Late Night Real Estate: Crown (Desert) Jewel Edition
The house that ‘80s Palm Spring dreams are made of! Indian Wells, California’s very own pink pool-room masterpiece. This house is a 7-bedroom, 13-bathroom sprawling palace with maximum glass block usage and minimal minimalism. Built in 1989, this home is a place that had to have been exquisitely constructed for endless parties. Or, as the listing from Vintage Club Sales says, its “intriguing blueprint provides for grand-scale entertainment.”
I tried to find some information on the owner of this house, and all I could find at first was a possible owner by the name of Ralph Johnson, 90 years old with previous residences in Las Vegas and Palm Desert — Ralph, a man of the endless summer! Then, I found that Ralph is the husband of the late Faye Johnson.
Faye was a Las Vegas casino co-owner of the Westward Ho Casino, with its pyramid fountain of champagne glasses, 24/7 free champagne cocktails, and old-time saloon ambiance. (Side note: There’s a story in the Las Vegas Weekly about Faye’s brother’s kidnapping with a ransom the kidnappers demanded be delivered by Faye.)
So this Indian Wells home, one might imagine, was the home to many casino-glam parties with its Memphis-Design-meets-desert accents.
Other important things to mention: There are many outdoor sculptures including two giant, shiny dogs, a pink-and-turquoise kitchen, and a tiled whirlpool with a neon ceiling and floor-to-ceiling glass blocks — aka heaven in bathroom form! For $6,999,000 this home can be yours, and it will be your daily reminder that glitz is still alive and well in Indian Wells.
Check out the many-splendored photos here.
August 19, 2020
In "Late Night Real Estate"