- Frank Sinatra's Palm Springs :: Bon Voyage (2024)

What many may not realise is that Frank Sinatra called the Palm Springs Desert area home for nearly 50 years – from his arrival in the late 40s through his final days. Today, from his mid-century modern Palm Springs home and Rancho Mirage compound, two restaurants and landmarks throughout the desert, the public can still glimpse places owned and frequented by The Chairman of the Board in this beautiful California desert paradise.


Twin Palms Estate: Sinatra had this mid-century modern jewel built in 1947 by award winning architect Stewart Williams. The property boasts four bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a state-of-the-art (by 1947 standards) sound system, movie projectors, and sound recording equipment for guests’ enjoyment. Huge sliding glass doors open onto an expansive backyard patio leading to a cabana, the two signature “twin palm” trees, and a piano-shaped swimming pool. Visitors revel in the property’s Sinatra history – right down to the crack in the bathroom sink caused by a wayward champagne bottle, said to be tossed at Ol’ Blue Eyes by an incensed Ava Gardner.

The Compound:(70-588 Frank Sinatra Drive, Rancho Mirage) – the sprawling 2.5 acre residence was built in 1954 and includes a main house, movie theatre, five guest houses, an actual train caboose turned into a barbershop and sauna, two swimming pools, tennis courts, and a personal art studio. Each building was named after one of his songs: “New York, New York,” “High Hopes,” “The Tender Trap,” “Send In the Clowns,” “Chicago,” and “My Way.” The Compound includes the famous guest quarters built in 1962 for (but never used by) JFK, and a helicopter landing pad in the circle drive, later turned into a flower garden. While Sinatra fans cannot enter The Compound (it was sold in the late 1990s and is privately owned) it remains to be one of the most popular drive-by addresses for fans and tourists.

Frank Sinatra Drive (Rancho Mirage) – Easily one of the most recognised street names in the Palm Springs area (although Bob Hope, Gerald Ford, Dinah Shore, and Kirk Douglas also have been given the honour), Frank Sinatra Drive begins at the hilltop entrance to The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, continuing about 8 miles east where it comes to rest at the far edge of Palm Desert. Visitors who travel its path will pass the legendary Tamarisk Country Club, Former Ambassador to the Court of King James Walter Annenberg’s “Sunnylands” Estate (still surrounded by a bright pink wall, painted as such at the insistence of Mrs. Annenberg), Wolfson Park, where one can still hear a recorded “welcome” to the park speech by Sinatra himself and, of course, Sinatra’s famous compound.

Melvyn’s Restaurant & Lounge at The Ingleside Inn (200 West Ramon Road, Palm Springs) – the legendary hotel and restaurant was the site for Sinatra’s pre-wedding dinner to Barbara Marx in 1976. Sinatra invited 80 people and made all the arrangements himself. He was very meticulous in his selections, according to the eponymous owner (no longer with us) he chose the veal and vegetables.
Melvyn’s was also a favourite hangout for Sinatra and buddies Jilly Rizzo, Pat Henry, and Danny Schwartz who would hang out in the bar and drink Jack Daniels.


Riccio’s (1900 East Palm Canyon Drive) and Lord Fletcher’s (70-385 Hwy 111, Rancho Mirage) – two of Sinatra’s favourite hangouts, Riccio’s (now Club Trinidad) was for years a Rat Pack hangout for Frank, Sammy, and Dean. Owner Bobby Riccio remembers: “Sinatra usually arrived with an entourage, ordered steak and peppers, and stayed to watch the floor show. One time he flew in from Las Vegas with Bob Newhart and Don Rickles, just to eat dinner.” Lord Fletcher’s was for Sinatra’s quieter, more personal times. He dined there for more than 30 years and made it the site of his 70th birthday celebration in 1985. Manager Michael Fletcher remembers, “He liked the casual atmosphere. He could be himself and nobody would bother him.”

St. Louis Catholic Church (37-220 Glenn Avenue, Cathedral City) and St. Francis of Assisi Church (47-225 Washington Street, La Quinta) remain today as two houses of worship supported by Sinatra and his family. St. Louis Catholic Church, once frequented twice a week by Sinatra’s devoutly religious mother, Dolly, is still known as “The House That Dolly Built,” because of her many financial contributions. Sinatra’s daughter Nancy (“These Boots Were Made for Walk’n”) held her second wedding there in 1970. St. Francis of Assisi, built in 1974 and designed by famed Italian opera director Franco Zeffirelli, was frequented by Sinatra himself, as well as fellow parishioner Frank Capra, who directed Frank in the 1959 movie, ‘A Hole In The Head

Sinatra’s Star:(123 North Palm Canyon Drive) – Sinatra is forever remembered on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars, which lines the east and west sides of Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs. The star was presented to Sinatra on January 15, 1994, in honour of his outstanding achievements on the stage, in the movies, and on TV and radio. More than 2,000 people showed up to pay their respects, and traffic stopped dead in the street upon the arrival of the Chairman of the Board.