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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-09-26 CPRC Regular Meeting Agenda PacketCity of Palm Desert Page 1 CULTURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMITTEE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA AGENDA (HYBRID MEETING) City Hall, Public Works Conference Room 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Pursuant to Assembly Bill 2449, this meeting will be conducted as a hybrid meeting. There will be in-person public access to the meeting location. •To participate via Zoom, use the following link: https://palmdesert.zoom.us/j/83571936866 or call (213) 338-8477, Zoom Meeting ID: 8357-193-6866. •Written public comment may also be submitted to mlomeli@palmdesert.gov. Emails received by 5:00 p.m. the day prior to the meeting will be distributed to the Committee. Any correspondence received during or after the meeting will be distributed to the Committee as soon as practicable and retained for the official record. Emails will not be read aloud except as an ADA accommodation. 1.CALL TO ORDER 2.ROLL CALL 3.ELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON OF THE CULTURAL RESOURCE PRESERVATION COMMITTEE 4.NON-AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENT: This time has been set aside for the public to address the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee on issues that are not on the agenda for up to three minutes. Because the Brown Act does not allow the Committee to act on items not listed on the agenda, members may briefly respond or refer the matter to staff for a report and recommendation at a future meeting. 5.PRESENTATIONS A.CITY’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AT CIVIC CENTER PARK – NOVEMBER 18, 2023 Tuesday September 26, 2023 9:00 a.m. Regular Meeting Page 1 Cultural Resources Preservation Committee Agenda September 26, 2023 City of Palm Desert Page 2 6. CONSENT CALENDAR: All matters listed on the Consent Calendar are considered routine and may be approved by one motion. The public may comment on any items on the Consent Calendar within the three-minute time limit. Individual items may be removed by Committee Members for a separate discussion. A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES RECOMMENDATION: Approve the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee Special Meeting minutes of May 5, 2023, and Regular Meeting minutes of June 27, 2023. 7. ACTION CALENDAR None. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. CONSIDERATION OF A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE A REQUEST BY ANDREW STEARN FOR A LANDMARK DESIGNATION OF AN EXISTING SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURE KNOWN AS THE “CHARLES AND JUNE GIBBS HOUSE II” LOCATED AT 45666 SHADOW MOUNTAIN DRIVE (ASSESSOR’S PARCEL NUMBER 640-293-003) RECOMMENDATION: Make findings pursuant to Palm Desert Municipal Code (PDMC) Section 29.40.010 under Criteria C and D and make a recommendation to the Palm Desert City Council to adopt a resolution to designate the property as a local landmark. 9. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS & COMMENTS A. CULTURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS B. CITY COUNCIL LIAISON C. CITY STAFF 1. Palm Tree at Portola Avenue and Highway 111 2. Kings Point Monument Sign D. ATTENDANCE REPORT 10. ADJOURNMENT: The next Regular Meeting will be held on October 24, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. Page 2 Cultural Resources Preservation Committee Agenda September 26, 2023 City of Palm Desert Page 3 AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING I hereby certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing agenda for the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee was posted on the City Hall bulletin board and City website not less than 72 hours prior to the meeting. /s/ Monique Lomeli, CMC Recording Secretary PUBLIC NOTICES Agenda Related Materials: Pursuant to Government Code §54957.5(b)(2) the designated office for inspection of records in connection with this meeting is the Office of the City Clerk, Civic Center, 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert. Staff reports for all agenda items and documents provided to a majority of the legislative bodies are available for public inspection at City Hall and on the City’s website at http://www.palmdesert.gov . Americans with Disabilities Act: It is the intention of the City of Palm Desert to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in all respects. If, as an attendee or a participant at this meeting, or in meetings on a regular basis, you will need special assistance beyond what is normally provided, the City will attempt to accommodate you in every reasonable manner. Please contact the Office of the City Clerk, (760) 346-0611, at least 48 hours prior to the meeting to inform us of your needs and to determine if accommodation is feasible. Page 3 [This page has intentionally been left blank.] Page 4 City of Palm Desert Page 1 CULTURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMITTEE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA MINUTES Click HERE to review the meeting audio. Click HERE to access the meeting agenda packet. 1.CALL TO ORDER A Special Meeting of the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee was called to order by Chair McCune on Friday, May 5, 2023, at 9:03 a.m., in the Development Services Conference Room, City Hall, located at 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, California. 2.ROLL CALL Present: Committee Members Paul Clark, Don Graybill, Thomas Mortensen, David Toltzmann, Vice-Chair Kim Housken, and Chair Rochelle McCune. Absent: None. Liaison(s) Present: None. City Staff Present: Todd Hileman, City Manager; Richard Cannone, Director of Development Service; Nick Melloni, Principal Planner; Barbara Blythe, Communications Analyst II; and Monique Lomeli, Recording Secretary. 3.PUBLIC COMMENT: None. 4.ACTION CALENDAR: A.CULTURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMITTEE WORK PLAN PRIORITY RANKING FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023/2024. Principal Planner Nick Melloni narrated a PowerPoint presentation and responded to Committee Member inquiries. By consensus the Committee agreed to review the Cultural Resources webpage and be Friday May 5, 2023 9:00 a.m. Special Meeting Page 5 Cultural Resources Preservation Committee Minutes May 5, 2023 City of Palm Desert Page 2 ALL ACTIONS ARE DRAFT, PENDING APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES prepared to discuss ideas and opportunities for improvement at the next Committee meeting. Following discussion, MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER CLARK, SECOND BY COMMITTEE MEMBER MORTENSEN, CARRIED 6-0, to approve the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee Workplan Priority Ranking for Fiscal Year 2023/2024, as amended. Click HERE to review Revised Work Plan Priority Rankings. 5.ADJOURNMENT The Cultural Resources Preservation Committee adjourned at 10:52 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Monique Lomeli, Senior Deputy Clerk Recording Secretary ATTEST: Nick Melloni, Principal Planner Secretary APPROVED BY CRPC: __/__/2023 Page 6 City of Palm Desert Page 1 CULTURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMITTEE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA MINUTES Click HERE to review the meeting audio. Click HERE to access the meeting agenda packet. 1.CALL TO ORDER A Regular Meeting of the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee was called to order by Chairperson McCune on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, at 9:00 a.m., in the North Wing Conference Room, City Hall, located at 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, California. 2.ROLL CALL Present: Committee Members Paul Clark, Don Graybill, Thomas Mortensen, Vice- Chairperson Kim Housken, and Chairperson Rochelle McCune. Absent: Committee Member David Toltzmann Liaison(s) Present: Karina Quintanilla, Mayor Pro Tempore City Staff Present: Todd Hileman, City Manager; Richard Cannone, Director of Development Service; Nick Melloni, Principal Planner; and Monique Lomeli, Recording Secretary. 3.PUBLIC COMMENT: None. 4.CONSENT CALENDAR: A.APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER CLARK, SECOND BY CHAIRPERSON MCCUNE, CARRIED 5-0, to approve the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee Special Meeting minutes of May 5, 2023. 5.ACTION CALENDAR: A.IMPLEMENTATION OF CULTURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMITTEE WORKPLAN FISCAL YEAR 2023/2024 Principal Planner Nick Melloni narrated a PowerPoint presentation and responded to Committee Member inquiries. Following discussion, MOTION BY CHAIRPERSON MCCUNE, SECOND BY COMMITTEE MEMBER MORTENSEN, CARRIED 5-0, to form a subcommittee (McCune and Graybill) to work with City staff on the City’s 50th Anniversary event, with a primary Tuesday June 27, 2023 9:00 a.m. Regular Meeting Page 7 Cultural Resources Preservation Committee Minutes June 27, 2023 City of Palm Desert Page 2 ALL ACTIONS ARE DRAFT, PENDING APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES focus on designing yard signs to identify historic property designations. 6.PUBLIC HEARINGS: None. 7.INFORMATIONAL REPORTS & COMMENTS A.CULTURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS Committee Member Graybill urged the Committee to consider opportunities to showcase art collections by late local artist Ron Backer. The Committee and Mayor Pro Tem Quintanilla encouraged Committee Member Graybill to present information regarding Mr. Backer’s art to the Cultural Arts Committee and the Historical Society. Vice Chair Houseken inquired about the potential for a historic site survey and the summer meeting schedule. Committee Member Clark requested information regarding funding for Committee Members to join the California Preservation Foundation. B.CITY COUNCIL LIAISON Mayor Pro Tem Quintanilla expressed appreciation for the Committee and staff in the creation of the current workplan. C.CITY STAFF Principal Planner Melloni provided information regarding upcoming Architectural Review Commission meetings concerning the development of architectural design guidelines for multi-family residential properties. Director Cannone introduced new Senior Planner Carlos Flores and reported the donation of four photographs to the Historical Society. D.ATTENDANCE REPORT The attendance report was provided with the agenda materials. The Committee took no action on this matter. 8.ADJOURNMENT The Cultural Resources Preservation Committee adjourned at 10:31 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Monique Lomeli, Senior Deputy Clerk Recording Secretary ATTEST: Nick Melloni, Principal Planner Secretary APPROVED BY CRPC: __/__/2023 Page 8 CITY OF PALM DESERT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT CULTURAL RESOURCE PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEMORANDUM To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Committee From: Nick Melloni, AICP, Principal Planner Date: September 26, 2023 Case No(s): CRPC23-0002 Subject: Consideration of a recommendation to the City Council of a request by Andrew Stearn for a Landmark Designation of an existing single-family residential structure known as the “Charles and June Gibbs House II” located at 45666 Shadow Mountain Drive (Assessor’s Parcel Number 640-293-003). EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The proposal is a request by a property owner, Andrew Stearn, for an application to designate an existing single-family residence located at 45666 Shadow Mountain Drive as a local landmark. The property was originally constructed in 1957 by Charles S. Gibbs and was designed by Walter S. White. The site is eligible for designation as it retains the integrity of the original building design, and embodies distinctive characteristics of the mid- century modern architectural style, and represents the work of Walter S. White, considered a master architect of the mid-century modern style. Staff recommends the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee (CRPC) make findings pursuant to Palm Desert Municipal Code (PDMC) Section 29.40.010 under Criteria C and D and make a recommendation to the Palm Desert City Council to adopt a resolution to designate the property as a local landmark. BACKGROUND The Charles and June Gibbs House II is a single-family home on located on a 0.17-acre parcel on the east side of Shadow Mountain Drive approximately 150 feet south of Pitahaya Street. The property is within the Palm Desert Unit 6 Subdivision, Lot 29, block D-6. Existing improvements on the property include the original 1,060 square-foot residence, designed by Walter S. White, a carport structure converted to a garage, later addition of a 375-square-square-foot guest house, and a swimming pool. The original home was permitted by the County of Riverside in October, 1956 and several alterations to the home have occurred over the years. Several homes within the area including free- Page 9 CRPC23-0002 – Charls and June Gibbs House II – Landmark Designation Page 2 of 7 September 26, 2023 standing single-family, single-story midcentury modern homes developed in a similar time- period. Figure 1 – Aerial Photo of Property – June 11, 2023 (Source: Nearmap) Figure 2 – Photo of Primary West Facade Provided by applicant Page 10 CRPC23-0002 – Charls and June Gibbs House II – Landmark Designation Page 3 of 7 September 26, 2023 ANALYSIS Pursuant to Palm Desert Municipal Code Title 29, a landmark means any cultural resource representative of the of the historical, archaeological, cultural, architectural, community aesthetic or artistic heritage of the City that is locally designated, or designated as a landmark at a Federal, State level. A request for designation can be initiated by any person, organization or entity, but may only be acted upon with written consent of the property owner. The property owner has filed written consent to act upon this request. A request for a cultural resource to be designated as a landmark by the City Council, upon completion of a survey, and upon recommendation of the Cultural Resource Preservation Committee (Committee). The Committee must that the structure retains integrity, meaning the structure contains most of the aspects that closely relate to the resource’s significance, including location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association and is eligible based on the following criteria established under PDMC Section 29.40.010: A.Is associated with an event or events that have made a significant contribution to broad patterns of history; or B.Is associated with the lives of persons significant in the past; or C.Embodies distinctive characteristics, or is one of the few remaining examples of a style, type, period or method of construction or possesses high artistic value; or D.Represents the work of a master builder, designer or architect; or E.Is an archaeological, paleontological, botanical, geological, topographical, ecological, or geographical resource that has yielded or has the potential to yield important information in history or prehistory; or F.Reflects distinctive examples of community planning or significant development patterns, including those associated with different eras of settlement and growth, agriculture, or transportation. (Ord. 1168, 2008) The proposed designation is eligible for designation based on Criteria C and D and retains integrity of the existing design by Walter C. White, who is considered a master architect. Characteristics The existing home is a notable example of midcentury modern design by Walter S. White. The structure is distinguished by a low-sloped, angular, asphalt-shingled gable roof projecting above a long angled painted brick wall along the front elevation of the property, with clerestory windows. The footprint of the building is uniquely oriented in a “T” shape with each arm extending out in an angle and terminating with a gable roof with extended overhangs with a continuous knotted pine tongue-and-groove plans forming the each and Page 11 CRPC23-0002 – Charls and June Gibbs House II – Landmark Designation Page 4 of 7 September 26, 2023 interior ceiling. Those roof overhangs feature structure steel posts which are located within mitered and angled glass corners (see Figure 3 Below) The photos provided by the applicant, included as an attachment to this report depict the current conditions of the interior and exterior of the home. The use of these materials represents common materials used at the time in innovative ways to create dramatic architectural forms which are considered characteristic of the midcentury modern style. Figure 3 – Roof Overhangs located within mitered glass corners Integrity The property has undergone several alterations over the years, including additions, major and minor cosmetic changes, and other improvements. These include, the addition of a garage and small storage space to the east of the carport, which was enclosed. A rectangular shaped guest house was constructed at the southeast corner of the site. A corrugated metal roof was added to the south pool terrace and the interior, though as noted by the applicant, this did not structurally alter the existing roof and is reversible. Other changes noted include the addition of decorative screen blocks along the north wall of the garage, which were believed to have been added in the 1960s when these were a popular material. This addition is a compatible alteration as the use of decorative screen blocks is common within mid-century modern architecture and landscape site design. Page 12 CRPC23-0002 – Charls and June Gibbs House II – Landmark Designation Page 5 of 7 September 26, 2023 Sliding glass doors facing the pool area at the southwestern side of the site retain the original metal frame, however as noted have been changed out which is a minor alteration that is not visible to the street. Many hinged doors throughout the home have been replaced with raised panel or French doors featuring a traditional style (See Figure 4 below) which are incompatible with the style. This is reversible and can be replaced with architecturally appropriate doors in the future. Figure 4 – Front door visible from exterior (North Elevation) While several alterations to the existing structure are noted, much of the alterations are either not easily visible from the public street, are compatible (screen blocks), or are reversible (corrugated roof at rear, doors). The impact of these alterations do not adversely affect the integrity of the structure. Architect Walter S. White is regarding as a master architect, and industrial designer in the mid- century modern style that was prolific within Palm Desert. The property embodies the best and most intact example of White’s design of a 1,000-square-foot flexible, replicable model (see figure 5 below) Page 13 CRPC23-0002 – Charls and June Gibbs House II – Landmark Designation Page 6 of 7 September 26, 2023 Figure 5 – Site Plans depicting footprint for 1,000 square-foot housing units intended for workforce housing - 1956 Other notable examples of Walter S. White’s work includes the Miles C. Bates House, or “Wave House” at 73697 Santa Rosa Way, which was recently restored and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Public Input Pursuant to the requirements of PDMC Section 25.40.060, a 10-day notice of this hearing was posted in the Desert Sun on September 15, 2023 and mailed to all property owners within a three-hundred-foot radius of the subject property. At the time of preparation of this report, no comments have been received. Environmental Review Designation of the existing single family residence as a local landmark is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15060(c)(2), the general exemption rule, of the CEQA Guidelines as the proposed project will not result in any Page 14 CRPC23-0002 – Charls and June Gibbs House II – Landmark Designation Page 7 of 7 September 26, 2023 foreseeable indirect change in the environment. The project is 15060(c)(3) the activity is not considered as project as it has no potential for resulting in any indirect or direct physical changes to the environment. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee (CRPC) make findings pursuant to Palm Desert Municipal Code (PDMC) Section 29.40.010 under Criteria C and D and make a recommendation to the Palm Desert City Council to adopt a resolution to designate the property as a local landmark. Attachment: 1. Landmark Description 2. Landmark Statement of Significance 3. Letter from Property Owner, Andrew St 4.Photos of Property 5. Public Hearing Notice Page 15 Descrip(on Charles S. and June Gibbs House II 45666 Shadow Mountain Drive, Palm Desert APN 640293003 1 Located in Palm Desert, the Charles S. and June C. Gibbs House II property stands a liLle more than a mile east of the famous Shadow Mountain Resort and Club. Designs by master architect Walter S. White are well represented in this part of Palm Desert, seen in many mid-century dwellings of his design ranging from modest projects to well-appointed homes. The immediate neighborhood boasts larger single-family homes while to the east, a mixture of rehabilita(on centers, small houses, and mul(-residen(al complexes comprise the surrounding urban context, including the Miles Bates “Wave” House, now listed in the Na(onal Register of Historic Places. Completed in 1957, the one-story, west-facing subject property is sited on a rectangular lot on Shadow Mountain Drive. Shading the interior, a low-sloped, asphalt-shingled gabled roof projects sharply above a long angled painted brick wall that shields the rest of the house from public view. Only the drama(c clerestory of glass infilling the gable, the tapered ends of wood beams suppor(ng the roof, and a bit of the knoLed pine tongue-and-groove interior ceiling planking are visible from the street. The roof’s fascia is dis(nguished by its shape. Slanted inward, it is another typical White feature. It may be steel; it is difficult to tell because it has been faux painted, as has the beams suppor(ng the roof and the columns suppor(ng the beams. These round steel columns, at the end of each arm, are located behind mitered panes of glass that forms the prow of the clerestory, an important trademark White strategy. The massing of the building is expressed as an extrusion of its plan. The building’s footprint forms an eccentric asymmetrically-oriented “T.” Each arm of the T is a different size. Each arm is angled in plan to form a prow, the apex of two planes of equal length. Each arm is surmounted by a projec(ng gable whose triangular area below the roof is infilled with glass, most prominently at the front of the house, noted above. This west-most arm, slightly longer than the other two, contains the open plan kitchen and living area. The south plane of this angled arm features a wooden framework of six lights of fixed glass, another typical character-defining feature, while a masonry segment of white painted brick comprises the north plane. This use of masonry segments as well as the wooden framework is another important character- defining feature, first seen at the Breedlove House, La Quinta, 1949. Beyond the aesthe(c quali(es of the combina(on of masonry segment and wooden framework, because this west-facing arm was protected from the relentless heat of the western sun by the tall wall beyond and the long projec(ng overhang, delivering a highly func(onal design as well. Later stone veneer cladding is present on the south side of this living/kitchen area and on a part of the exterior wall. In addi(on to the main house, approximately 1,026 square feet, a later rectangular 375-square-foot guest house is tucked into the lot’s southeast corner.1 The northeast corner is occupied by a small storage room, not original, that is aLached to the rear (east) end of the garage, aLached to the carport. Neither the guest house nor the storage room can be seen from the street. On the south eleva(on of the primary, west-facing , the living and kitchen open to a pool through two large sliding glass doors; the door to the east appears to be original. The pool terrace is sheltered by a long, corrugated metal shed roof, added later. This metal roof is reversible. 1 According to White’s plot plan, dated Sept. 20, 1956, he states the area of the house as 1,012 square feet, with the carport as 384 square feet. The Assessor record, Riverside County, states the home’s square footage at 984; Zillow states 1,308 square feet, and, to accurately portray the property, realtor Niko Esposito commissioned a second appraisal, which provided a size of 1,066.81. a square feet Page 16 Descrip(on Charles S. and June Gibbs House II 45666 Shadow Mountain Drive, Palm Desert APN 640293003 2 Located on the north eleva(on of this westmost, largest arm, the primary entrance opens to the driveway and the carport, now enclosed as a garage with a later garage door. Surmoun(ng a low painted brick wall, another wooden framework, here with ten fixed glass lights, flanks the front door, now a raised panel wooden door that has replaced the original flat panel door. The second arm, juhng north, contains a guest bedroom, while the third, slightly larger arm faces east and houses the master bedroom. Like the primary arm stretching toward Shadow Mountain Drive, both these secondary arms replicate the clerestory windows filling in the gables. Construc(on/Owner History Below is a list of selected permits; not noted are minor permits for mechanical services, re-roofing, etc. 1. The original permit #24324 for the dwelling was filed Oct. 3, 1956, for a “Dwelling and Carport” signed by Gibbs. It was finalized Feb.15, 1957, just a few days before the first grant deed gave the Gibbs family ownership on Feb. 26, 1957. Walter White is listed as architect. 2. The next permit, filed June 12, 1959, and finalized July 1, 1959, was for a pool, built by local pool builder Johnston Pools, (whose office was .4 miles from White’s office; presumably White was acquainted with the firm.) 3. Dated Oct. 14, 1964, owner Robert M. MacCheyne, was granted a permit for the addi(on of a garage and a bedroom (presumably the space aLached to the garage, now fiLed out as a garden studio.) A permit search by Riverside County shows several more permits: Because Riverside County does not keep later permits on file for more than a year, it is not known when the small storage area, the garage, or the guest house/studio was added. 4. Dated Aug. 6, 1971, a permit was granted to Wynn Briggs to repair fire damage. Aler 1973, the County of Riverside discarded permits aler a year so no further permits have been retained. The on-line and at Riverside County’s Gateway Office grant deed record is spoLy, but the transfer history shows the house was sold six (mes: 1968, 1982, 1991, 1997, 2017, and 2022. (County employees have also researched this on the nomina(on’s behalf.) Altera(ons Over the years, one major, one minor, and several cosme(c altera(ons have occurred. The major change is the addi(on of a garage and small storage(or work) space, added to the east of the once-open carport. While White’s few drawings include a loosely sketched, L-shaped guest house is outlined for the northeast; a smaller, free-standing rectangular-shaped guest house was erected at the southeast corner. The minor change is the addi(on of a deep corrugated metal roof sheltering the south pool terrace and the interior. This added roof did not alter the exis(ng roof and is reversible. The cosme(c altera(ons include: Page 17 Descrip(on Charles S. and June Gibbs House II 45666 Shadow Mountain Drive, Palm Desert APN 640293003 3 . The north wall of the carport includes a decora(ve breeze block screen; two more are present on the north wall of the garage. These appear to be a later addi(on, possibly in the 1960s when the garage was added, and such decora(ve breeze block walls were at the height of their popularity. The breeze block is a compa(ble altera(on. . While both large sliding glass doors opposite the pool appear to have retained their original openings, the metal frame for the slider on the east is slightly thicker than its neighbor, whose slender frame appears to be original. This altera(on is a negligible change. . Many of the hinged doors have been replaced with incompa(ble raised panel or French doors in a tradi(onal style, an easily reversible condi(on. It is not known what the original floor material is, but the current floor is a polished concrete floor, common for mid-century homes and in character with the house and the architect. Evalua(on of Integrity According to the City of Palm Desert’s Ordinance regarding Cultural Resources, Ordinance 1168, Title 29, p. 5, "integrity" is defined as the ability of a cultural resource to convey its significance. To retain integrity a cultural resource must retain most of the aspects that closely relate to the resource's significance, including loca(on, design, sehng, materials, workmanship, feeling, and associa(on. Loca(on is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred. The Charles and June Gibbs House #2 is in its original loca(on. Design is the combina(on of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property. The Charles and June Gibbs House #2 retains those signature Walter S. White character-defining features comprising design: . T-shaped, angled building footprint . spa(al rela(onships . roof profile: low slope roof, front gable, prow extending beyond the building footprint . concrete block or brick walls extended into the landscape and angled in plan at the extremi(es to shield public view and also to increase the wall’s stability. . angles clerestory windows filling the triangular pediment below the roof . original materials: masonry brick block, wood ceiling, tapered (mber roof beams . structural steel posts located within mitred and angled glass corners . wood window framing and detailing in living area . angled roof fascia . extended overhangs The garage and storage shed addi(on are difficult to see from the public right of way. They do not affect the overall design of the house and are compa(ble but differen(ated from the original, seen in the mid- 1960s decora(ve screen block. The addi(on of the corrugated metal material shielding the southern eleva(on does not affect the exis(ng roofline and is reversible. Page 18 Descrip(on Charles S. and June Gibbs House II 45666 Shadow Mountain Drive, Palm Desert APN 640293003 4 Sehng is the physical environment of a historic property, including its surrounding context. Shadow Mountain Drive and nearby streets retains its historic context of free-standing, one-story, single- family, primarily mid-century, homes. Although the plan(ngs in front of the house are not original, the subject property has retained its original rela(onship to the street, including the drama(c extension of the wall into the landscape. Materials are the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a par(cular period of (me and in a par(cular paLern or configura(on to form a historic property. Walter S. White’s typical use of common materials (Douglas Fir (mbers, glass, masonry brick block, concrete, pine ceiling) combined in innova(ve ways and original to the specific period of (me of construc(on are all present here. Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crals of a par(cular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory. Walter S. White’s trademark tapered beams, strong prows at the end of each overhang above, elongated, even exaggerated walls that extend into the landscape, and his signature strategy of enclosing a structural support with mitered glass all exemplify workmanship associated with White. Feeling is a property's expression of the aesthe(c or historic sense of a par(cular period of (me. To an excep(onal degree, the aesthe(c quali(es Charles and June Gibbs House #2 expresses a (me and a place, the late 1950s and Palm Desert and the Coachella Valley. The character of Palm Desert’s mid- century residen(al architecture owes a great deal to Walter S. White, and this house embodies an important approach in his work that he employed many (mes. Associa(on is the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property. The subject property is readily associated with master architect Walter S. White. Conclusion, Evalua(on of Integrity As noted in Na(onal Register Bulle(n 15, “historic proper(es either retain integrity (that is, convey their historic significance) or they do not.” Despite the addi(on of the garage and storage space behind the carport, Charles and June Gibbs House II readily retains its integrity, with all original spa(al rela(onships and primary character-defining features and materials intact. Page 19 1 Statement of Significance Charles S. and June Gibbs House II 45666 Shadow Mountain Drive, Palm Desert APN 640293003 Walter S. White’s stature as a master architect, industrial designer, and inventor has conMnued to grow as his excepMonal role in the development of Palm Desert and in mid-century Modernism are recognized. As architectural historian Volker Welter wrote, “It is only fair to acknowledge that, despite his lack of professional accreditaMon, for some years White was the architect of this new community in the desert.”1 White’s previously designated houses, such as the Franz Alexander House, Palm Springs, 1956, and the Miles Bates House, Palm Desert, 1955, are renowned for their electrifying shapes, especially their curvaceous roofs. By contrast, the Charles and June Gibbs II House, Palm Desert, 1957, is important for a different reason. The property embodies the best and most intact example of White’s design of a 1,000- square-foot flexible, replicable model that could be adapted for both low-cost/workforce developments as 1 Volker M. Welter, Walter S. White, Inventions in Mid-Century Architecture, Santa Barbara: University of California Santa Barbara, 2015, 46. White in fact did become a licensed architect in 1987, when he was 70. Northwest corner, north and east façade, 45666 Shadow Mountain Drive. Photo by Kelly Peak, Peak Photography, and with the generous courtesy of realtor Nike Esposito and Peak. Page 20 2 well as custom homes, an approach he developed in Palm Desert. Gibbs II demonstrates White’s lifelong concern for a wide range of clientele rather than catering solely to the elite a_racted to resort living. Adding to its significance, Gibbs II also features many of White’s trademark strategies, the same strategies he employed for larger, more experimental homes. AddiMonally, while secondary to the importance of the design and the architect, Charles Gibbs and his wife June were acMve and contribuMng members of the Palm Desert community in the 1950s and ’60, including developing low-cost housing based on the same prototype seen at Gibbs II2 and parMcipaMng in the incorporaMon of the City. At first glance, the irregular “T” shaped, 1000-square-foot building’s footprint could be described as eccentric. More considered, the shape demonstrates White’s genius in providing an abundant quality of spaciousness despite its small footprint, and providing that expansiveness without sacrificing the human need to be private and to be protected from the desert’s harsh sun. White achieved this difficult balance with humble materials: glass, wood, and brick masonry block.3 No developed plans, construcMon documents, elevaMons, or details for Gibbs II could be found. Being friends and both keenly aware of construcMon means and methods, it can be assumed that the two men collaborated closely. Each of the T’s three “arms” reach out in different direcMon, has a different funcMon, and invokes a unique quality of space. For example, the westmost “arm,” accommodaMng the living/kitchen/dining area, offers abundant light but in different ways. The west-facing prow, containing the gable-shaped clerestory windows (above the tall west wall ending just at head height, ensuring privacy from the street view), provides one type of daylight; another from the sliding window wall that is sheltered by the deep overhang on the south elevaMon; and the two large banks of wood-framed windows on the north elevaMon provide yet another quality of light. The other two “arms” define spaces that are currently bedrooms at Gibbs II, each with the triangular-shaped clerestory windows below the angled wood ceil, and each with addiMonal fenestraMon to allow easy access to the paMos and the pool. The spine of the T contains storage and bathrooms. White’s earliest prototype for this unique plan can be seen in the four modest bungalows that he developed in La Quinta in 1956, about ten miles southeast of the Gibbs residences, Gibbs 1, constructed in 1953, and Gibbs II, constructed next door four years later.4 Two of the four bungalows remain, located at the northeast corner of Avenida Obregon and Calle Chillon, although some key features have been altered. One year later, in 1957 (and contemporaneous with Gibbs II), White used the design again, this Mme for low-cost rental units for real estate developer/stockbroker Richard Deman; the development was demolished except for one unit, now significantly altered. For example, one primary character-defining 2 These were the Charles Gibbs and Walter White Bungalows, 1958, at 44430, 44432, 44476, and 44478 San Rafael Ave., c. 1958, and the Charles and June Low-Cost Housing, 44170 El Cercado Court and 73605 Santa Rosa Way (near the Miles Bates House), 1959. See Welter, 102. 3 Notably, the 1947 Palm Desert Corporation’s “Declaration of Protective Restrictions,” stipulated that houses had to be a minimum of 1,200 square feet.3 While this rule may have only applied to houses built nearer to the Shadow Mountain Club, the Gibbs House was not affected by this covenant because the Corporation was disbanded in 1957. 4 Gibbs I, the first house that White designed for his friends Charles and June, was constructed in 1953, just next door at 45710 Shadow Mountain Drive. This house is a more modest version of its younger sibling next door, with horizontal wood fencing used instead of brick to almost shield the house completely from public view, although the low gable roof projects with White’s triangular clerestory is visible, a feature shared with Gibbs II. Riverside County’s Assessor’s website for Gibbs 1 records a “Living Area” of 954 square feet, about 30 square feet smaller than Gibbs II. Page 21 3 feature, the triangular-shaped clerestory below the angled prow of the gable roof was altered in an inexplicable way: the clerestory was filled in with stucco and square windows of varying sizes inserted. Yea rs earlier, White had proposed a large-scale development with Metro Homes in “Unit 6” of Palm Desert that included two-bedroom versions of the T-shaped design, but in 1950 the Palm Desert CorporaMon disallowed the project because it didn’t want such a large area to be designed by one architect and too homogeneous; a few units were built.5 In any case, White spent years developing this unique T design, embodied in Gibbs II. By contrast to these low-cost designs, Gibbs II’s finishes and cramsmanship demonstrate a higher degree of quality than those others, perhaps a reflecMon of the greater care White took in designing the second home for his friends Charles and June. It demonstrates that the template could be adapted to various price points and embodies White’s lifelong concern for an architecture that conserved resources and that was suited to the extremes of desert climate. Thus, the Gibbs House is especially noteworthy because it displays all those strategies that he used for his more upscale houses in a footprint originally intended for workforce housing. 5 Welter, 46; also Footnote 56. The development constructed for the 1956 housing units, La Quinta, 1956. Source: Volker M. Welter, Walter S. White, Inventions in Modern Architecture, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2015, 29. Page 22 4 Site plan, one of the few extant sketches that exist of the subject property. Plan courtesy of owner Andrew Stearn. Page 23 5 White’s Early Career Born in 1917, the son of a carpenter and house builder, White grew up in San Bernardino and seems to have been an iconoclast from the start. Instead of pursuing a formal educaMon, at age 20 he began working as a dramsperson and didn't receive his architect’s license unMl 1987, when he was 70 years old. His early employers and mentors included luminaries such as Harwell Hamilton Harris (1903-1990), where White worked for six months during 1937, and Rudolf Schindler (1887-1953), for eight months, 1937-8.6 While White’s tenure with Harris was short, there were several important projects on the office boards or recently completed. During that Mme, Harris himself was exploring several avenues of thinking, demonstrated in the Greta Granstedt House, Los Angeles, 1938. This dwelling had a broad, standing seam metal roof that Harris devised himself from off-the-shelf components, demonstraMng an inquisiMve, hands-on approach that White shared. The floor plan and secMon of the John Entenza House, Santa Monica, 1937, integrated and offset circles of various sizes with recMlinear forms, as did White in many of his houses, including the Franz Alexander Residence.11 Harris’s De Steiguer House, Pasadena, 1936, sports a broad, angled metal fascia that is virtually idenMcal to the fascia present at Gibbs II. Later, when White joined Schindler’s office on Kings Road, White would have seen or worked on a range of projects, from dwellings such as the sleek, InternaMonal Style-inspired Buck House, Los Angeles, 1935, to the rusMc A- frame stone-and-wood BennaM Cabin, Lake Arrowhead, 1937. Common to all projects, however, were several qualiMes: a fearlessness in designing with angles, as was Frank Lloyd Wright, Schindler’s earlier employer; an alert engagement with the landscape and nature; an acute understanding of manipulaMng daylight, and a desire to consider each new project as a unique opportunity for exploraMon. According to White’s obituary, White was one of the few individuals that Wright invited to intern graMs at Taliesin West, Wright’s Arizona-based school and pracMce.7 Wright almost invariably required payment from his group of handpicked apprenMces, including well-known architect John Lautner (1911-1994). While this cannot be corroborated, if true, the story indicates Wright’s high level of regard for White’s skills and potenMal. During the war, White helped to plan and detail prefabricated war housing with a skin-stressed plywood panel system between 1939 and 1942, a remarkable lesson in materials in tension recalling Ray and Charles Eames’ own work in skin-stressed plywood, leading to their enduring fame. White recounted later that over 8,000 of these units were constructed in the U.S.8 White went on to work for other firms, such as that of Pasadena-based architect Lee Kline (1914-2007), known for his comfortable, easy-going Modern houses. In 1947 White moved from Los Angeles to Palm Springs where he worked for Clark & Frey (John Porter Clark, 1905-1991) and Albert Frey (1903 – 1998) for approximately 18 months between 1947 and 1948, and possibly in their new office on Palm Canyon Drive. The well-established firm had recently completed the Loewy House in Li_le Tuscany, 1946. As with Harris and Schindler, 6 Welter, 13. 7 “Walter S. White, Architect, Inventor, Industrial Designer,” Desert Sun, April 28, 2002. 8 “Biographical/Historical Note,” Finding Aid, UC Santa Barbara. Page 24 6 Frey was constantly tesMng materials and methods for his experimental structures. These more avant garde designs ran side-by-side with the firm’s work for a more convenMonal clientele who preferred the relaxed Ranch-style houses that the firm designed throughout the 1950s in Smoke Tree Ranch, an upscale community in southern Palm Springs that included such celebriMes as Walt Disney. While employed by Clark & Frey, White worked on the James Lyons House in Smoke Tree Ranch, 1948, working directly with Frey.9 CollecMvely, White’s brilliant mentors, themselves iconoclasts, exposed the young architect to canMlevered roofs; a sensiMvity to site; using materials in innovaMve ways; exploiMng the power of the angle; adapMng to clients on a spectrum from convenMonal to radical, low income to well off; and to the virtues of hands-on building know-how. However, despite being surrounded by those and other renowned Modern architects pracMcing in Los Angeles and in the Coachella Valley, he proved to be an independent thinker and innovator, unwilling to rely on others’ soluMons. White was further disMnguished by his specialized knowledge of industrial engineering and tool design. White’s papers at UC Santa Barbara, for example, contain research on greenhouses, oxidaMon rates of stainless steel, energy conservaMon, fluid dynamics, and cooling tower construcMon. He developed innovaMve passive solar window mechanisms and hyperbolic roof shapes, shapes that ensured unforge_able silhoue_es but that he also intended would reduce building costs and materials. Notably, Frey and Chambers (Robson Cole Chambers, 1919-1998) designed the Tramway Gas StaMon, now world famous for its exuberant roof that announces the entrance to Palm Springs, in 1963 (completed 1965), five years a%er White completed the Willcockson House, Indio, 1958, whose hyperbolic-parabolic roof is as astonishing as the Tramway’s. Maturing Philosophy and PracMce In the late 1940s, White obtained his contractor’s license and opened his own office, a small, tautly designed free-standing building. Its large, projecMng windows included a corner miter. VerMcally oriented corrugated aluminum siding extended beyond the extended roof overhang, which featured an angled fascia, noted earlier as a possible detail derived from Harwell Hamilton Harris. Originally, its address was 73-310 State Highway 111. Today, now an infill building among a developed city at 73-282 Palm Desert Drive North it can only be recognized by the extant corner window and the telltale steel column behind it.10 White loved the desert as his natural mé)er. In a Na)onal Geographic arMcle that highlighted his projects and his philosophy, he stated, “ConvenMonal architecture is just staMc and self-conscious and doesn’t fit the freedom of the desert ... We are abandoning the tyranny of rigidly parallel walls and 90-degree angles. We strive for a form that seems to spring from the ground, like a naMve plant.”11 The iconic French Modernist Le Corbusier’s Five Points of Architecture, which included the “free design of the ground plan,” where walls were liberated from the roof, recalls White’s own 9 Finding Aid, Albert Frey Papers, UCSB, Drawer 510, Flat File 44. Volker Welter, curator of the 2015 exhibition on White at UC Santa Barbara’s Art, Design and Architecture Museum, provided this information. 10 Luke Leuschner, “Chronology of Walter S. White Office,” 2019. The author is indebted to architectural historian Leuschner for his generosity in sharing Palm Desert history; the Historical Society of Palm Desert’s archives and staff were also very helpful. 11 Mason Sutherland, “Californians Escape to the Desert,” The National Geographic Magazine, Vol. CX11 (112), No. 5, November 1957, 675 – 724, 684. Page 25 7 concepMon of the roof as a free element and as potenMally independent of what was beneath it. “The roof does not define the living area,” he wrote in Arts & Architecture, precisely outlining the technical components of the hypar roof and his exploitaMon of steel placed in tension, when “it is at its efficient best.”12 That meant that walls were free to be inserted at will. Relieved of the tradiMonal requisite of load-bearing, their new role was to define spaMal relaMonships. White began designing homes in the Coachella Valley that reveal a diversity of approaches. For example, the long, low, Johnson- Hebert Residence, Palm Desert, 1958, is a fine example of Modernism. Its orthogonal geometry of hardscape, landscape, and pools interlock house and sesng into a controlled but expansive spaMal experience. The E. W. Stewart House, Palm Desert, 1951, and the Ng House, La Quinta, also 1951, exemplify White’s skill in handling designs for larger, more upscale homes kni_ed into their sesngs. The Stewart residence, for example, features a dramaMc stone-clad fireplace-in-the-round, the same stonework that he used throughout interior and exterior, integraMng the two. The design of the large home’s design is essenMally a rectangle but what makes it interesMng White’s skillful disrupMon of the straight line with angled spaces and glass, animaMng the design. He also angled the masonry base of the house so that the enMre composiMon appears to be raised up on a plinth, while feeling firmly rooted into the earth. Inside, the ceiling combines flat and angled surfaces; the verMcal change in height is denoted by angled wood cladding, another example of how White manipulated interiors as adroitly as his exteriors. Many smaller, more modest homes in La Quinta, Indio, and Palm Desert are more tradiMonal in appearance, integraMng Ranch-style elements with trademark White features. Noted in the DescripMon but included here as well, such signature strategies include mitered glass windows enclosing a steel column corner support set back from the glass corner; tapered ridge beams; broad roofs; long concrete block walls that extend into the landscape; triangular groupings of windows below low-slope gable roofs; and a street façade relaMvely closed to public view with glass sliding walls open to gardens and landscape at the rear or side elevaMons. . In the late 1960s, White moved to Colorado. There, as vice-president and consulMng architect for Environ Masters, Inc., he developed cabin vacaMon homes designed to minimize disrupMon to a natural sesng and maximize resistance to wind and snow loads. Instead of a convenMonal poured foundaMon, he designed a lighter-weight system with a steel substructure and caissons. Poppy Woody, White’s daughter, described her father as “always thinking of how to do something be_er.… He wasn’t a standoffish person, but he really didn’t talk about architecture much. He wanted to get to know the people he designed for, their philosophy and their style.”13 White as Inventor White’s astute knowledge of steel’s properMes and his interest in passive solar design led to three patents, including the “Wall or Roof Structure,” 1959. This generic name belies an extraordinary use of wood considered as a precious resource and is the method White used for the roof of the Miles Bates House. Here, long, slender wooden circular dowels, alternaMng with small, hourglass shapes of wood that fill in the gaps between the dowels like pieces in a puzzle 12 Walter S. White, “Desert Houses,” Arts & Architecture, October 1959, 28. The issue included houses by Craig Ellwood, Pierre Koenig, Richard Neutra, and Smith and Williams. 13 Poppy Woody telephone interview with author, July 22, 2023. Page 26 8 create a flexible lasce with the ability to be supported by beams of any shape. The second patent, “The “Hyperbolic Paraboloid Roof Structure and Method of ConstrucMng Frame Thereof” was issued in 1966. The “hypar” roof, as White called it, is best described as shaped as a Pringles® potato chip. The “Solar Heat Exchanger Window Wall” patent, issued in 1975, is a passive window-and-solar collecMon system. The window unit, comprising three panes of glass, pivots from the top and bo_om of a frame. During the summer, one face of the unit deflected heat, reflecMng the sun’s rays. During the winter, the user pivoted the window, reversing orientaMons. Heat collected on the inside of the window was returned back into interior space with a special duct that was embedded in the ceiling and connected just above the window.18 The device was used for a very few experimental projects, including the Stafford Residence II, Escondido, 1988, which also has a curved roof and overlooks an expansive view. While as iniMally designed the windows were difficult to control in strong winds, remedial stops secured the inevitable spinning moMon. While the prototype was not developed further, it remains a credible approach and demonstrates White’s ability to analyze apriori. Charles S. Gibbs Charles Sturgeon Gibbs was born in Miles City, Montana in 1925. June C. Gibbs was born in 1927. They married in San Francisco in 1949 amer Gibbs’s Navy service and moved to Riverside County in 1950 and to La Quinta a year later. Charles and June were well-known in a variety of circles in Palm Desert. Both were recognized local teachers who also became well-known as excellent tennis players, omen playing, and winning, in tournaments held at the Shadow Mountain Country Club for over two decades.14 (Among many announcements on tennis at the club, The Desert Sun, Aug. 17, 1951, reported that “Sunday night saw a nice doubles match between Mr. and Mrs. Walter White and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Gibbs.”) Amer reMring as a teacher of history and economics at Coachella Valley High School, a tenure of 23 years, Charles earned his license as a general contractor, pursuing that occupaMon for the next 18 years.15 He was likely involved with the construcMon of the Salton Sea Airport,16 built a hangar at the airport almost 20 years later,17 and was noted for residenMal construcMon in the growing community of North Shore Beach at the Salton Sea in the early 1960s.18 Gibbs also parMcipated in local poliMcs. He was named to the original organizing commi_ee seeking city status for Palm Desert.19 In 1975 he ran for a trustee posiMon, College of the Desert and in 1976 he owned a wholesale nursery in Palm Desert along with his construcMon business.20 The newspaper’s last menMon of Charles and June was in 1984, when they sold “the largest mini-warehouse in Palm Desert,” a ten-building complex totaling 73,000 square feet.21 Charles died six years later in Olmsted, Minnesota; June died in 2008. 14 The Desert Sun, April 20, 1951, 9; Coachella Valley Recreation and Park District Certificate of Appreciation to June Gibbs, March 18, 1972, courtesy Palm Desert Historical Society. 15 Desert Sentinel, Feb. 27, 1975, B2-3. 16 Gibbs is pictured in a The Desert Sun photo, published Nov. 11, 1961, portraying the ground-breaking ceremony of the airport planned for the north side of Salton Sea. Gibbs is one of five people in the photo and identified as “Charles Gibbs of the Gibbs Construction Co.,” suggesting he was involved with its construction. 17 The Desert Sun, Nov. 24, 1980. 18 The Desert Sun, April 13, 1962. 19 The Desert Sun, Aug. 4, 1966. 20 The Desert Sun, April 14, 1976. 21 The Desert Sun, May 15, 1984. Page 27 9 Conclusion, Significance Built in 1957, the Gibbs House II is significant because it skillfully displays all the noted strategies and finishes that master architect, builder, and designer Walter S. White used for his more upscale houses, yet here integrated with a unique footprint that he developed between 1950 and 1957, a design that he originally intended for workforce housing. Well-cramed and retaining integrity, Gibbs House II is the City’s only example of this unusual combinaMon. Therefore, the Gibbs House is eligible for designaMon under the City of Palm Desert’s Landmark DesignaMon Criteria, Title 29 of the Municipal Code, 29.40.010, under Criteria C and D: C. Embodies disMncMve characterisMcs, or is one of the few remaining examples of a style, type, period, or method of construcMon, or possesses high arMsMc value; or D. Represents the work of a master builder, designer, or architect References Ancestry.com Arts and Architecture Magazine Desert Sen)nel Historical Society of Palm Desert archives. Lamprecht, Barbara. NominaMon, NaMonal Register of Historic Places, Franz Alexander Residence, Palm Springs. 2015 Leuschner, Luke. “Chronology of Walter S. White Office.” Unpublished. 2019. ____ Telephone interviews June - August 2023 Los Angeles Times. “Sand Traps and Sun Lure Outdoor Types to Desert.” February 26, 1967. NaMonal Register BulleMn 15 Newspapers.com Sutherland, Mason. “Californians Escape to the Desert.” The Na)onal Geographic Magazine, Vol. CX11 (112), No. 5, November 1957, 675 – 724. The Desert Sun Walter S. White Papers. Architecture and Design CollecMon, Art, Design, & Architecture Museum, University of California, Santa Barbara. Welter, Volker M. Walter S. White, Inven)ons in Mid-Century Architecture. Santa Barbara: University of California Santa Barbara, 2015. White, Walter S. “Desert Houses.” Arts & Architecture, October 1959. Woody, Poppy. Telephone interview with author. July 22, 2023. Page 28 FROM THE DESK OF Andrew Stearn August 16, 2023 Cultural Resources Preservation Committee City of Palm Desert Planning Dept. Attn: Nick Melloni, Principal Planner 73510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Dear Mr Melloni & Associates: I am the owner of 45666 Shadow Mountain Drive in Palm Desert. I recently acquired the property and from the moment I saw it I wanted to have it declared a landmark building so it can stand the test of time and have everyone know the architecture of Walter S White. I have engaged Barbara Lamprecht to help me with this as I needed an expert to delve into the history of the home. As you will see from her in-depth proposal, I think you will see why this house is worthy of historic designation. I hopefully will be able to restore even more of the original elements to bring the house back to its glory. This could include the front door, all of the French doors in the home as well as restoring the beams. Please feel free to call or email me at 3104388438 or redcoatroad@gmail.com with any questions or if you would like to come see the home in person. Sincerely yours, Andrew Stearn cc: Barbara Lamprecht Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 CITY OF PALM DESERT 73-510 FRED WARING DRIVE PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA 92260-2578 TEL: 760-346-0611 INFO@CITYOFPALMDESERT.GOV CITY OF PALM DESERT PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE CASE NO. CRPC23-0002 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE HELD BEFORE THE CULTURAL RESOURCE PRESERVATION COMMITTEE OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, TO CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION TO THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL FOR THE DESIGNATION OF AN EXISTING STRUCTURE LOCATED AT 45666 SHADOW MOUNTAIN DRIVE AS A LOCAL LANDMARK The City of Palm Desert (City), in its capacity as the Lead Agency, has found that the proposed historic landmark designation is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Guidelines Section 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) as the project will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment and is not a Project as defined by Section 15378. PROJECT LOCATION/DESCRIPTION: PROJECT LOCATION: 45666 Shadow Mountain Drive (Assessor’s Parcel Number 640-293-003) PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project is a request to designate an existing single-family residential structure, generally known as the Gibbs House II, as a local historic landmark. PUBLIC HEARING: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Cultural Resources Committee of the City of Palm Desert, California, will hold a Public Hearing at its meeting on September 26, 2023. The Cultural Resources Committee meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. in the Public Works Conference Room at 73510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, California. Pursuant to Assembly Bill 2449, this meeting may be conducted by teleconference. Options for remote participation will be listed on the Posted Agenda for the meeting at https://www.palmdesert.gov/departments/city-manager-s-office/city-clerk/committee-calendar. There will be in-person access to the meeting location. PUBLIC REVIEW: The plans and related documents are available for public review Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. by contacting the project planner, Nick Melloni. Please submit written comments to the Planning Division. If any group challenges the action in court, issues raised may be limited to only those issues raised at the public hearing described in this notice or in written correspondence at or prior to the Planning Commission hearing. All comments and any questions should be directed to: Nick Melloni, Principal Planner City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 (760) 346-0611, Extension 479 nmelloni@palmdesert.gov PUBLISH: THE DESERT SUN RICHARD D. CANNONE, AICP, SECRETARY SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 CULTURAL RESOURCE PRESERVATION COMMITTEE Page 52 Cultural Resource Preservation Committee Year 2023 2023 2023 2023 2023 2023 2023 2023 2022 2022 2022 2022 Month Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Day - - 27 5 25 - - - - - - - Clark, Paul - - P P P - - - - - - -0 0 Graybill, Don - - P P P - - - - - - -0 0 Housken, Kim - - P P P - - - - - - -0 0 McCune, Rochelle - - P P P - - - - - - -0 0 Mortensen, Thomas - - P P P - - - - - - -0 0 Toltzmann, David - - P P P - - - - - - -0 0 0 0 0 0 P Present P Remote A Absent E Excused -No Meeting Resigned/Not Yet Appointed Palm Desert Municipal Code 2.34.010 Monthly: Three unexcused absences from regular meeting in any twelve-month period shall constitute an automatic resignation of members holding office on boards that meet bimonthly. Please contact the Recording Secretary to discuss any attendance concerns. Total Absences Unexcused Excused Page 53