Xochitl Peña
The Desert Sun
INDIAN WELLS – Talk of creating a monument along Highway 111 to honor the late artist Carl Bray — in the spot where his home and gallery used to be — has taken place for years.
But recent renewed interest in the idea has the Indian Wells City Council taking up the subject during a study session next month.
Adele Ruxton, president of the Indian Wells Historic Preservation Foundation, hopes this time, the project will actually happen.
“It’s time. It’s like ‘OK let’s get something done.’ It’s something that has been on the (list) of things to do and then something else comes up,” she said.
On Aug. 21, the council is expected to provide direction to staff on the design of the monument, said Warren Morelion, the city’s community development director, via email.
“Once staff receives direction, it will go through the normal entitlement process. The plan is to get the project construct(ed) by next summer,” he said.
The city has been talking about an “interpretive exhibit” at the location where Bray’s home and gallery used to be since at least 2010.
Bray, known for his desert landscapes and most notably his paintings of the wispy smoke tree, bought property along Highway 111 in Indian Wells in the early 1950s for $1,000. His neighbors at the time included a few cabins, a dance hall and a couple businesses.
As Indian Wells developed, Bray’s paint palette sign and misshapen landscaping started to look out of place surrounded by golf courses and gated communities, but the property’s historic significance could not be ignored.
The property used to be the site of one of the largest Cahuilla villages in the valley.
Bray sold the land in about 2000 and moved to Banning. He died in 2011 at the age of 94.
Ruxton knew Bray personally, and visited him at least once a month after he moved.
“He had a great sense of humor. If you met him for the first time you would think, ‘I’ve known this man for my entire life,’ ” she said.
The city purchased the 14,148-square-foot former site in January 2009 for nearly $260,000 claiming the structures on the land posed a “safety hazard.”
The home and gallery were eventually demolished, causing debate between the city and those who wanted to see the buildings preserved.
Ruxton wanted the structures saved.
“That should be turned into something historic,” she said of the now-vacant site.
The historic preservation foundation will meet with city officials next month to talk about the monument, as well.
What had been envisioned, she said, was a monument worked into the landscape that bicyclists or walkers could access. There would be no place for people in cars to park, she added.
In 2012, city staff had anticipated costs of about $35,000 for the monument. Morelion said the city recently directed up to $65,000 for the project.
Resident Denny Booth believes even $30,000 is too much for the city to spend, especially at a time when funds are tight.
He thinks there are much cheaper options available.
“Put up a boulder with a bronze plaque,” he said.
