The History

The Citrus House is a very special property in the historic Movie Colony neighborhood, walking distance

from downtown Palm Springs.

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Our grandparents, Lavelle and Melba, both worked in Hollywood as set designers, special effects artists,

and decorators, working for such luminaries as Walt Disney (“One of the most kind and thoughtful men

I’ve ever met.”), Jerry Lewis, Cary Grant, and on blockbusters like Planet of the Apes, Hello Dolly, and

Tora Tora Tora. Lavelle designed sets for these three films, distributed by 20th Century Fox, which was

founded by Darryl Zanuck - the original owner of The Citrus House. The home was later purchased by

Melvin Belli, a prominent American attorney, and we purchased the home from his family.

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Make some of your own history, or at a minimum some fresh grapefruit juice - at The Citrus House.