEN8'-1" CLG
BEDROOM8'-3" LOW
BEDROOM8'-3" LOW
8'-1" CLG
7'-10" CLG
7'-11" CLG
7'-6" CLG
7'-6" CLG 13'-0"9'-4"16'-1"24'-2"24'-1"15'-10"13'-2"9'-2"6'-7"10'-4" 10'-6"6'-6"
6'-11"
14'-9"8'-11"9'-1"14'-7"
11'-10"12'-3"11'-9"11'-11"16'-11"
16'-11"16'-11"
16'-11"
26'-1"
26'-2"
16'-2"
16'-2"

OUTDOOR AREA
4'-11"7'-9"6'-9"

OPEN TOBELOW

OPEN TOBELOW
1098 SQ FT 729 SQ FT
722 SQ FT1096 SQ FT2038HH: 80X3868HH: 82X3868HH: 82X3868HH: 82X3868HH: 82 X2038HH: 80
64HH: 80542064HH: 802064HH: 8064HH: 802064HH: 80X2064HH: 8020HH: 8064 64HH: 8218 20HH: 8264X20HH: 8264X1864HH: 82X18HH: 8264X18HH: 8264X18HH: 8264X18HH: 8264X18HH: 82641864HH: 82 40HH: 8852X40HH: 8852X40HH: 8852
1/4" = 1'-0" FLOOR PLAN
TWHPVWH= WATER HEATERFURLOW CASEWORKFULL HEIGHT CASEWORKUPPER CASEWORKCLGHH= CEILING HEIGHT= HEADER HEIGHT= GAS METER= WALL HEATER= TRASH COMPACTOR= DISH WASHER= OVEN= REFRIGERATOR= RANGE = DRYER= WASHER= WASHER/DRYER COMBO= ELECTRIC METERWREFOVDWTC= FURNACE= ELECTRICAL PANEL= SOLAR COMPONENTS= TANKLESS WATER HEATER= FLOOR DRAINWS= WATER SOFTNER= DATUM POINTLEGEND DW/D
PALM SPRINGS, CAALL SITE PLANS CREATED BY PRECISION PROPERTY MEASUREMENT LTD "PPM" ARE MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR LANDSCAPING PURPOSES (CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §8727), & DO NOT INVOLVE THEDETERMINATION OF ANY PROPERTY LINE, & AS SUCH DO NOT CONSTITUTE LAND SURVEYING (CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §§8726-8727). IN ADDITION, PPM SERVICES & PLANS DO NOT CONSTITUTE CIVILENGINEERING (CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §§6702-6704), & THUS SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR ANY STUDIES OR ACTIVITIES DEFINED AS CIVIL ENGINEERING (CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §6731). ALL FLOORPLANS CREATED BY PPM ARE INTENDED TO BE USED AS A REFERENCE FOR DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION & SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE SERVICES OF A LICENSED STRUCTURALENGINEER OR LICENSED ARCHITECT. PPM MAKES EVERY REASONABLE EFFORT TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION FOUND IN OUR PLANS. HOWEVER, EVERY AS-BUILT DRAWINGINHERENTLY CONTAINS ERRORS TO SOME DEGREE. IT IS THE DUTY OF THE ARCHITECT, CONTRACTOR, DESIGNER OR OTHER LICENSED PROFESSIONAL, AS A CONSULTANT TO THE PROPERTY OWNER, TODETERMINE THE SUITABILITY OF THE AS-BUILT PLANS PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION. MEASUREMENTS SHOULD BE FIELD CONFIRMED BEFORE COMMENCING CONSTRUCTION.SHEET PRECISION PROPERTYMEASUREMENTSPLAN TYPESCALEOF 9433_SW04/18/2025PROJECT NUMBERDATE CHRIS BENNETT457 N PALM CANYON DRIVE PROJECTPREPARED FORPROJECT NAME33

HISTORICAL RESOURCES EVALUATION REPORT
457 N. PALM CANYON DR., PALM SPRINGS

APPENDIX: C
California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Inventory Site Forms State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
PRIMARY RECORD Trinomial
NRHP Status Code: 3CS
Other Listings
Review Code Reviewer Date

Page 1 of 14 ends

P1. Other Identifier: Assessor parcel number 513-082-007

*P2. Location:  Not for Publication  Unrestricted *a. County: Riverside and (P2b and P2c or P2d. Attach a Location Map as necessary.) *b. USGS 7.5' Quad: Palm Springs Date: 1 T 4S; R 4E; Sec 10; S.B..B.M. c. Address: 457 North Palm Canyon Drive City: Palm Springs Zip: 92262 d. UTM: Zone: 11; 541901 mE/ 3742342 mN (G.P.S.)
e. Other Locational Data: (e.g., parcel #, directions to resource, elevation, etc., as appropriate) Elevation: 475 feet The property is located on the west side of North Palm Canyon Drive south of the intersection with West Alejo Road.

*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries) The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Drive is a rectangular-massed structure that sits on a rectangular lot in an east-west orientation, and is comprised of three separate components: the arcade level, and two penthouse structures. The building is constructed of steel frame, concrete and concrete masonry unit framing. The front elevation of the building faces east towards N. Palm Canyon Dr. The rear elevation faces west towards North Belardo Road and Mount San Jacinto. There are neighboring buildings set to the immediate north and south along the property lines.

The first level of the building is a single-story, designed to be used for retail/commercial suites. On each side of the front entrance to the arcade, set in the front façade, are two large display windows, in rectangular framing, that project from the main block of the building. The display windows are framed in stainless steel, have three fixed lights, and a “roof panel” w ith a wide overhanging edge. The display windows are accessed from the interior rooms. Fixed planters that are clad with butt -end flagstone veneer are set under the length of the display windows. The wood trim surrounding the entranceway is original, whi le the green granite wall cladding and the letters “Galleria” are n ot original. (See Continuation Sheet for additional text.)

*P3b. Resource Attributes: HP 6 (1-3 story commercial building), HP3 (Multiple family property). *P4. Resources Present: Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other (Isolates, etc.) P5b. Description of Photo: (View, date,
accession #) Looking west.

*P6. Date Constructed/Age and
Sources: Historic
Prehistoric Both
Built in 1947 per Riverside Co.

Assessor.
*P7. Owner and Address:

Rest Area LLC.

Costa Mesa, CA

*P8. Recorded by:

Pamela Daly M.S.H.P.

Daly & Associates
951 E. Beacon Drive
Eugene, OR 97404

*P9. Date Recorded:

June 29, 2025
*P10. Survey Type:

CEQA Intensive-level

*P11. Report Citation: Daly, Pamela. “ Historic Resource Evaluation Report for 457 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, Riverside County, CA.” Prepared for Rest Area LLC., Costa Mesa, CA; July 2025. *Attachments: NONE Location Map Sketch Map Continuation Sheet Building, Structure, and Object Record District Record Linear Feature Record Photograph Record  Other (List):

DPR 523A (1/95) *Required information
P5a. Photo or Drawing

DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information
State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#

BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD

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*Resource Name: 457 North Palm Canyon Drive
B1. Historic Name: The Rubin Building, Hotel Penthouse Arcade, Hotel Penthouse Apartments, Hotel Penthouse.

B2. Common Name: Galleria Building (not from historic period).

B3. Original Use: Retail and office suites, and multi-family apts. B4. Present Use: Retail suites and multi-family apts. *B5. Architectural Style: Regency Revival
*B6. Construction History: Constructed in 1947.
*B7. Moved? ■No Yes Unknown Date: Original Location:
*B8. Related Features: None.

B9a. Architect: Albert R. Walker, Gus W. Kalionzes, and James A. Zerbe b. Builder: Unknown *B10. Significance: Palm Springs Development pre- and post-WWII Theme: Retail building design Area:

Period of Significance: 1947-1997 Property Type: Mixed use commercial Applicable Criteria: A/1, C/3 The 1930s saw Palm Springs blossom, as more and more celebrities made it their winter weekend getaway, and more development sprang up to house and entertain them. By the start of World War II, Palm Springs had so long been thought of as a movie star 's playground that some of the neighborhoods were described as "Beverly Hills in the desert." One section was so filled with film notables, the neighborhood was ultimately dubbed the "Movie Colony." In the 1930s important figures in finance and business continued to flock to the desert in the winter, helping to cement the village's reputation as one of the nation's top winter resort destinations. Internationally famous names such as Walter P. Chrysler; Alfred Vanderbilt; Herbert F. "Hib" Johnson of the S.C. Johnson Co.; John Jakob Raskob, head of finance for both General Motors and Dupont Chemical Company, and builder of the Empire State Building; auto magnate Walter Marmon; Arthur K. Bourne of Singer Sewing Machine fortune; Franklyn Hutton, James S. Kemper and his brother Hathaway of the Kemper Insurance Group; Russell Vought of Vought Aircraft; and Lawrence Mario Giannini, son of A.P. Giannini who made the Bank of America into one of the world's largest financial institutions.

Isador Rubin (née Rubinstein) was born in Suwolki, Poland in July 15, 1885. He immigrated to the United States in 1902 by wa y of Ellis Island in New York, and made his way to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1911. The U. S.

Census data for 1910 points to Rubin starting his profession as a garment merchant in Oklahoma City, but it appears he would c onnect with extended members of the fraternal branch of his family – around that same time – who were located in San Diego, California.

Isador Rubin married Anna Kellner of Oklahoma City in 1915, settled at 825 West 21st Street in that city. They would have two children; a boy born in 1916 and a girl born in 1926.

In San Diego, California, in 1898, Meyer (wife Ethel) Rubin had established Rubin’s Furniture Store in San Diego. Rubin’s we re located at 552 5th Street in San Diego in 1905. In 1909, Rubin’s moved to 1611-1619 D Street, and in 1913 Rubin’s was located at 1704 H Street. Meyer’s brother Isaac (wife Miriam) joined the firm in 1912, and together the brothers would expand Rubin’s furnit ure store with the establishment of a men’s and women’s clothing department. It was in May of 1913 that I. (Isaac) Rubin placed an advertisement in the San Diego Sun stating they would be selling “Ladies and Gents Suits.” (See Continuation Sheet for additional text.)

B11. Additional Resource Attributes:

*B12. References:

Daly, Pamela. “Historic Resource Evaluation Report for 457 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, Riverside County, CA.” Prepared for Rest Area LLC, Costa Mesa, CA.; July 2025.

B13. Remarks: None.

*B14. Evaluator: Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P.

*Date of Evaluation: June 29, 2025
(This space reserved for official comments.)

State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial

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*Recorded by: Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P. *Date: June 29, 2025 Continuation  Update DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
P.3. Description, continued:

There is an arcade (covered hallway) running the length of this level of the building, and the arcade is flanked on both side s by ten individual “office suites”, with five suites on each side. The width of the arcade measures approximately 11’ 10” and ha s a ceiling height of 8’11”. The five units of office suites on each side of arcade are approximately 18’4” wide, with a ceiling height of 11’ 1”. This first floor component has a flat roof system that spans almost the entire length of the building.

The ten office suites are of identical size on each side of the arcade, with the front units, #1 and #2 designed to have approximately twice the square footage of the other eight suites. The front entrances of units #1 and #2 present classic des ign elements of Regency Revival (Georgian 1700-1780) architecture. A wood paneled door is set in a wood frame that is comprised of an entablature at the top of the door way with spaced fluted blocks, and Doric columns on each side of the doorway. The pedestrian door has a single fixed light framed in the upper two-thirds of the door, and symmetrically set raised panels set below the light. The light is separated from the raised panels by a horizontal strip of wood molding that references the Dor ic capital of the columns. The doors of suites #3 to #10 share the same design as that of suites #1 and #2, but have more modest door frames. The front doors of suites #1 - #10 have their original brass hardware, which includes door sets, hinges, and letter slots. The doorways of suites #3 - #10 are headed by transom windows which allowed for an air exchange while the door was shut. The display windows of suites #7 and #8 may have been modified (before 1975) to create an additional opening in the suites’ exterior to allow for additional air flow into the unit.

The interior walls of the arcade are clad with vertical wood siding, and a wood cornice runs along the walls atop the walls o f the suites. Suites #1 and #2 have framed, fixed light display windows, measuring approximately 50 inches wide by 24 inches tall, set into the paneled walls that project into the arcade for the display of small items. The large display windows of the int erior suites are framed in wood and sit on bulkheads clad with the same flagstone veneer treatment as the planters on the front façade. The floor of the arcade is set with natural flagstone pavers in cement. Florescent light fixtures are set in the length of the arcade ceiling. Fluorescent light fixtures were used in commercial setti ngs in the 1940s, but the current fixtures do not appear to be original to 1946.

Approximately halfway along the length of the arcade there are metal objects imbedded in the flagstone flooring that suggests there had been a security gate located at this location to keep casual retail visitors from accessing the office suites and stairways to the upper level, farther along the corridor.

At approximately two-thirds along the full length of the arcade, the hallway widens by six feet on each side a nd an atrium is created. The atrium is created by using this area for utility rooms and staircases that are less wide than the office suites . The utility rooms include public washrooms, a janitor’s closet, and stairways to the upper level on both the nor th and south sides of the arcade.

Natural light is provided to the atrium from a lightwell opening in the roof situated over the area. The irregular hexagon shaped lightwell measures approximately 6 feet wide by 8 foot long. Continuing to the west along the arcade there are an additional two office suites (#7, #8, #9, #10) on each side, until one reaches the rear security gate to the arcade.

To access the upper level, a person must use either of the staircases located on the north and south s ide of the atrium in the arcade. The steps – on both sides of the atrium - leading to the rooftop of the arcade are clad with natural flagstone set in mortar. There is a wrought metal, painted railing with a curtail and finial at the ground level, and on ly the handrail – attached to the stairwell wall – continues upward.

Upon reaching the arcade roof, one will find two, gable-roofed, one-story residential structures set at the east and west ends of the arcade roof. The arcade roof becomes the “floor” for the structures, and the structures are the penthouses of the building. The front facades of the each penthouse, which each house two apartment units, face towards each other across a patio area created on the roof surface. The penthouse located towards the east contains two, two-bedroom apartments (units #A and #B), and the rear façade of this penthouse, faces east towards North Palm Canyon Drive with the balcony that spans the front facade. The structure to the west contains two, one-bedroom apartments (units #C and #D) and its rear elevation faces the alley and adjacent parking lot.

State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial

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*Recorded by: Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P. *Date: June 29, 2025 Continuation  Update DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
P.3. Description, continued:

Concrete brick walls, approximately 5 feet tall, run along the north and south edges of the open patio space between the end walls of the penthouses to create an enclosed patio. The penthouses are covered by medium -pitch gable roofs set on a north- south alignment and the roof eaves overhang across the front facades of the units. The entrances to units A and B are situated within a recessed area under the enclosed overhanging eave that creates a modest porch entranceway. The enclosed overhanging eave to units C and D cover the front entrances that are set flush in the front wall of each apartment. The front facades of the penthouse units are clad with horizontally set, wide novelty wood siding. The front doors of the apartments a re paneled in the “cross and bible” pattern, and the hardware on the doors (except for deadbolt locks) appears to be original.

Units A and B have metal-framed, multi-light casement bay windows with canted sides to provide light to the living room spaces within. Additional metal-framed, multi-light casement windows are set flush into the exterior wall for the kitchen spaces within units A and B. There is a wide, wood cornice that runs along the top of the exterior wall of units A and B. For unit s C and D, the units were designed to make it appear they shared one large, multi-light, metal framed casement bay window with right- angle end frames. The one bay window is actually divided by the framing between the two apartments. Set immediately in front of the long bay window of units C and D is the lightwell opening. The lightwell is surrounded on its open sides by a railing of decorative metal cast panels in the acorn leaf design. These same panels are used as decorative elements on the outside o f the penthouse units, and on the walls of the balcony, of units A and B.

Character-defining features of the property. Include – but are not limited to:

First level (Arcade) and Penthouse level:

Painted, cast metal tracery used on staircases and wall cresting Bulkhead window units and their trim
Front display windows and their trim
Display windows in arcade with stainless steel and wood framing Large, fixed, single panels of plate glass used in each arcade unit and front display windows The flagstone veneer on the front planters (narrow butts and rectangular flats): The front planters do not appear on the building’s blueprints, but the plans do call for the application of flagstone butt veneer to be applied to the wall directly under the front display window units. A historic, photo postcard from circa 1946 (Figure 6 of the Historic Resource Evaluation Report [the date of the postcard photograph is based on the models and styles of the auto parked on N. Palm Canyon Dr.]) clearly shows that there is greenery set in the planters in front of the display windows on the front façade.

Not original and can be replaced:

The green granite used to surround the arcade opening on the front façade. Based on the original drawings of the building, i t appears where the granite is located on the façade – used to be flat wood trim board as part of the decorative surround of the entrance way. Our guess is that the granite was used to cover up damaged portions of the CMU wall surface around the entranceway.

The lettering “Galleria” on the front façade. The wall surface should be appropr iately repaired after the letters are removed.

The front entrance gate. This replaced a shorter metal gate that was situated at the entranceway, and is visible in the photograph of the building in the survey of 2014-2016.

Security gates used at the ground level of the penthouse stairwells Date of rear gate is unknown. It could be replaced.

State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial

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*Recorded by: Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P. *Date: June 29, 2025 Continuation  Update DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
B. 10 Statement of Significance, continued:

The clothing store of I. (Isaac) Rubin – called I. Rubin’s after its founder - moved to 839 Broadway in San Diego in 1917, and the final move to a location just one block to the east of the future John D. Spreckels building at 625 Broadway , was completed in 1924. With this move, I. Rubin’s was situated in the best part of the commercial district of San Diego.

In 1918, an advertisement in the San Diego Sun for I. Rubin’s states that the store is now selling ladies fur coats and fur accessories. That same year, Isador Rubin is listed in the San Diego City Directory. From U.S. Census records, it appears Isa dor Rubin’s wife and children remained living in Oklahoma City, while Rubin conducted business on the West Coast.

By the early 1930s, Isador Rubin was able to establish his own fur “salon” in Los Angeles, and he used the name of “I. Rubin” for his business name (hopefully with the blessing of Isaac Rubin.) In those days, many of the better hotels that were visited by well-to-do guests would have small retail shops on the property to allow guests to buy items of clothing, or other sundries, that they may not have packed for a visit to Southern California. The luxury hotels such as the Beverly Wilshire, El Mirador, Hot el Bel Air, and Beverly Hills Hotel were visited by guest relatively untouched by the economic downturn of the Great Depression.

Also, aside from attracting hotels guest to purchase furs, women of all economic strata in the 1930s and 1940s were including an item of fur clothing to adorn their best outfits. These items ranged from just a simple fur pelt that could be attached to a coat collar, to a full length “opera coat” of ermine or mink expected to be seen at a movie premier. Two of the hotels that Rubin most likely had “in-house” fur salons were at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and the Ambassador Hotel.

In 1939, Rubin is able to establish his own fur salon shop at 9482 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, just a half block to the east of the magnificent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, which had been constructed in 1928. In 1941, when Rubin’s son was to be married, the announcement in the Los Angeles Times noted that his father was “I. Rubin of Beverly Hills.” When Rubin’s daughter – attending Stanford University - was to be married in 1946, the wedding announcement in the Los Angeles Times noted that her father was “I. Rubin of the Ambassador Hotel.” With his success having storefront shops at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and the Ambassador Hotel, he most probably had a shop at the 165-room El Mirador Hotel in Palm Springs when it opened in 1928. The Desert Sun reported in late 1935 that Rubin was building a house in the desert, outside of town. Rubin was frequently spotted by the society columnists of the Desert S un at the Racquet Club with various important persons and movie stars.

On the personal side, Isador Rubin had continued to be recorded up to 1930, as having his main residence at the house with his family in Oklahoma City. Isador’s son Eugene M. Rubin had moved out to California to attend University of Southern California in 1935, leaving his daughter and wife still in Oklahoma. Isador’s wife passed away in 1938, and his daughter mov ed to California at that time. Based on information from the U.S. Census of 1940, and U.S. Department of War draft card registration for Isador Rubin, he maintained an apartment in Los Angeles in the early 1940s. Rubin remarried in 1944, but the marriage was over quickly with his second wife suing for divorce in 1948. H e was referred to as a “Beverly Hills furrier” in the article about the divorce in the Los Angeles Times, September 10, 1948.

The Desert Sun reported that a permit had been filed in 1946 by I. Rubin for the construction of a commercial property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr., and proposed project was estimated to cost $60,000. The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. is noted as being called “The Rubin Building” in an edition of the Desert Sun in 1947. In 1951, an office space at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. is advertised in the Desert Sun as being located in the “Hotel Penthouse Arcade.” Art Lasky, the famous boxer from the 1930s – now turned physical therapist - rented office space in the “Hotel Penthouse” building in February 1953, and was a tenant there for several years. The Palm Springs Tourist Bureau occupied an office ther e for an extended period, and acted as Rubin’s rental agent for property. Classified ads would be occasionally posted in the Desert Sun seeking to rent the office units or penthouse apartments.

Rubin is recorded in 1950 as being “retired” and is using an apartment in Los Angeles as his primary residence – not the house in Palm Springs. Rubin continued to be mentioned in the Desert Sun attending social or tennis events in Palm Springs. In 1956, “I. Rubin of 457 North Palm Canyon Drive” posts a legal notice that he an d Monte Warshauer (Monart Motors of Wisconsin) “are conducting a Building and Investment Business” in the City of Palm Springs under the fictitious business name of M & R Investment Co.

An article written by Bill Rashall of the Desert Sun in February 1957, would report how Monte Warshauer and I. Rubin had purchased the 20-acre Palm Vista Estates (adjacent to Las Palmas Estates) property for the purpose of developing the lots with luxury-priced homes. (See Continuation Sheet for additional text.)

State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial

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*Recorded by: Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P. *Date: June 29, 2025 Continuation  Update DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
B. 10 Statement of Significance, continued:

Palm Vista Estates is located just up the hill from Las Palmas Estates, with lots on West Stevens Drive and Camino Norte. Th e lots themselves in the Palm Vista Estates had been selling for $5,000 and $8,000, prior to M & R Investments purchasing the development. The proposed project by M & R Investments was to build just 19 homes on the 20 acres, with “each home costing between $150,000 and $200,000 each.” The M & R Investments proudly boasted that “when completed this development will run into about $3,000,000 or more.”
In March of 1957, the Desert Sun reported on the completion of the first luxury home in Palm Vista Estates, which was given the name of “Castle in the Air.” The house had been designed by architect Howard Lapham and Thor Fredricksen was the general contractor for the project. The cantilevered house provided “breathtaking views” of Palm Springs and the valley, and was of concrete construction, with large expanses of curtain wall glass and “modern Chinese décor.” The “spec” house was offered for sale at $195,000.

Shortly after the Palm Vista Estates development owned by M & R Investments was heavily publicized and promoted, another development in Palm Springs appeared with the same name. This – other - “Palm Vista Estates” development was comprised of more modest houses, designed to attract first time homebuyers and/or full -time residents. The other Palm Vista Estates is located east of State Route 111 and north of West San Rafael Drive.

The success or failure of M & R Investment development of Palm Vista Estates, adjacent to Las Palmas Estates is unknown.

Isador Rubin appears to have led a quiet life until his passing in 1968.

Albert Raymond Walker, architect:

Albert R. Walker was born in 1881 in Sonoma, California. After the death of his father in 1900, Albert and his mother moved to San Diego, California. After high school, Walker went to work as a draughtsman for the San Diego architectural team of William S. Hebbard and Irving Gill. In 1906, Walker moved to Los Angeles where he first worked as a draftsman for architects John Parkinson and George Bergstrom, as a designer for Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey, and as a designer for Alfred Rosenheim.

Walker went out on his own in 1908, and designed the Fullerton First Methodist Episcopal Church, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Walker teamed up with Architect John Terrell Vawter in 1910, and they worked together for seven years before Walker formed a partnership with architect Percy A. Eisen in 1918.

Over the next 20 years, Eisen and Walker were the architects for a great number of the landmark buildings constructed in Los Angeles before 1940. Major projects of Eisen and Walker in Los Angeles included the Hotel Normandie, the Ambassador Hotel, the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, the Title Insurance and Trust Company Building, and the United Artists Theater. The El Cortez Hotel in San Diego was designed by Eisen and Walker, and opened its doors in 1927.

In Palm Springs, Eisen and Walker designed the 165-room El Mirador Hotel in 1928. From 1941 to 1954, Walker formed a partnership with Gus W. Kalionzes and James A. Zerbe, and in 1946 the team designed the building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. for Beverly Hills furrier Isador Rubin. The building was designe d with decorative attributes that harkens of Beverly Hills before the 1960s, and this style of building would attract shoppers in Palm Springs wanting to find that level of sophistication. M r.

Walker was 65 when he designed the Hotel Penthouse building for Rubin, and passed away in 1958.

Historic Resource Evaluation:

CRHR Eligibility
The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. was constructed in 1947 in the Regency Revival or Modern Georgian (named after King George IV of Great Britain) style of architecture that was “popular in the 1930s, although post WWII examples can be found”. The subject building is unique for being an example of property that was designed with the first level serving as an arcade-style retail shopping and office suite complex, while the second level has four apartments units in a penthouse setting.

This multi-use building was designed in a rare example of Regency Revival style architecture applied to a commercial building in Palm Springs.

The design of the building was commissioned by Isador Rubin, a successful furrier with shops in Beverly Hills and Los Angel es, and created in 1946 by the architectural firm of Albert R. Walker, James A. Zerbe, and Gus W. Kalionzes of Los Angeles, California. Albert R. Walker is an acknowledged master architect with a portfolio of significant projects that date from bef ore he had teamed with Percy A. Eisen in 1919. The twenty-year partnership of Walker and Eisen resulted in the design of a number of buildings that have been preserved as landmarks in Southern California, and are listed in the National Register of Historic P laces. (See Continuation Sheet for additional text.)
State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial

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*Recorded by: Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P. *Date: June 29, 2025 Continuation  Update DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
B. 10 Statement of Significance, continued:

While the building designs for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. were signed in 1946, and the building constructed in 1947, we believe that the subject property should be evaluated in consideration of two themes listed below. The building presents a n architectural style that was popular for a brief period primarily during the 1930s, and that the theme for “Multi -Family Residential Development Between the Wars” clearly includes mixed-use commercial and residential properties with a nod towards the bungalow court (arcade court) style of design.

The various “revival” styles of architecture that were popular for residential – and some commercial – design in the United States, and dated from the 1910s, continued to be used for clients well into the 1950s.

The property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. is eligible for being determined a historical resource under the following themes as presented in the “City of Palm Springs Citywide Historic Context Statement and Survey Findings, December 2018”:

Multi-Family Residential Development Between the Wars (1919-1941[-1945]) Post-World War II Commercial Development (1945-1969)

Criterion 1: This property is an excellent example of the development of multi -function properties in urban settings in the 1940s, and specifically in the City of Palm Springs. The property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Drive was constructed to serve as a multi -family residential building that also has dedicated space for retail and office suites. Being designed just after the end of Wo rld War II, the owner and architect decided on the Regency Revival style of architecture that was able to reference both the refinement o f detail, and delicacy of design to point to pre-WWII revival styles - and also present a building using strong geometric shapes and horizontal aspects post-WWII Modernism architecture. The subject building bridges the trend in Palm Springs of constructing Spanish Revival style bungalows and courtyard properties before the outset of WWII, to the arrival of the sleek and s parse Modern/International Style of architecture being designed in the City after the end of WWII.

Criterion 2: The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. has not been found to be directly associated with any persons that have made a significant contribution to the history of real estate development or the construction of housing developments in the City of Palm Springs. Isador Rubin, who developed the property, was just one of many land speculators buying land, and developing commercial and residential buildings post-WWII in Palm Springs. The property is not eligible for listing in the CRHR under Criterion 2.

Criterion 3: The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. is an excellent and rare example of a Regency Revival property dating from 1947, and is the work of a master architect. The subject building was designed in 1946 by the renowned architectural team of Albert R. Walker, Gus Kalionzes, and James A. Zerbe. Albert R. Walker started his career in San Diego working with master architect Irving R. Gill, and then moved to Los Angeles to work first with John Parkinson, and then Myron H. Hunt, before setting up his own office. The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. is in excellent condition with 95% of its original materials and workmanship, and arcade configuration, still intact. As a Regency Revival style multi-use building of retail and residential use, with the residential units built as penthouses above the retail level, it is a rare and threatened property. The property at 457 N.

Palm Canyon Dr. is eligible for listing in the CRHR under Criterion 3.

Aspects of Integrity: The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. has retained the essential physical features that make up its character and appearance associated with its construction in 1947. The property has retained an e xceptionally high degree of the physical attributes of it construction – down to some of the smallest details such as door hardware and original window framing materials in the retail/office suites. By having the original drawings that document the propos ed front façade of Rubin’s building in 1946, we can easily see how little the building as it appears today varies from the original concept. The proper ty has retained the aspects of design, workmanship, materials, location, setting, feeling, and associati on as explained below:
(See Continuation Sheet for additional text.)
State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
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*Recorded by: Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P. *Date: June 29, 2025 Continuation  Update DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
B. 10 Statement of Significance, continued:

Location: The subject property, 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr., continues to be located where it was constructed.

Setting: The subject property continues to be located in the retail and commercial corridor of Palm Springs.

Materials: A review of the original blueprints for the subject property, and an intensive level survey performed on the prope rty, supports the finding that the building has retained an overwhelming amount of its original physical elements that were used in 1946 to construct the building.

Workmanship: The subject property has retained physical evidence of the construction and carpentry skills of workers trained in the first half of the twentieth-century.

Association: The subject property allows a visitor to Palm Springs today, to have the authentic experience of shopping along North Palm Canyon drive immediately after the end of World War II.

The building at will be assigned the California Historical Resource Status Code of 3CS for being eligible for listing in the CRHR as an individual property through survey evaluation.

Palm Springs Designation
The property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. is eligible for being designated a Class I Structure/site in the City of Palm Springs for meeting the requirement of being a historic site and criterion 3, 4, and 5 under the following themes as presented in the “City of Palm Springs Citywide Historic Context Statement and Survey Findings, December 2018”:

Multi-Family Residential Development Between the Wars (1919-1941[-1945]) Post-World War II Commercial Development (1945-1969)
Criterion 3: The property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. reflects and exemplifies the transitional period of American architecture that occurred in the 1940s punctuated by the global conflict of World War II that affe cted all aspects of life from circa 1939 to 1945. Once World War II ended in 1945, new construction of both residential and commercial properties could begin again in earnest since building materials, and manpower that had been directed towards the war ef fort, could be redirected to domestic projects.

Generally, in Southern California, many new buildings were designed using sleek new International Style modern architectural designs to reflect the “jet age” of the country, or older designs were used (i.e. Colonial Revival, Regency Revival, Monterey Ranch) that appealed to an owners pre-War taste and personal preference. The building at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr., constructed in 1946, eschewed a more sleek and sparse modern design to incorporate integral architectural details that reflected the glitz and glamour of Beverly Hills and Hollywood, using ornate cast metal railing panels and cresting on the penthouse patio walls, and classical forms in the trim work and carpentry.

Criterion 4: The property at 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. embodies the distinctive characteristics of an unusual type of commercial/retail building with the construction of an arcaded retail space on the first floor, and penthouse residential uni ts on the second floor. Quite a few of California’s historic business districts are home to the open, garden patio style of small shops surrounding an open space, and many of these have second story residential units above the shops. The building at 457 N. Pal m Canyon Dr. may have been designed by a collaboration of I. Rubin and Albert Walker to create - on a small scale – the “feel” of the row of shops within an enclosed space such as found in the better hotels of pre -World War II. Palm Springs was known as a seasonal vacation site, and Rubin’s building may have been designed with the idea of the small shops offering ladies and/or gentlemen’s garments, sportswear, shoes and hosiery, a milliner, and a haberdashery. We could find no specific trend to the types of goods sold in Rubin’s building, and in fact, in 1950 at least two of the units were converted to use as small studio apartment units. In regards to the penthouse units, their existence was so private that it wasn’t until 2016 when the Rivers ide County Register of Voters became aware that the property was comprised of ten commercial units and four residential units (being the homes of potential voters).

State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
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*Recorded by: Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P. *Date: June 29, 2025 Continuation  Update DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
B. 10 Statement of Significance, continued:

Palm Springs Designation, continued
The subject property is a well-preserved example of a Regency Revival style of multi-function building with a retail arcade on the first level, and the presence of two penthouse buildings on the roof of the arcade. This property is a contribution to his known body-of-work as an important architect of the first-half of the twentieth-century in California.

As such the property may not be modified nor objects removed without the approval of the city c ouncil; usage may be limited by the city council to the extent that it may impair the integrity of the site. Site will be plaqued as the building still ex ists as it did when constructed in 1947.

State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial

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*Recorded by: Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P. *Date: June 29, 2025 Continuation  Update DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information

Architect’s sketch of the building for Isador Rubin for project at 457 North Palm Canyon Drive , 1946.

Front (east) elevation of 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr. View looking west.

State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial

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*Recorded by: Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P. *Date: June 29, 2025 Continuation  Update DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information

Entrance to storefront Unit #2.

Interior view of the arcade from the front entrance. View looking west.

State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial

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*Recorded by: Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P. *Date: June 29, 2025 Continuation  Update DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information

View of the lightwell in the arcade in front of Units #7 and #8. The stairwells to the penthouse level are situated to the left and right of the lightwell where the metal security gates are situated.

The entrance façade to penthouse apartments #B, one of the two-bedroom units. View looking southeast.

State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial

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*Recorded by: Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P. *Date: June 29, 2025 Continuation  Update DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information

The entrance to #C and D, the one-bedroom apartments. The lightwell opening is situated in the patio floor between the two apartment entrances, and is surrounded by the decorative railing.

State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
LOCATION MAP Trinomial

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*Map Name: Palm Springs *Scale: 1:24,000 *Date of Map: 1996 DPR 523J (1/95) *Required information

HISTORICAL RESOURCES EVALUATION REPORT
457 N. PALM CANYON DR., PALM SPRINGS

APPENDIX: D
Copies of blueprint drawings for “the Rubin Building” prepared by architects Arthur R. Walker, Gus W. Kalionzes and James A. Zerbe

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front façade display units, arcade bulkheads, and transom openings

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Blueprints for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr.

1 Blueprints for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr.

2 Blueprints for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr.

3 Blueprints for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr.

4 Blueprints for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr.

5 Blueprints for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr.

6 Blueprints for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr.

7 Blueprints for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr.

8 Blueprints for 457 N. Palm Canyon Dr.

9 HISTORICAL RESOURCES EVALUATION REPORT
457 N. PALM CANYON DR., PALM SPRINGS

APPENDIX: D
Copies of blueprint drawings for “the Rubin Building” prepared by architects Arthur R. Walker, Gus W. Kalionzes and James A. Zerbe

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front façade display units, arcade bulkheads, and transom openings

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Palm Springs City CouncilNovember 12, 2025

Palm Springs City Council
November 12, 2025