Historic Rock House

— Rock House

The Rock House

The Historic Rock House was built by a Colorado mining businessman, Lee Watkins, who built it entirely with his own hands when he was 70 years old. It took him five years to complete it.

Historically the residence has been known since 1946 as “Pil-O-Rox” and has historic significance because it was one of the first properties purchased from the 160-acre homestead investment by W.J. “Aubrey” Wardman, a land developer from Los Angeles.

Early pioneers to this part of the desert during the 1920s and 1930s built their residential homestead shacks and sheds out of scraps of wood, galvanized siding from abandoned train cars, and desert brush to insulate the roof. They also used rocks and stones for their structures because no trees grew in the desert to use in construction.

“All the furniture in the home was also built by (Watkins) and made entirely of cholla cactus wood. Tables, chairs, arm chairs and lamps of every sort. Picture frames, in fact, everything in the place, including a lot of ornamental items are made of this wood,” as reported in a 1949 Desert Sun newspaper article.

Other early newspaper reports document that Lee Watkins and his wife, Leonora, frequently hosted festive social gatherings in their rock house and lived there happily for many years. In 1959, a Desert Sentinel newspaper article reported that Mrs. Lee Watkins planned to sell the rock house as she was widowed at the time and had relocated to Pasadena.

The primary reason the “Pil-o-Rox” home, or the Historic Rock House as we know it today, is significant because so many vernacular architectural-style rock homes were removed to rebuild larger, more modern structures. The Historic Rock House, built in 1946 is preserved in its original form.

Thanks to the unwavering support and generous donations from our members, we acquired the Historic Rock House in 2019. For the first time in our 60-year history, the Desert Hot Springs Historical Society had a permanent headquarters.

Over the next several years, we carefully restored this iconic building, transforming it into a vibrant center for history and community engagement. Today we can still admire all the custom woodwork throughout the home that Watkins built by hand – the doors, shelves, built-ins and beautiful scalloped woodwork in the large front room that is still visible. The Historic Rock House can provide an opportunity to study and appreciate the significance of the environmental context and resources of historic gems.

On January 20, 2024, the Desert Hot Springs Historical Society reached an historic milestone: celebrating our 60th anniversary and the grand opening of the Historic Rock House. This momentous occasion marked a new chapter for our organization and highlighted decades of dedication to preserving local history. solidifying our commitment to preserving and sharing the story of our community.