The Desert Sun’s Rosalie Murphy writes that Cary Grant's former Movie Colony compound, Las Palomas, is on the market, listed at $3.495 million. At the center of the 1.5 acre property, one of the oldest of Palm Springs' Old Hollywood estates is a Spanish Andalusian farmhouse, which was designed by Spanish Colonial revivalist John Byers, AIA, and completed in 1930. The 5,300-square-foot house still has its original shutters, now painted royal blue, and its wood-burning fireplaces.
The author notes that Cary Grant bought the house in 1954, after the success of films like "His Girl Friday" and "Arsenic and Old Lace." Apparently, Grant intended to retire, but Alfred Hitchcock, who often stayed in Grant's guest wing, convinced Grant to come back to the movie business and star in the films that defined his career, like "To Catch a Thief," "An Affair to Remember" and "North by Northwest." Other frequent guests included: Howard Hughes, Sophia Loren, Katharine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly and Clark Gable, several of whom had Palm Springs homes themselves. Grant's two wives, Betsy Drake and Diane Cannon, also lived in the property during the nearly 20 years Grant owned the house.
According to the author, the gates to the Cary Grant estate in Movie Colony still bear the actor's initials. The main house is covered in white stucco, accented by tall blue-shuttered windows from which light pours into the home. Its roof is subdued Spanish tile. Inside, accents include exposed ceiling beams, French doors and 40-foot ceilings in the great room. Terracotta floor tiles, art deco bathroom tiles and custom cabinets are all original to the house. Including the guest wing designed by Wallace Neff in the mid-1950s, the estate includes six bedrooms and six bathrooms. The 1.5-acre grounds include a stone terrace and a variety of trees — eucalyptus, agave, citrus, date, pomegranate and Japanese plum, to name a few.
To read Rosalie Murphy’s original article and view the accompanying pictures, courtesy of The Desert Sun, please visit: http://www.desertsun.com/story/money/real-estate/2016/03/31/cary-grant-palm-springs-house/82175434/
