HomeMy WebLinkAbout2A - PresentationItem 2AThe Merrill Lynch Building
415 South Palm Canyon
Case HSPB #160 - Historic Site Designation
October 24, 2024
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Project Site & Context
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Proposed Review
•Historic Site Designation(Section 8.05.070)
•Property address: 415 S. PalmCanyon (APN #513-213-001)
•Zone District: Central BusinessDistrict (CBD)
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Site Conditions
Currently the Eisenhower Health Center, East Elevation, 2024
North Elevation, 2024
Column and exterior
lighting details, 2024
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Historic Photographs
Steel-frame structure during construction, 1970s
Source: Palm Springs Historical Society
Building after completion, 1971
Source: “Steel and Shade: The Architecture of Donald Wexler”
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Municipal Code Section 8.05.070.C.1.a
Criteria for the Designation of Class 1 Historic Resources
The site, structure, building or object exhibits exceptional historic significance and meets one or more of
the criteria listed below:
Criterion i: The resource is associated with events that have made a meaningful contribution to the nation,
state or community;
Criterion ii: The resource is associated with the lives of persons who made a meaningful contribution to
national, state or local history;
Criterion iii: The resource reflects or exemplifies a particular period of national, state or local history;
Criterion iv: The resource embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of
construction;
Criterion v: The resource presents the work of a master builder, designer, artist, or architect whose
individual genius influenced his age, or that possesses high artistic value;
Criterion vi: The resource represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack
individual distinction, as used in evaluating applications for designation of historic districts, for parcels on
which more than one entity exists; or
Criterion vii: The resource has yielded or may be likely to yield information important to national, state or
local history or prehistory.
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Criteria for Historic Designation
Municipal Code Section 8.05.070.C.1.b
Analysis of Integrity
•Location
•Design
•Setting
•Materials
•Workmanship
•Feeling
•Association
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Character Defining FeaturesPLANNING
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Criteria for Historic Designation
Non-contributing Elements:
•Bronze anodized aluminum and bronze-tinted solar glass
entry doors, which replaced the Ackerman Panelcarve
doors and transom.
•Large-scale bronze wall sculpture by artist Abbott Pattison,
previously hung on the wall of the Spa Hotel.
•Replacement tiles embedded in the concrete of the
podium surface.
•Handrails on the main stairs leading to the front entrance.
•Existing desert landscape design.
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Bronze Wall Sculpture by Abbott Pattison
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Conclusion
Based on the Historic Resources Report (HRR) and the evidence gathered during the site visit, HSPB
finds the property at 415 S. Palm Canyon meets criterion 3 and 5 for historic designation and sufficient
integrity findings to support its historic significance, therefore, recommends Class 1 (Landmark)
designation.
Recommendation
HSPB recommends City Council designate “The Merrill Lynch Building” (415 S. Palm Canyon) as a Class 1 Historic
(Landmark) site.
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Owners’ Position
The current owner submitted the request for historic designation of this commercial site.
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