Lance Gerber/Los Angeles Times
Concealed steel beams and overhanging eaves are among distinctive features of the home, built in 1952 for movie theatre and farm owner William Edris and his wife, Marjorie.
Robert Gentry / Los Angeles
Suzanne Somers and producer Alan Hamel’s Palm Springs estate remains for sale at US$14.5 million.
Desert Bird Media
The Rancho Mirage home sits on what was once part of former President Gerald Ford’s estate.
The Edris House, a modernist design by architect E. Stewart Williams, has returned to the market in Palm Springs at US$3.2 million, down US$1 million from when it first listed earlier this year.
Built in 1952 for movie theatre and farm owner William Edris and his wife, Marjorie, the knoll-top estate encompasses slightly more than two-thirds of an acre with commanding mountain and city views.
Concealed steel beams are used to support the home’s distinctive roofline, which features a subtle pitch and overhanging eaves. Original built-in screens serve as partitions for the 2,700 square feet of open-plan space.
In the heart of the home is the living and dining area, which has walls of windows and a rock-finished fireplace that runs from floor to ceiling. Three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a kitchen filled with original details complete the living spaces.
Patio space, desert landscaping and a swimming pool and spa make up the grounds.
The property previously changed hands in 2001 for US$1.2 million and in 1999 for US$690,000, records show. Last year, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a Class 1 site.
Somers opts out of no-reserve
auction
After shopping her Palm Springs compound for more than a decade, Suzanne Somers appeared on the cusp of selling her longtime desert retreat at auction last month. She must have had a change of heart.
The actor-entrepreneur and her husband, producer Alan Hamel, decided not to go through with the no-reserve bidding scheduled for Jan. 31.
The 73-plus-acre property, which first hit the market in 2008 for US$35 million, remains active on the Multiple Listing Service with a price of US$14.5 million, records show.
The hillside retreat has been owned by Somers and Hamel since 1977, the year they married. The compound comprises multiple structures, including a main house that was designed by architect Albert Frey and evokes a French villa. Stone-lined paths connect various living quarters, which combine to offer eight bedrooms, nine full bathrooms and two half-baths.
There are outdoor dining areas, a stone amphitheatre and a carousel. A separate tasting room and wine vault hold 5,000 bottles. There are also a lap swimming pool and a waterfall-fed pond. A private funicular railway system provides means for navigating the property, which sits among boulders overlooking the Coachella Valley floor.
Somers, 71, is best known for Three’s Company. Hamel, 81, hosted 1960s game shows and later produced a number of Somers’ TV and video specials.
Presidential, movie history overlap
A desert home with ties to Hollywood and the White House has listed for sale in Rancho Mirage at US$3.695 million.
Set in the Thunderbird Country Club, the contemporary house was built in 2016 on what was once part of former president Gerald Ford and Betty Ford’s estate. The previous house, once home to actress Ginger Rogers and next door to the Fords’ longtime residence, was used during their ownership as a command post for the Secret Service.
Entered through a walled and palm-topped courtyard, the five-bedroom, 6.5-bathroom house features high ceilings, white walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. A long entry hall lined with wood panels leads to the common areas.
The 5,852 square feet of open-plan space includes a living room with a modern wall fireplace, a formal dining room, a family room and a centre-island kitchen. There are walk-in closets and a glass box-like shower in the master suite.
Covered terraces and sunning areas create additional living space outdoors. A swimming pool and spa, a fire pit, lawn and cactuses complete the setting.
— Los Angeles Times
