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Old Las Palmas architecture, fame, and garden streets

Celebrity Homes
Walking Tour

Walk a 1.7-mile Old Las Palmas loop past homes associated with Liberace, Gene Autry, and Dinah Shore—from Spanish courtyards to desert modernism.

A self-guide researched and published by The Orchid House.

Your routeWalking route
Distance
1.7 miles
Stops
5 homes
Allow
60–75 min

Returns to start

Free self-guide · house histories and live directions

Directions to walking-tour parkingView route map

Start with arrival directions. On a phone, follow the 3 numbered legs in order.

Walking route

Walk Old Las Palmas at neighborhood pace.

Begin at Alejo and Belardo, walk north through Merito and Mountain View, then return along Hermosa, Patencio, and Chino.

Start + finishAlejo and Belardo
NeighborhoodOld Las Palmas
Moving time30–40 minutes
ShapeLoop · same start and finish

Planning estimate. About 1.7 miles on the reviewed pedestrian loop, including three street junctions that avoid retracing residential blocks. Live directions, crossings, heat, and parking can change the distance and time.

Open in Google Maps

Park first. Keep every stop in order.

Phone: follow all three numbered legs. Desktop: use the complete loop. Directions target the street frontage; Maps may display a nearby address.
Directions to walking-tour parkingOpen the Old Las Palmas walking loop in Google Maps Leg 1 · Alejo and Belardo → Gene Autry Residence Leg 2 · Gene Autry Residence → Dinah Shore Residence Leg 3 · Dinah Shore Residence → Alejo and Belardo

Route map· Old Las Palmas loop

Old Las Palmas celebrity homes walking loop

Numbered homes follow the route order. Use the paired stop stories and live directions when you are ready to navigate.

Homes
5
Distance
1.7 mi
Experience
60–75 min
Neighborhoods
1
Old Las Palmas celebrity homes walking loopThe loop begins near Alejo and Belardo, then numbers Casa de Liberace, the Snyder Residence, the Gene Autry Residence, Casa Adaire, and the Dinah Shore Residence. It returns by Patencio, Chino, Vine, and Alejo to the same access point. Public streets are shown from OpenStreetMap data checked 2026-09-17. Orientation only—not turn-by-turn. The loop line follows reviewed Valhalla pedestrian geometry; sidewalks, crossings, closures, and live directions may differ.

Old Las Palmas · Liberace

Casa de Liberace

Liberace bought The Cloisters in 1967, initially using it as a guest house while he lived at Piazza di Liberace. It later became his home, and he died here in 1987.
Open house history Jump to stop story
Walking routeNumbered stopSame start + finish

Orientation only. The loop line follows reviewed Valhalla pedestrian geometry; sidewalks, crossings, closures, and live directions may differ. Pins are spaced apart where needed for selection; dotted lines connect them to their street locations.

Frontage checks: City of Palm Springs parcels · Route geometry · Street-map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, checked .

The 5-stop loop

Start + finishAlejo and Belardo. Begin and finish near W Alejo Road and N Belardo Road. The City lists nearby public parking, but availability and restrictions can change. Follow posted signs, and never assume church or business parking is public.

  1. 01Casa de LiberaceLiberace · Old Las Palmas
  2. 02Snyder ResidenceRod Taylor · Old Las Palmas
  3. 03Gene Autry ResidenceGene Autry · Old Las Palmas
  4. 04Casa AdaireElizabeth Taylor and Mike Todd · Old Las Palmas
  5. 05Dinah Shore ResidenceDinah Shore and Maurice Smith · Old Las Palmas

How the loop flows: Casa de Liberace sits just north of Alejo. Continue along Belardo and Merito to the Snyder Residence, then take Mission and Mountain View to Gene Autry’s home. Prescott leads to Hermosa, where you pass Casa Adaire before Dinah Shore’s house from east to west. Return along Patencio, Chino, and Vine; only the short Alejo access connector is shared.

Five stories in walking order

The homes—and
their stories.

Meet the people behind each home. Open its history for the architecture, key dates, ownership, and tour access, with sources for further reading.

Old Las Palmas

Casa de Liberace

Walking stop 1
Image: Listing courtesy Brady Sandahl and Steven Pawlik, Keller Williams Luxury Homes
Garden-side exterior of Casa de Liberace with a Spanish tile roof, arched loggia, stone-and-brick walls, and palms.

Owned · Liberace

Liberace bought The Cloisters in 1967, initially using it as a guest house while he lived at Piazza di Liberace. It later became his home, and he died here in 1987.

Why this stop

An Alvah Hicks family property became a small hotel, then Liberace’s desert retreat. Extensive alterations separate the house from its original Spanish Colonial Revival design.

501 N Belardo Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262

Old Las Palmas

Gene Autry Residence

Walking stop 3
Image: Visit Palm Springs
Front gate of the Gene Autry Residence framed by palms, flowering hedges, white walls, and mountains.

Lived here · Gene Autry

A preservation nomination identifies 328 W Mountain View Place as a former Gene Autry estate; Visit Palm Springs describes it as one of his final residences.

Why this stop

The residence documents a late chapter in Gene Autry’s Palm Springs life, after his better-known local ventures in baseball and hospitality.

328 W Mountain View Place, Palm Springs, CA 92262

Old Las Palmas

Casa Adaire

Driving stop 2Walking stop 4
Image: Visit Palm Springs
White Spanish Colonial Revival exterior of Casa Adaire behind palms and desert landscaping.

Leased · Elizabeth Taylor and Mike Todd

Elizabeth Taylor and producer Mike Todd rented Casa Adaire beginning in October 1957. Taylor celebrated her 26th birthday here on February 27, 1958; the couple did not own the property.

Why this stop

Built twenty years before Taylor and Todd’s stay, Casa Adaire adds a Spanish Colonial Revival house to a tour better known for mid-century modernism.

417 W Hermosa Place, Palm Springs, CA 92262

Old Las Palmas

Dinah Shore Residence

Driving stop 3Walking stop 5
Image: 432 Hermosa property gallery
Covered entrance promenade of the Dinah Shore Residence with adobe walls, reflecting water, clipped trees, and mountains.

Commissioned · Dinah Shore and Maurice Smith

Singer and television host Dinah Shore and her then-husband, Maurice Smith, commissioned the residence in 1964.

Why this stop

The commission connects Dinah Shore’s entertainment career to Donald Wexler’s unusual pairing of adobe and precise modern construction.

432 W Hermosa Place, Palm Springs, CA 92262

Sources and notes

How the route was researched.

The house histories link to city records, preservation nominations, archives, and property sources. Browse the full source list below.

Open route research notes25 sources · checked August 12, 2026
Publisher
The Orchid House
Research checked

Sources checked for this route

  1. Walter and Adair Kirschner Residence Class 1 nominationCity of Palm Springs · checked
  2. Walter Kirschner ResidencePalm Springs Preservation Foundation · checked
  3. Donald Wexler Tour: Dinah Shore ResidencePalm Springs Modern Committee · checked
  4. Palm Springs historic resources registryCity of Palm Springs · checked
  5. Citywide Historic Resources Inventory — 501 N Belardo Road entryCity of Palm Springs · checked
  6. Piazza di Liberace Class 1 nomination — The Cloisters historyPalm Springs Preservation Foundation · checked
  7. Leon and Thea Koerner Class 1 nomination — 328 Mountain View Place referencePalm Springs Preservation Foundation · checked
  8. John C. and Estella Snyder ResidencePalm Springs Preservation Foundation · checked
  9. Old Las Palmas self-guided walking tourVisit Palm Springs · checked
  10. Managed parking locationsCity of Palm Springs · checked
  11. Downtown ParkCity of Palm Springs · checked
  12. Palm Springs parks directoryCity of Palm Springs · checked
  13. Staying cool and heat safety guideCity of Palm Springs · checked
  14. Palm Springs point forecastNational Weather Service · checked
  15. Street closure and detour informationCity of Palm Springs · checked
  16. Rat Pack Playground walking tourPalm Springs Historical Society · checked
  17. 417 W Hermosa Place property and ownership historyHomes.com · checked
  18. 417 W Hermosa Place sale historyRedfin · checked
  19. An Evening to Remember: Night at DinahModernism Week · checked
  20. 432 W Hermosa Place sale historyRedfin · checked
  21. 501 N Belardo Road sale and listing historyRedfin · checked
  23. Snyder Residence historic-site staff reportCity of Palm Springs · checked
  24. 271 W Merito Place sale historyRedfin · checked
  25. Retro Martini PartyModernism Week · checked

Another route—or a live guide

More ways to explore.

Visit Palm Springs offers a longer independent walk; the Historical Society offers live interpretation on a scheduled tour. Check each source for current access and booking terms.

Self-guided alternativeVisit Palm Springs Old Las Palmas walkVisit Palm Springs covers a longer Old Las Palmas route with more stops. Check its current map and guidance before setting out.Open self-guide Guided tourPalm Springs Historical Society walking tourChoose a scheduled Historical Society tour if you prefer a local guide and live interpretation.View guided tour

Keep exploring Palm Springs

Take the other route—or plan the rest of the day.

Continue with the companion driving tour, or return to the full visitor guide for restaurants, culture, outdoors, events, and seasonal planning.
Return to the Palm Springs Visitor Guide