It is a well-known fact, even among those who have zero interest in filming locations, that the Elrod House, John Lautner’s famed modernist creation which sits edged atop a jagged cliff in Palm Springs, portrayed the concrete-walled homestead of reclusive tycoon Willard Whyte (Jimmy Dean) in “Diamonds Are Forever.” A far lesser-known tidbit? A different architecturally significant Coachella Valley abode, this one with quite the Hollywood pedigree, also made a memorable appearance in the beloved 1971 spy thriller.
Located at 515 W. Via Lola in Palm Spring’s well-heeled Old Las Palmas neighborhood, the single-story post-and-beam structure was originally commissioned in 1954 by Academy Award-nominated actress Andrea Leeds and her husband, sportsman Robert Howard, the proprietor of the nearby Howard Manor hotel (now the Colony Palms) who is perhaps best-known thanks to his father’s ownership of the legendary racehorse Seabiscuit. (Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.) To design the modernist dwelling, the couple hired then-unknown architects Richard Harrison and Donald Wexler, the latter of whom would go on to create the Dinah Shore Estate (which is now owned by Leonardo DiCaprio) and the Palm Springs International Airport.
Tucked behind a pair of picturesque palm trees, one playfully bent in a zigzag fashion to the rear of the other, and a pristine foliage-covered fieldstone wall with a glorious mountain backdrop, the low-slung property looks like a vintage Palm Springs postcard come to life!
Robert and Andrea did not stay on the premises long, though. In 1957, they put the pad on the market, eventually selling to none other than legendary actor Kirk Douglas and his second wife, Anne Buydens, who tied the knot in 1954.
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Image Credit: Estately The couple had first visited the area in the mid-1950s and quickly fell in love with the landscape. “Palm Springs Babylon” quotes Anne as saying, “He [Kirk] told us we were going to the desert. In the movies, when you hear the word desert, you think of the Sahara. Then you fly over Palm Springs, and you see all those patches of blue and green, which are swimming pools. Within two hours of arriving, Kirk and I rented bicycles, and we’ve never left.”
The duo initially hung their hats at a rather unassuming pad located at 1069 E. Marshall Way in the Movie Colony neighborhood, a four-bedroom, three-bath property that has since been turned into a vacation rental. But after just two years, they were ready to move on and settled into 515 Via Lola.
Initially consisting of three bedrooms and three baths in 3,280 square feet, Kirk and Anne hired Los Angeles-based architect Michael H. Morrison to enlarge the place in 1964. Their additions included transforming the garage into a guest room, installing a three-car motor court and expanding the north side of the residence, which significantly altered the front exterior.
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Image Credit: Estately In 1976, they augmented the place even further by buying an adjoining parcel of land onto which they built a hard surface tennis court, a spa and a tennis pavilion with a kitchenette and bathroom, all designed by Morrison.
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Image Credit: Estately Anne wallpapered the pavilion, which doubles as a guest house, with vintage movie posters featuring Kirk which, incredibly, remains in place today.
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Image Credit: Estately The perfect party pad, the couple entertained at Via Lola regularly. Michael Douglas, Kirk’s oldest son from his first marriage, recalled, “I have great memories of growing up there. That was the first time I met Liberace and Dean Martin. It was a close neighborhood of people who’d all been there for a long time: Moss Hart and Kitty Carlisle lived on one side, Dinah Shore and George Montgomery right behind.” Other famous friends of the couple that were wined and dined on the premises include Gregory Peck, Billy Wilder, Yul Brenner and Burt Lancaster. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn even leased the place for a summer getaway on two separate occasions and Vincente Minnelli and his fourth wife, Lee Anderson, held their wedding reception there. Politicians were no stranger to the property, either. John F. Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson and Henry Kissinger all spent time on the grounds. To accommodate the latter’s weeklong visit, Kirk’s son Joel Douglas told Palm Springs Life, “We had to install special phones with 10 lines. They’re still there.” If the walls of 515 Via Lola could talk, there’d certainly be some stories to tell!
The estate was also the site of many significant moments in Kirk’s life. Per “Palm Springs Confidential,” the actor not only wrote his two biographies, 1988’s “The Ragman’s Son” and 1997’s “Climbing the Mountain: My Search for Meaning,” there but he met with director Stanley Kubrick and agent Ray Stark to discuss “Spartacus,” which would go on to become one of his career-defining roles.
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Image Credit: Estately And in 1971, Kirk and Anne welcomed the cast and crew of “Diamonds Are Forever” to the pad for a brief shoot. In the film, Via Lola stands in for the supposed Las Vegas home of Tiffany Case (Jill St. John), where James Bond (Sean Connery) discovers Plenty O’Toole’s (Lana Wood) lifeless body floating in the pool, murdered by jewel thieves in an unfortunate case of mistaken identity.
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Image Credit: Estately Though the backyard foliage has grown considerably in the 50 years since the segment was lensed, the site is still very recognizable from its onscreen stint.
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Image Credit: Estately After four decades of ownership, Kirk and Anne finally decided to put their desert home up for grabs in late 1998 with a $1,595,000 price tag. It ultimately changed hands the following year for $1.3 million.
The estate did not hit the market again until 2016 when it was listed for $3.45 million. It was snapped up just two months later for $50,000 over asking. The sale brought the house full circle, as the buyers, Michael Budman, a Toronto-based entrepreneur, and his architect wife, Diane Bald, are longtime friends of Michael Douglas.
The couple immediately set about “thoughtfully renovating” the home, utilizing Wexler’s son, Gary, as a consultant. During the extensive project, a privacy entrance wall was removed, opening up the main living area, the Saltillo tiling was swapped for terrazzo flooring and the kitchen, which no longer retained any midcentury detailing thanks to a 1980 remodel, was completely revamped.
Today, the dwelling, which boasts five bedrooms and eight baths in 4,200 square feet, is a marvel of beamed ceilings, walls of glass and striking mountain views. The surrounding 0.75-acre lot is awash with wide expanses of lawn and a sea of palm trees, all enveloping the K-shaped pool where Plenty O’Toole famously floated back in 1971.
Those wishing to have a 007 moment of their own at the historic property – or to simply revel in the stunning architecture – can do so by attending Palm Springs’ annual Modernism Week, during which the home is not only accessible to tour but is also the site of a yearly soiree thrown by USModernist, tickets for which are available to the public. It goes without saying that, for a full James Bond experience, partygoers should be sure to order all drinks shaken not stirred!