First Church of Christ, Scientist Restoration(Now Dezart Playhouse)605 South Riverside Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92264
GRANT
Designed by famed modernist architect Albert Frey of Frey and Chambers, construction of the church began in October of l956. The first church service was held on March 17, l957. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June of 2016. Dezart Performs purchased the church in December of 2024, with the intent of converting it into the Dezart Playhouse. The renovation project, being overseen by PSPF board advisor and preservation architect Susan Secoy Jensen, aims to transform the building into a fully-equipped professional theater with a 150-seat capacity, a rehearsal hall, and other amenities, all while preserving the integrity of the original architecture.
On April 22, 2026, the Palm Springs city council unanimously (5-0) approved the Class 1 Historic Resource designation of the First Church of Christ, Scientist building (now Dezart Playhouse). The 40-page nomination was written by Peter Moruzzi. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016 as part of “The Architecture of Albert Frey” multiple property listing.
The first of two renovation phases of the church was unveiled on November 13-15, 2025 when the Dezart Playhouse opened with “West Side Story in Concert” (the church and the Tony Award–winning musical both debuted in 1957). Phase 2 of the renovation (and the theater’s most dramatic changes) are scheduled for the Spring of 2026. To read more click here.
In response to a solicitation from Dezart Performs, in September of 2025 the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation board of directors voted unanimously to award a $10,000 grant to that organization with the condition that the expenditure of grant monies be used, “to engage the professional services of an experienced preservation architect.” The PSPF board’s intention was to maintain the property’s integrity consistent with the needs of a professional theatre company.
To read the PSPF grant letter click here.
IN THE MEDIA
November 2, 2025, Palm Springs Life (First Church of Christ, Scientist Restoration)
June 26, 2025, Visit Palm Springs (From Sacred Space to Center Stage)