Rancho Mirage Home Up For Historic Designation

RANCHO MIRAGE, CA — A nearly seven-decade-old house in Rancho Mirage developed by one of the Coachella Valley's legendary architects will be under consideration Thursday by the City Council for a "historic designation," permanently recognizing its special place in the community.

The single-story home belonging to Kenneth and Ann Moyle at 71076 Country Club Drive will be among the properties to be heard during the council's regular session at 1 p.m. Thursday in City Hall's council chamber, 69-825 Highway 111.

The Historic Preservation Commission recommended to the council in April that the residence, situated on a .55-acre plot at the corner of Country Club and MorningSprings Road, receive the special designation under the municipality's Historic Preservation Program.

The classification would ensure the 3,288-square-foot house's future protection from potential encroachments due to it standing as a "historic resource," according to the city's Department of Planning.

It was constructed in 1958, designed by acclaimed architect William Francis Cody, whose creations are well known under the Modern Architecture Movement, rooted in 1950s and 60s Palm Springs. Cody died in 1978.

The four-bedroom, four-bath house "features a flat-roofed porte cochere entrance, which is supported by round metal posts and a pair of rock walls," according to a staff report to the council.

"The exterior is clad in board and batten or vertically scored stucco," the report stated. "The residence features natural rock at the perimeter walls, planters, porte cochere and the interior chimney. Other key architectural elements include deep overhangs on the rear and north elevation, use of roof cut-outs, the sun courts/lanai, floor-to-ceiling windows, a flat roof and ceilings supported by narrow posts."

The property's original owner was Aubrey Pollard Simons, whose 25-acre gift to the city in 1966 led to the development of the Eisenhower Medical Center.

Simons additionally served as chairman of the hospital's Finance Committee, was a member of the Board of Trustees and a member of the medical center's Building Committee.

His dedication to community service was acknowledged by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, reflected in images folded into the application for designation.

On the application, Kenneth Moyle said he wished for the home to be identified as a "culturally, socially and architecturally significant building."