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Board recommends Class 1 designation for Edmund Goulding Residence at 1752 Ridge Road
Summary
The board recommended the Edmund Goulding Residence (1752 Ridge Road, APN 513352002) for Class 1 historic designation after a presentation by Stephen Keelan and supporting discussion about the site's architecture, landscape terraces and Hollywood-era associations. The recommendation moves to City Council.
The Historic Site Preservation Board recommended Feb. 3 that the City Council designate the Edmund Goulding Residence at 1752 Ridge Road as a Class 1 historic site.
Staff summarized an owner-initiated nomination and a report prepared by Stephen Keelan of the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation that documented the property’s early development (1920s–1930s), its hillside arrangement with a pool pavilion and terraced garden system, and materials and landscape features attributed to the site’s period of significance. Staff concluded the site meets multiple criteria and retains sufficient integrity to warrant recommendation.
Stephen Keelan, the report author, described the pool and rock-terrace features as “very artfully done” and said the property’s landscape and structures help explain early high-end residential development in Palm Springs. Owner Lucien Wolf, who said he acquired a neighboring guest house in 2004 and bought 1752 in July 2024, told the board he plans restoration and possible consolidation of adjacent parcels in the future.
Board members praised the quality of the report and noted the inclusion of LGBTQ-history context in Keelan’s research; the board discussed whether to include Criterion 4 (which the report recommended omitting) and agreed with staff’s recommended criteria. Board Member Moshka-Hitchcock moved to adopt Resolution HSPB No. 171 recommending Class 1 designation and a CEQA finding that the action is not a project; the motion was seconded by Board Member McCready and the board approved the recommendation (transcript records the result).
The board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for final action and any required environmental review steps under city procedures.
