Editor's note: From the Vault is a new weekly feature appearing Saturdays in The Desert Sun newspaper and Mondays online at DesertSun.com. It is an opportunity to explore some of the Coachella Valley's notable happenings via historic photos, stories and videos. If you're online, take a moment to check out the photo galleries, watch the videos and read some of the old articles. This inaugural installment is about Robolights. We hope you enjoy this trip into The Desert Sun archives.

It may be a cliche, but it's appropriate: change is the only constant.

No one knows that better than Palm Springs artist Kenny Irwin Jr., creator of Robolights, the eclectic holiday display that — some might argue — has added almost as much to Palm Springs' appeal as say, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope or Marilyn Monroe.

Started more than 30 years ago as an art student's bid to commemorate the holiday season via the enthusiastic decoration of his family's Movie Colony East home, Robolights grew into a 4-acre wonderland of sorts.

Attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors, it became a menagerie of artistic creations that, according to past interviews, Irwin said he first saw in his dreams.

Blended with the ever-present Christmas decorations, the display was a hodgepodge of cast-off items turned into robots, futuristic woodland creatures, elaborate pastel-colored sculptures — you name it and you just might have seen it at Robolights.

Visitors were awed by Irwin's creations and for many a trip to the house on Granvia Valmonte, during the holiday season, became a yearly tradition.

But not everyone enjoyed Robolights.

The cars that clogged the street around Irwin's home began to annoy his neighbors, who filed complaints with the city about traffic, noise, trash and other byproducts from the glut of visitors to Robolights.

In 2009, hundreds of thousands of Christmas lights were stolen and a vandal destroyed a number of Irwin's sculptures.

And, in 2012, the expenses connected with running the outdoor attraction prompted Irwin to solicit for monetary donations online.

In January, at the end of the 2018 holiday season, Irwin shut down Robolights for good.

His decision coincided with an agreement he'd made with the city of Palm Springs, which had previously cited the display after alleging that it did not comply with city safety regulations.

In September, Irwin announced he would move the display to Desert Hot Springs. It was to be erected on 10 acres of land he'd purchased for $350,000.

In 2015, Irwin told a reporter that he hopes to create a massive amusement and art park.

"It would be iconic," he said. "It would be an international draw."

Who knows whether Irwin will realize that dream at Robolights' new location in Desert Hot Spring? One thing is certain, though, the future of this former Palm Springs touchstone is filled with change.