Trini Lopez, the 1960s-era singer and Dallas native, knew how to make music that’d make people move their feet and make their hearts sing. Now the late singer’s Palm Springs home is headed to no-reserve auction on April 13 and once you see this blend of authentic midcentury modern architecture and American entertainment history, your heart will sing, too.
Dallas-based Heritage Auctions will auction the Lopez home live at 2 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 13 as part of a multi-day series of auctions featuring many of the late recording artist’s possessions, including guitars and art. Phone and online bidders are welcome with prior registration.
Lopez’s signature blend of American rockabilly and Mexican folk music made him a commercial success with gold records, top 40 hits, and television and movie roles. His 1963 debut album on Frank Sinatra’s record label Reprise included his biggest hit — a cover version of folk activist Pete Seeger’s “If I Had a Hammer.”
Before becoming a fixture in Hollywood and Palm Springs, Lopez had humble beginnings in Dallas, born in a poor neighborhood once known as Little Mexico near Uptown. Living here until his senior year of high school, Lopez often said he went from “the barrio to Beverly Hills.”
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Lopez landed in one of Palm Springs’ most notable new neighborhoods, Vista Las Palmas.
Builder Alexander Construction found the land set at the base of Mt. San Jacinto to be perfect for residential construction. Mountains would block prevailing winds in the winter and shade homes in the summer. Plus, homes could be built at different elevations, providing privacy from backyard neighbors and unobstructed mountain views through walls of glass. To bring the Alexander Construction Company’s vision to life, they hired architects Dan Palmer and William Krisel to design approximately 300 modernist homes for the neighborhood, known colloquially as “Alexanders.”
The Vista Las Palmas neighborhood attracted notable residents including Marilyn Monroe, Debbie Reynolds, Kirk Douglas, Dinah Shore, and Sinatra’s Rat Pack buddies Dean Martin and Peter Lawford. Just around the corner from Lopez’s home, Elvis Presley leased a midcentury modern home for him and his new bride Priscilla — dually dubbed by stargazers as the “Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway” and MCM enthusiasts as the Palm Springs “House of Tomorrow.”
The 1961-built home at 1139 Abrigo Road was last listed for $1.575 million in 2018. The starting bid for this Southern California Modernist home is $1 million. Included in the 2,521 square feet, there are four bedrooms and five baths, plus a casita with bathroom and kitchenette that Lopez used as a recording studio and office, and a shaded courtyard with pool and spa.
Most strikingly, the facade features a triple-barrel vaulted courtyard design. Rarely built, Palmer & Krisel’s signature element is seldom seen nowadays, as many of their original homes have been torn down. Only four barrel vaults are known to remain, but have been significantly altered, the experts at Heritage Auction say.
Inside, the original midcentury modernist aesthetic remains intact. Exposed beams and the tongue and groove paneled ceiling remain, with original mirrored walls in the dining area, Flemish bond patterned cinderblock walls in two bedrooms, and original cabinets in the kitchen.
All bidders are required to pre-qualify for each property auction by submitting proof of guaranteed funds. Bids will only be accepted by phone or online bidding. For more information or to pre-qualify to bid, please call 855-261-0573 or email [email protected].
