Featured image credit: Paramount Pictures
Before Mariah Carey wrapped her mittened hands around the holiday music charts, December was the season of Bing. Legendary actor and crooner Bing Crosby recognized the value of a well-timed Christmas tune… or ten. When the holidays rolled around, so did Crosby’s latest carol… or maybe a golden oldie. It became a bit of a tradition. But Crosby was more than a Top 10 Jack Frost. And even outside the music charts, he exhibited taste, as evidenced by his former Palm Desert home that hit the market in December. Now, the Bing Crosby house is poised to be one of the most expensive sales in Palm Desert history.
Poised to Be One of Riverside County’s Biggest Sales
It’s no secret that Crosby adored the Greater Palm Springs area. In fact, he acquired multiple properties in Palm Springs over the years. But the home we’re discussing today was a palace among them; a sprawling 2.5-acre property purchased at the zenith of his illustrious career. Represented by real estate agents Susan Canavan and Deirdre Coit of Canavan Coit & Associates, the 5-bedroom, 7-bathroom 49400 Della Robia Lane property hit the market with a listing price of $13.5 million. If sold at this price, it will be among the most expensive homes ever sold in Riverside County.
As if being located in the lavish Palm Desert neighborhood weren’t desirable enough, the former Bing Crosby house is also nestled in the coveted Ironwood Country Club right against the picturesque splendor of the San Jacinto Mountains. The property’s current residents purchased it in 2012 for a mere $3 million but have since invested millions of dollars in extensive renovations to elevate the distinctive home to modern standards of luxury.
Features of the Lavish Bing Crosby House
The main unit of the ranch-style abode comprises over 6,000 square feet of living space with ample windows flooding the interior with golden California sunshine while providing a wealth of inspiring views. Exotic earth-tone tile paves the floorplan, creating a parallel to the rustic exposed beams. Multiple fireplaces pepper the residence, offering invitations for comfort and recreation at every turn. And a dedicated wine room separated by glass promises to fuel those moments of recreation.
The exterior is somehow more impressive with a pristine palm-flanked pool embedded with a circular spa offering promises of profound refreshment. With patios and pergolas a-plenty bisecting a lawn that looks like a carefully cultivated paradise, adding more features threatens to veer into decadence. And the Bing Crosby house blows right past that point with a fire pit, lounge area, and a tennis court fully equipped with outdoor lighting. Add in not one, not two, but three single-bedroom casitas and you’re getting plenty of Bing… errr, bang for your buck.
The Enduring Legacy of Bing Crosby
While the Bing Crosby house is impressive on its own, we could likely credit a fraction of its price tag to star power. And for anyone thinking Crosby’s legacy is firmly entrenched in the pop standard past, it’s worth mentioning he was posthumously involved in a UK top 10 hit just a few weeks ago. It’s not a surprise. The holiday season still remains prime Crosby territory with the crooner frequently charting in November and December as the world revisits seasonal classics. But this year’s charting carol was a debut; a posthumous duet of “White Christmas” merging Crosby’s past performance with new vocals from K-pop superstar V of the boy band BTS.
Does the duet factor heavily into the listing of the Bing Crosby house? Probably not. Crosby was a bonafide legend, and top 10 hits were nothing new to the singer well before his 1977 death. The home isn’t exactly a time capsule to Crosby with renovations virtually erasing any traces of the singer’s personal tastes. Sure, his link to the home’s history is undeniable. But we think the Palm Desert home will more likely go to a fan of fireplaces and well-lit tennis courts than a zealot of classic Christmas pop songs.
