Coachella Valley

Subterms

    Latest story

    213 Shares38 Views

    This SoCal Estate Was Once Home to Bing Crosby. Now It Can Be Yours for $13.5 Million.

    by

    Though Bing Crosby passed away in October 1977 at age 73, the legendary star’s legacy lives on at the Palm Desert estate he once called home, not to mention the 300 million-plus records he sold and over 50 films he starred in throughout his lengthy career. Since revamped by its current owners, the Coachella Valley oasis is now on the market in the exclusive Ironwood Country Club community about 15 miles from Palm Springs for $13.5 million.

    One of several California desert properties Crosby laid claim to through the years, this particular residence was built in the mid-1950s and has been touted as the site of an alleged tryst between President John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe in the ’60s. Last purchased in 2012 for around $3 million by retired healthcare executive Randall Burt and his attorney wife Julia, the place has since been fully renovated in keeping with its legacy and heritage per the listing, which is held by Susan Canavan and Deirdre Coit of Canavan Coit & Associates at Compass.

    The fireside living room has a wall of retractable glass doors spilling out to an entertaining terrace.

    One Point Media Group

    Resting amid a two-and-a-half-acre gated parcel with views of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains, the Spanish-style dwelling features a main house and a trio of guest casitas—for a total of five bedrooms and seven baths in 6,100 square feet. Highlights include a living room sporting a fireplace, plus floor-to-ceiling glass doors spilling out to a fireside terrace ideal for alfresco entertaining. An adjacent dining area connects to a kitchen outfitted with quartz countertops and dual eat-in islands, while a lounge area has a seated bar and a glass-enclosed wine display.

    Sequestered off by themselves are two bedrooms, which include a primary suite that comes with a walk-in closet and a spa-inspired bath flaunting a soaking tub and two-person shower. Like most spaces in the attractive abode, the bedrooms are accessible to the palm tree-laced grounds, which are showcased by a mosaic-tiled pool and spa surrounded by a grassy lawn and sundecks, as well as tennis and bocce courts. There’s also a spacious motor court flanked by an attached three-car garage.

    The bar room includes a lounge area and glass-enclosed wine cellar.

    One Point Media Group

    As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the Burts are selling because they are getting older and want to downsize. If the place goes for anywhere near the asking price it would be one of the priciest sales in the vicinity, topping a Richard Neutra-designed spread in Palm Springs that traded hands in spring 2022 for just over $13 million.

    Often revered for his crooning voice and relaxed humor, Crosby gained fame in the 1930s when he garnered a CBS radio show in New York City. He went on to appear in numerous movies, such as the box-office hit Holiday Inn, in which he sang White Christmas. The Washington-born actor is still regarded as “one of the best-loved and most highly respected figures in theatrical history,” with his accolades including a best actor Oscar for his role as a priest in Going My Way. In the San Diego area, he’s also known for creating the first celebrity pro-am golf tournament and helping build the Del Mar Racetrack.

    Click here for more photos of Bing Crosby’s former Palm Desert home.

    One Point Media Group More

    More stories

    • 138 Shares189 Views

      in Luxury

      Elizabeth Taylor’s Palm Springs Getaway Can Be Yours for $5 Million

      by

      Though Dame Elizabeth Taylor passed away in March 2011 at age 79, the legendary star’s legacy lives on at this modern Palm Springs vacation home that she owned for almost a decade, not to mention the 50-plus films she appeared in throughout her lengthy career. Recently updated by her close friend Kathy Ireland, the Coachella Valley oasis is now on the market in the desert city of Palm Springs, asking just under $5 million.

      Often revered for her seemingly violet eyes, Taylor starred in National Velvet when she was just 10 years old and went on to glam it up in roles such as Cleopatra later in life. Married eight times (twice to Richard Burton), the British-born actress gained more than her share of acclaim along the way, having received two Oscars for BUtterfield 8 and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? She also was a strong advocate in the fight against HIV/AIDS, helping to found The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) and launching the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

      The open-concept great room is warmed by a fireplace and opens to the pool area.

      Mark San Agustin

      One of two homes Taylor laid claim to at the time of her death—the other being a 1960s Bel Air estate that was previously occupied by Nancy Sinatra—the Palm Springs property was originally built in 2001 and purchased by Taylor some three years later for $1.4 million. She subsequently enlisted close friend Kathy Ireland to design the place, with the supermodel-turned-entrepreneur also pitching in on a recent remodel of the premises.

      Currently owned by Fred Bin, CEO of Westlake Village-based real estate company Zoom Casa, who bought the house this past March for nearly $3.8 million, the low-slung structure rests on over a half-acre gated parcel in the Old Las Palmas neighborhood. Known affectionately as “Casa Elizabeth,” it features four bedrooms and five baths spread across a little more than 4,200 square feet of single-level living space that opens to a pool area providing scenic views of the San Jacinto Mountains.

      Highlights include an entry foyer that flows to an open-concept great room centered around a living area sporting a fireplace encased in a slat-wood accent wall, plus floor-to-ceiling glass doors spilling out to a covered terrace ideal for al fresco entertaining with a barbecue, refrigerator, sink and seated bar. Back inside, an adjacent dining area connects to a kitchen outfitted with sleek wood cabinetry, high-end appliances and an eat-in peninsula.

      The backyard is dotted with palm trees, and hosts a pool flanked by a sundeck and cabana.

      Mark San Agustin

      Sequestered off by themselves are two primary suites, each of which come complete with spa-inspired baths decked out with dual vanities, soaking tubs and walk-in showers. Both baths also are accessible to the secluded palm tree-laced grounds, which are showcased by a waterfall-fed pool flanked by a sundeck on one side and an open-air cabana on the other. There’s also an attached three-car garage out front.

      The listing is held by Sandra Upchurch of Signature Real Estate Group.

      Click here for more photos of Liz Taylor’s Palm Springs vacation home. More