The Falcon Lair residence was purchased by Doris Duke in April, 1953 primarily for use on her occasional visits to California and for use while she was in transit to or from her residence in Honolulu. Compared to her other estates, the residence was not large, however, being located in the hills above Benedict Canyon overlooking Beverly Hills, it served as a retreat from public life. Soon after the home was purchased, Doris Duke hired Tony Duquette to supervise the entire redecoration and remodeling of Falcon Lair. The home was renovated again in the mid-1970s. Miss Duke lived at Falcon Lair until her death in 1993, and in 1998 the property was sold by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The collection is arranged into two series: Administrative Records andArchitectural Records. It spans the years 1937 to 1999, beginning with the purchase and interior renovation of thehome and ending with maintenance and general upkeep of the home after Doris Duke's death in 1993. The collectionprimarily documents the expenses and daily operations of renovating, running, and maintaining the Falcon Lairresidence, and includes invoices and receipts for services and repairs, correspondence, memoranda, and telegramsrelating to routine matters of the residence, expenses, and photo inventories of furniture, fixtures, and otherhousehold items. A majority of the architectural records detail alterations and additions to the Falcon Lairresidence.
