Poolside Friday at El Mirador, 1954

As the temperatures begin to climb, so does the desire to head poolside. Let’s visit the El Mirador Hotel, 1954, and take a dip in their pool. First, we see the tower, an architectural signature of the hotel. Note the sun dial:



That water looks so inviting!



If you don’t feel like your bod is ready for swimsuit weather, just put a gigantic matchbook on top of your head. Nobody will notice the rest.



Or sit next to movie star Rhonda Fleming; all eyes will be on her, not you.



Actress Laraine Day is doing her best to stay in the shade:



Actress Joan Taylor probably never event went in the water. Mess up the hair? No way…



Thanks to Daveland reader Nanook, we know that actor Marshall Thompson is the gent on the left and wife Barbara Long (sister of actor Richard Long) is at right:



As the sun goes down, things heat up at the El Mirador, as the hula dancers begin to shake:





See more El Mirador Hotel photos at my main website.

Back to the Biltmore

…The Biltmore Palm Springs, to be more exact. I have been to the Arizona Biltmore, the Biltmore in Los Angeles, and The Biltmore estate in North Carolina. Who knew there were so many Biltmores? Built in 1948 and designed by architect Fred Monhoff, The Biltmore Palm Springs it was once a  popular resort with the Hollywood crowd. This color image from 1949 features actor Don DeFore, best known for the sitcom “Hazel,” and wife Marion. Looks like the hotel used a Woodie wagon for transportation. Any of my vintage auto nuts able to give more info about the make and year?



DeFore also ran the Silver Banjo BBQ restaurant at Disneyland (1957-1962) in Frontierland (now the River Belle Terrace). The Silver Banjo was the only establishment at Disneyland to display the name of a non-fictional person and the only business ever to be owned by an individual. Below is DeFore behind the serving line. Sure looks tasty!



But back to the Biltmore Palm Springs! This previously posted shot of singer/actor Tony Martin and wife actress/dancer Cyd Charisse shows them sunning poolside.



A 1954 shot of actress Virginia Mayo ready for a dip in the pool. Did she actually go in? I doubt it!



The resort lost favor and closed in the late 1980s. It was converted into a condominum community and its clubhouse became an office building. It was bulldozed in 2003 because the city claimed it didn’t realize it was significant historically/architecturally.

See more Palm Springs photos at my main website.

Monday at the Mirador

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.

Margaritaville Makeover

Typically when I pull into Palm Springs, I enjoy seeing the Riviera Resort and Spa which dates back to 1958. The entrance had a 1960’s Rat Pack vibe that made you feel like you were stepping back in time and experiencing a bygone era of music, style, and attitude. Imagine my shock during my most recent visit when I drove by and saw this sign:



Margaritaville? In Palm Springs? Did I hit the gas pedal too hard and accidentally end up in Key West, circa 1990?!? Sadly, I was still in 2022 and the (now) cheap-looking structure I had driven by that was once the glorious Riviera Hotel had been revamped as the Margaritaville Resort. I parked the car and decided to poke around.



The Lobby area before:



After, a somewhat subtle change:



…other than the parrots. Just in case you forgot you were in Margaritaville.



Before #1, when the place had more of a Vegas/Rat Pack vibe:



Before #2 (a later remodel):



After:



The restaurant has also been re-themed to fit the Jimmy Buffet motif:



Fun little sayings have been sprinkled throughout the hallways:



Changes in more than just latitude:



I would hesitate to call this a resort without adding in the term “family.” The hotel was much more noisy, had more kids screaming, and definitely had more of a budget feel. I guess the positive is that the hotel, which has struggled financially through the years, is still around.

See more Riviera and Margaritaville Resort photos at my main website.

Monday at the Oasis

As I was walking along South Palm Canyon Drive on a recent trip to the Desert (aka Palm Springs), my attention was focused downward on the sidewalk, looking at the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. I came upon a historic marker that had been unceremoniously spray painted white and decided to read it. I had never heard of the Oasis Hotel before, but I had definitely heard of Lloyd Wright, architect of one of my Hollywood obsessions, the Sowden House, and the son of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. This I had to investigate! As I walked down the corridor I looked up at what I had previously ignored as yet another dilapidated old concrete structure and sure enough, there I saw the hallmarks of the Wright Style!



Interesting concrete blocks and that simplistic Moderne/Art Deco style that I adore.



Apparently this place was a haven for the stars, including Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, and Shirley Temple. Back in the day before the term “Boutique Hotel” had been coined, this 24 guest room hotel was unable to make a profit, despite its claim of having the tower and the first swimming pool.



Here are some vintage shots of what the entire property looked like before it was torn down (other than the 40-foot tower) and replaced by an uninspired strip mall.











A few vintage postcards of the hotel in its heyday:





Although the tower has a Class 1 Historic designation, it looks like it is one “accident” away from being gone-zo.

See more Palm Springs photos at my main website.