Photo By: K.P. Sander
The current interior living room of the Desi House.

By Jennifer Jester-Madrigal and K.P. Sander

Eastvale – If you’ve “Loved Lucy,” you’re most likely aware of who Desi Arnaz is; and you may be aware that Eastvale hosts quite an interesting piece of Arnaz memorabilia.

Once the I Love Lucy show finished its run, Arnaz – then divorced from Lucille Ball – moved to Corona to breed race horses.  He became the owner of the Corona Breeding Farm and built a ranch-style home reminiscent of his Cuban upbringing.

Long story short, the beautiful home still stands, although its immediate environment has completely changed.  Nestled into the Estancia collection of the Lennar Homes development on Citrus Avenue and Granja Vista Del Rio, the 4,400 square-foot Arnaz dream home has found itself in the midst of progress, with its fate in the hands of JCSD.

It has been nearly a year since Jurupa Community Services District spent $2.3 million for the home and surrounding land, and although the Lennar homes are fully under construction, the Desi House stands silent; waiting.

Behind the scenes, meetings have taken place and minds have changed, but there may be some progress on what’s next for Eastvale’s nostalgic house.

The Eastvale Parks Commission met in late February to explore the cost to upgrade the inside of the Desi House.  While at that time there wasn’t an exact plan of how to use or market the property, the staff discussed three options provided by Gray Engineering.

According to the meeting agenda, Option 1 proposes a “Historic Building.”  The California Office of Historic Preservation would be involved in a nine to 12 month process.  The existing west wing of the house would be available for restricted use, with the kitchen and master bedroom offered for viewing.  An exterior restroom would need to be provided.  Cost:  $1,032,305 – Interior Only.

Option 2 would provide ADA accessibility to the main room through the existing front doors (the sunken living room floor would need to be raised for this option).  Restrooms would be constructed in the master bedroom/bath area, and outside the house.  Cost:  $1,307,105 – Interior Only.

Option 3 would provide ADA accessibility without taking away from the original look and feel of the living room.  The west and east wings would be considered viewing areas, and restrooms would be constructed in the master bedroom/bath area, and outside the house.  Cost:  $1,171,575 – Interior Only.

Each of these “Historic Building” options would allow occupancy of up to 50 people.

The million dollar plus price tags of refurbishing the interior don’t include the additional $1.2 million to upgrade and landscape the exterior of the Desi House.  With the original cost of the property, JCSD is looking in the direction of a $5 million project.

JCSD Board of Directors’ Vice President, Chad Blais; Eastvale Mayor, Ike Bootsma; and Councilman Bill Link (Bootsma and Link are part of JCSD’s Parks Commission) were not in favor of any of the proposed ideas to remodel the House, and wanted to consider alternatives such as demolishing the House and building a park, or simply selling the property, if possible. JCSD Board of Directors’ President, Jane Anderson wanted to move forward with one of the three proposed options.  In the end, more time was granted so that all parties could further study possibilities.

Last month, the JCSD Parks Commission voted to allow the JCSD staff to explore additional options.  If a functional use and effective cost can’t be realized or agreed upon, the Committee may consider selling or demolishing the House and selling the land.

At the Apr. 23 JCSD Parks Commission meeting, more options were discussed, including transforming the House into a restaurant to be called “Ricky’s Place” (a tip of the hat to Arnaz’ Ricky Ricardo character), with a full-service, limited menu – open on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and weekends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Another option presented a redesign of the property for greater use with double the occupancy originally

Photo By: K.P. Sander
From the back yard looking at the Desi House.

proposed.  Key improvements would include expansion of the kitchen for a potential eatery, raising the floor in the main room to allow more usable space, the creation of an office area, and expanding the existing bathrooms.

While the majority of the commissioners expressed skepticism regarding the likely success of the proposed eatery, the primary business model that was presented focused on the use of the property for hosting meetings, JCSD community classes, parties and weddings.  The overall cost for these improvements was estimated at $1.4 million.  Bootsma, Link and Anderson were in favor of moving forward with this option, and Blais voted against it.

Time will tell the fate of the Desi House; here’s to hoping that nostalgia wins out.

For more information about the Desi House, refer to Eastvale News October 2013, and June 2014.