Jimmy Van Heusen, who wrote the music for four Oscar-winning songs, all made famous by his pal Frank Sinatra, built this home high atop a mountain, a half-hour drive from Palm Springs. It had a well, too.
Roadrunners and coyotes roam the isolated neighborhood.
The current owner told us that Van Heusen added a helicopter pad to allow the Rat Pack and a certain US President easier access. That explains the size of the enormous and well-supported wooden deck that extends from the stone patio.
The main house has been in ruins for years. Thus the graffiti at the top of this entry. Still, it's easy to imagine Jimmy and his guests enjoying cocktails on the deck and sunset views during the Swingin' Sixties.
We stayed in the pool house, where Dean Martin honeymooned. JFK rendezvoused with Marilyn here, too. For a couple of gay men, that's quite the provenance, much better than "George Washington slept here." If you believe it.
The place looked its best at sunrise and with a fire in the wood stove. The fairy lights around the pool can be seen for miles around at night.
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