Researching Your Coachella Valley Home
There are many resources to help you research the history and background on your home. You’ll learn interesting facts, about not only your property, but what life, and the area was like at the time.
Original Grant Deeds and permits for work on the property – County Recorder’s office (cost about $20 per deed). Visit the County Clerk’s office:
Address: 38686 El Cerrito Rd, Palm Desert, CA 92211
Phone: +1 760-863-8732
You may want to search the online property address information for Riverside County:
Previous Owners, Society Events May Be Researched With Old Phone Books At Libraries Or:
PS phone books online which has phone books from 1930 to 1969.
Old Social Registers – lists names, addresses and social club information – available at the HSPD Museum.
Los Angeles Times Archives
New York Times Archives
Palm Springs Life
The Villager
Desert Magazine
Local Newsletters such as Wheeler’s Desert Newsletter & Cahuilla Weekly
Palm Desert Social Directory & other local organizations’ directories
Old newspapers used to publish permit information.
- California Digital Newspaper Collection
- Go to the UCSB aerial photo collection to see how the footprint of the building has changed over time.
Additional Online Resources
USModernist – largest open digital archive of Mid-Century Modern houses in the world
White Pages
Facebook: Mid Century Modern on Facebook, South PD Facebook, Palm Desert Natives
In-Person Resources:
- Historical Society of Palm Desert – www.hspd.org
- Local Historical Societies
- Palm Springs Architecture & Design Center
- Palm Springs Historical Society
- Local Historians and Preservation Organizations
- Architect’s Archives at UC of Santa Barbara
- Architectural Digest – access at your local library or pay for a professional annual subscription.
