Back in the day, El Mirador was a popular name in real estate. For Palm Springs, it represented the hotel that opened on New Year’s Eve, 1928. Set on 20 acres of prime desert property, according to vintage postcards, amenities included swimming, tennis, golf (the desert’s first!), riding, skeet and other sports that could be enjoyed all winter long in this “Garden of the Sun.”
The Spanish-Colonial Revival-style bell tower was a Palm Springs landmark.
A shot of the Olympic-sized swimming pool:
Closer…
Ah, desert living at its best. Lazy days by the pool.
How about the blow-up toy on the left? At first I thought it was a cheetah, but zooming in it appears to be a fish of some kind.
Anyone remember Eddy Howard?
The hotel/tower were featured in a number of advertisements, including this one for Hertz:
The hotel was converted into the Desert Hospital in 1972. The original tower burned down in 1989, but was rebuilt from the original plans. How it looks today:
Over in West Hollywood, there are the El Mirador apartments, built in 1929 and designed by S. Charles Lee:
Over the last decade or so, this building has been embroiled in historic preservation legal battles. When I walked by in December, it appeared that they were being renovated.
See more Palm Springs photos at my website.
2 comments:
Was there a connection between the two beyond just a name Dave? KS
Not that I'm aware of.
Post a Comment