Historic 139 Club wall panels offered for sale; committee expresses interest in exploring acquisition and preservation

Staff briefed the Cathedral City Historic Preservation Committee on a set of painted wall panels salvaged from the city’s former 139 Club, describing them as interpretive artifacts from the city’s entertainment history. Staff said the collection originally comprised panels that were signed by entertainers of the era and that up to 108 linear feet of painted panels exist; staff advised the panels would likely need restoration before display.

Meeting discussion established the owner’s asking price as $5,000 per panel. The transcript shows confusion over exact counts during the meeting: staff and commenters referenced 29 panels in one place and later indicated a total of 27 panels. At the asking price and the later-cited 27-panel count, the purchase price would be roughly $135,000; staff and committee members noted that acquisition would likely require a consortium, private donors or sponsorship and that the city does not have funds earmarked for purchase.

Committee members and public commenters supported moving forward with exploratory steps. Staff suggested committee members reach out to local partners (library, museum, tribal neighbor, museum partners and the Cathedral City Historical Society) and to report back with potential partners, price confirmation and storage/display options. A member suggested displaying a single panel at the city’s Aug. 30 centennial screening at the Mary Pickford Theatre as a near-term way to show the collection and raise interest; staff and volunteers agreed to coordinate logistics for a single panel display at the event.

Staff said next steps would include confirming the exact panel count and asking price in writing, researching funding partners and, if interest continues, placing acquisition and preservation planning on a future agenda.