Historical Society of Palm Desert - Palm Desert, CA
N 33° 43.166 W 116° 23.606
11S E 556199 N 3731213
Palm Desert's very-first firehouse is now home to the Historical Society of Palm Desert along El Paseo Drive in Palm Desert, CA.
Waymark Code: WMGTRY
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/09/2013
Views: 8
Visitors to the
Historical Society of Palm Desert will notice a bright-red firetruck parked in the driveway. The historical society's building was once Palm Desert's very-first firehouse and is listed as Palm Desert's very-first historical landmark (pictures provided).
There is a bronze plaque monumented in front of the building that reads:
FIRST FIREHOUSE SITE
DONATED BY
CLIFFORD HENDERSON
FOUNDER OF PALM DESERT
1951 |
There is a nice PDF document that mentions the history of the former firehouse and reads:
The building located at 72861 El Paseo is significant as the first Fire Station in the City of Palm Desert. The building was constructed in 1951 on land donated by Clifford W. Henderson.
Upon its completion in 1951, it was the only building west of Highway 74 and south to where Haystack is now. The fire station is a one-story structure built in two sections, one on each side of the fire truck storage area or garage. Mr. Henderson, with the permission of the Architectural Committee for Palm Desert Corporation was to solicit the services of Mr. Walter White, renowned architect, to design and submit a lowering of the roof angle, and increase the roof overhang, thus creating a “Ranch Roof” design which is especially desirable and adaptable to the desert climate. The east wing consisted of a living or office room area, three bedrooms, one bath, dining room and kitchen. It was considered a residence because a resident fireman and his family lived in this section during the 1950’s and early 1960’s. The west wing consisted of an office and bathroom and equipment storage. The cement block building materials were secured from the County Prison Farm brick yard in Banning and the labor to build the structure came from both paid and volunteer firefighters.
In the fall of 1983, the new fire station at Palm Desert Town Center (Station 33) was finished, and so the historic fire station was vacated. In the winter of 1983, Boy Scout Troop 76 moved in and used the facility up until January, 1987. In January, 1985 the Historical Society of Palm Desert moved in and shared the facility with Troop 76 until January, 1987.
In June of 1985 the County of Riverside executed a “Quitclaim Deed” for the Fire Station and the Historical Society of Palm Desert secured ownership.
In January, 1990 at a Board meeting of the Historical Society Trustees, on the recommendation of their attorney, resolved to deed the fire house over to the City of Palm Desert. This was done with the understanding that the Society would continue to occupy the building. This transaction was reported to the public in July, along with plans to renovate the structure by early fall.
In 2002, the Society did a major renovation to the inside of the bay (center section) of the historic fire house. A glass storefront was installed behind the pull-down door, and the room was set up to exhibit a major firefighting display.
The building is currently owned by the City of Palm Desert and is leased to the Historical Society of Palm Desert which maintains their Headquarters and Archival Center.The building is currently owned by the City of Palm Desert and is leased to the Historical Society of Palm Desert which maintains their Headquarters and Archival Center.
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From the historical museum's website:
Come and Explore!
At the Historical Society of Palm Desert's Museum, you'll experience a fascinating collection of historical photos, newspaper and magazine archives, as well as oral history on the early settlers of Palm Desert, California.
Prominently displayed on the walls are breath-taking aerial views from the 1940s' thru the 1980s' of Palm Desert and the surrounding majestic mountains.
Did you know General George Patton established his Motor Pool on Portola Avenue in Palm Desert during the 1940s'? The Motor Pool supported the training of troops prior to battling the Germans in North Africa during WWII. We've got the history and pictures. So come on by!
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The museum was closed when I visited, so if any waymarkers visit this place and take pictures of the inside of the building, I'd welcome them here!