In my last photo essay, I alluded to the unexpected passageways one tends to find in Palm Springs.

While not fully “hidden”, this courtyard in La Plaza is the kind of place one is more likely to stumble upon than actively seek out (or at least this was the case for me.)

Built in 1936, La Plaza was one of the earliest outdoor shopping centers although it doesn’t really resemble what we think of when hearing that term today.

While some of La Plaza is street-facing (particularly the titular block linking Palm Canyon and Indian Canyon Drives), I was more fascinated by the interior section of its southern half.

Along this corridor sits both commercial businesses and residences housed in white stucco buildings flanked by cascading pink flowers.

No chains at La Plaza; only homespun establishments.

Perhaps its most distinctive architectural features are these pine green, cut-out palm shutters.

Walking through here is like traveling back in time to a set from a classic Hollywood film or at least Ann Miller’s art-deco apartment complex in Mulholland Drive.

The L-shaped corridor as seen from its entrance opposite from the one in this essay’s first photo.

Walking along the street-facing section of La Plaza itself one can’t help but notice this giant rooster parked near L’Atelier Café.

Near the northern half of La Plaza sits The Plaza Theatre, which is currently closed for renovations.

A partial birds-eye view of La Plaza from the top of an adjacent parking garage–those shutters are a dead giveaway.