Frank Sinatra was only 31, but he had already sold a million records and signed a new film contract. He wanted a house that matched his new fortune, something big and grand, with columns, built right there in the desert. In the late spring of 1947, he walked into architect E. Stewart Williams' office in Palm Springs eating an ice cream cone, snapped his fingers, and said he wanted a house done by Christmas. According to the Class 1 Historic Site nomination filed with the city of Palm Springs, that visit began the story of Twin Palms, a desert home that also happened to be Williams' very first residential project, a fact confirmed separately in the National Register of Historic Places nomination filed with the National Park Service.
A star who wanted a mansion
Sinatra's first idea was that of a two-story Georgian house with columns, designed specifically for the desert. Williams didn’t agree with this. He had joined the architectural business of his father just a year ago after being discharged from his duties in the Navy during World War II and thought that the Georgian style would not work well in such extreme desert conditions. The nomination form says Williams drew up two designs: a Georgian-style house Sinatra requested and a modern version better suited to the climate. Sinatra chose the latter option.
