Greyhound Bus Terminal 311 North Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Designed by modernist architectural designer Howard Lapham in 1959, the Greyhound Bus Terminal (most recently Woody’s Burgers) is still remarkably intact. An architectural rendering of the bus terminal was published in the August 28, 1959 edition of the Desert Sun newspaper. Lapham arrived in Palm Springs in 1954 and over his career in the Coachella Valley he designed an impressive body of architectural work including dozens of commercial buildings (banks, hotels, restaurants, etc.) and large private residences.
The application for the project was eventually withdrawn.
On March 20, 2017 the city’s Architectural Advisory Committee voted to continue the project to a date uncertain “with direction to the applicant to further revise the application.”
On January 17, 2017 PSPF board member Ron Marshall made public comment before the Palm Springs Architectural Advisory Committee (AAC). During his comments, Marshall challenged the representatives from Zinque to “seize the opportunity” to preserve the Lapham-designed building and incorporate it into a new, more sensitive design. Marshall further opined that projects submitted as PDDs were obligated to provide a public benefit and that the historic preservation of the Greyhound Bus Terminal would partially compensate for the negative impacts of the Zinque Resort project (e.g., density, parking deficits, etc.). Two AAC representatives supported Marshall’s comments to the developer and one of the Zinque representatives called the preservation of the bus terminal “an interesting idea.” The ACC voted to “continue to allow the applicant to address the Committee’s concerns.”
On December 20, 2016 North Palm Canyon Drive LLC submitted a Major Architectural (MAA) and Planned Development District (PDD) application for “The Zinque Resort,” a mixed-use hotel development located at 350 North Palm Canyon Drive. The development includes a 94-room hotel, restaurant, cocktail lounge, subterranean parking, etc., and will incorporate the façade of the art deco-style Simpson’s Radio & Frigidaire Shop (1937, Brewster & Benedict) at 342 North Palm Canyon Drive (a Class 1 Historic Site). Unfortunately, the Zinque Resort development currently contemplates the demolition of the modernist Greyhound Bus Terminal (1959, Howard Lapham) at 311 North Indian Canyon Drive.
