Take a look at Palm Springs home of ‘singing cowboy’ Gene Autry, listed at $8.25 million
The former home of America’s “Singing Cowboy” — Gene Autry — is for sale for $8.25 million in one of the oldest and most prestigious neighborhoods in Palm Springs.
Gene and Jackie Autry purchased the Old Las Palmas property from TV producer, writer and director Glen Larson for $2 million in 1997.
Jackie Autry, who continued living on the property after her husband died in 1998, spent time a lot of time improving the home, according to listing agent Louse Hampton of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Properties.
“Jackie made it her passion,” Hampton said.
However, the time came for her to downsize, Hampton said.
“We found her a smaller house” in the area, she said.
The 13,461-square-foot Rancho Autry has a total of seven bedrooms, with five of them in the main house, and seven-and-a-half baths on 1.42 acres.
The house was originally built by famed meteorologist Irving Krick in the 1930s, according to the listing, with a Moroccan-style influence that once included a copper dome. The dome has since been replaced.
The main residence is centered around a large courtyard with an original mosaic-tiled pool. Many of the original bedrooms have outside entrances, a nod to the mild desert climate.
Jackie Autry’s vast upgrades include a new tennis court, a three-car garage, an outdoor kitchen and porte-cochère.
There are five wood-burning fireplaces, a wine room and a home theater with a separate projection room that was built during Glen Larson’s tenure at the ranch, Hampton said.
A new guest suite can accommodate overnight visitors, with its own living room and a bathroom with a soaking tub.
Jackie’s renovations include many sustainable features.
“She has been an environmentalist since day one,” Hampton said.
For example, to save energy, she installed solar panels on the roof. To conserve water during the state’s drought years, she pulled up the lawn and replaced it with by artificial turf. She also converted a second pool into a cactus garden and re-landscaped with drought-resistant desert plants.
Old Las Palmas is in one of Palm Spring’s oldest neighborhoods, dating back to the mid-1920s. The neighborhood’s palm trees are famous for being lit up at night.
Hampton said there’s been interest in the property even though she hasn’t gone full bore on the marketing.
“(The buyer is) going to be a celebrity, somebody who’s really intent on privacy. It may be a family compound,” she told realtor.com, adding that Autry “does not want it turned into a vacation rental.”
“She’s very sensitive to her neighbors,” Hampton told the real estate website.
The property, located at 328 Mountain View Place, contains many fine pieces of artwork. Much of the art will be donated to the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles, Hampton said.
Gene Autry was a singer, songwriter, actor, musician and rodeo performer who became famous largely for his crooning on radio, television and in movies over three decades beginning in the early 1930s. Autry owned the Los Angeles Angels baseball team from 1961 to 1997.
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
