Post-war Coachella Valley was paradise. It was still a little village, and whether you were a celebrity or just a regular Joe, you could walk up and down Palm Canyon Drive without being dogged by influencers gunning for selfies to boost their following.
Of course, there were a few disadvantages. Air conditioning was in its infancy, and one attraction the Valley didn’t have was a regulation adult-sized golf course. The only course in Palm Springs was the O’Donnell Golf Club’s nine-hole … and it was tougher to get a tee time there than at Augusta National.
Then, an amateur golf champion named Johnny Dawson came along. He got a look at the undeveloped land around a dude ranch called Thunderbird Ranch (see “Rear View Mirror” in this issue) and knew immediately that he wanted to build an 18-hole course on the ranch site. Dawson’s buddy Ben Hogan thought he was out of his mind, according to the Thunderbird Country Club. But, Johnny was a visionary, and he soon got the likes of Bob Hope, Leonard Firestone, Bing Crosby, and Lucille and Desi Arnaz to invest.
It wasn’t long before Dawson realized his dream of building the Valley’s first 18-hole course. (There are now 70 18-hole courses within a 15-mile radius of Palm Springs.) The course was so successful that Ford reportedly named its new sporty little two-seater “Thunderbird” in its honor. On the heels of that triumph came the creation of Thunderbird Heights, which was one of the most prestigious gated developments in the Valley for many years.
Of course, Thunderbird Heights never lost its luster, prestige, or architectural importance. But, the desert can be punishing to all things man-made, and the beautiful homes of that community are no exception. In this issue, we review the work of two immensely talented men, architect Javier Segura and designer Tim Pfeiffer, who joined forces to completely transform a home that suffered from many poor renovation choices and was on its way to becoming an eyesore. Segura made Thunderbird Heights homes his specialty; at the time of this writing, he was involved in renovating nearly 20 homes.
Interestingly, just as Thunderbird Heights is sprucing up homes on over 600 acres, a new development to the north broke ground on 600 acres. Bordered by Gerald Ford and Frank Sinatra Drive and flanked by Bob Hope Drive, Cotino – The Walt Disney Company’s first residential and commercial development – is in full swing. The models are open for viewing, and Disney reps say sales have been brisk. Soon, one of the last big, barren parcels of Rancho Mirage will be home to 1,932 multi-million-dollar homes and a 24-acre lake. In 1946, it was all undeveloped desert as far as you could see.
