Multi-Unit Dwellings

Walter White’s arrival in the Coachella Valley occurred as the desert cities were becoming destinations for permanent residents, winter homes, and tourists, and coincided with the establishment of the Shadow Mountain Club in Palm Desert in 1946. The founders of the new city of Palm Desert envisioned the club as the heart of a planned community with sumptuous houses on generous lots and a step toward transforming the desert from a “wasteland to a wonderland.” White was for many years one of the foremost designers practicing in Palm Desert.

The plans for unbuilt duplex and triplex units were commissioned by Pearl McCallum McManus. She inherited a large amount of land in and around Palm Springs and was a major proponent for the development of tourism in the area. McManus and her husband founded a real estate and development company, which hired many well-known architects, including Lloyd Wright, Paul Revere Williams, and A.Quincy Jones to design buildings in Palm Springs.

White worked with the Metro Homes company to design small homes for subdivisions throughout California. In Palm Desert, the Metro Homes (also known as "Palm Desert Homes") were one- or two- bedroom homes (either oblong or T-shaped) with and without attached carports. The Palm Desert Corporation, the large landowner, did not allow only one architect and developer to design houses for an entire neighborhood, so only a small number of lots were built.

Entrepreneurs Al and Margaret Hill were investors in Palm Desert, but by the 1950s had moved on to Colorado Springs. There, they developed a private club with tennis courts, swimming pools, multiple lounges, dining, and bar facilities. A golf club and clubhouse were then planned, and White was commissioned to design and build additional guest rooms. 

The Kissing Camels Golf Club included 18 guest cottages, designed and built by White, and reminiscent of the style he was known for in the Palm Springs area. These one story one- and two- bedroom cottages utilized many of the hallmarks of the California Desert Modern design-- breezeblock entryways, floor to ceiling glass walls, and generous outdoor terraces.