Over the years I have walked by this little church on my way to downtown Palm Springs. It has always caught my eye. A Gothic Revival made of CMU is a big hmmmm? in my book. It is in fact that only surviving Gothic Revival Building in Palm Springs. Completed in 1935 is was designed by Charles Tanner. A Canadian that emigrated to the U.S. he began his working life as an illustrator of children’s books. He moved to Riverside, California and began supplementing his work as an artist and art teacher by working as a draftsman for architect G. Vincent Palmer.
In Palm Springs Tanner is credited with the design of the Carrie Birge Residence – now the Ingleside Inn (1922), George Roberson House – now Le Vallauris Restaurant (1924), the O’Donnell House (1925), and the reconstruction of The Desert Inn (1922-27). All four of these projects were designed and built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. How he managed to transform his skills as a painter into what it would require to be an architect of such prolific output is unknown. He died at 83 in 1960.
The Community Church, located at 284 S. Cahuilla, is closed and now owned by a developer, but it is was designated as a Class 1 Historic Site in 1989.
I admit I like the Palm Springs Modern look more than this…after seeing all your other photos this looks out of place…maybe it isn’t in its location.