First Church of Christ, Scientist Restoration(Now Dezart Playhouse)73697 Santa Rosa Way, Palm Desert, CA 92260
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.
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)