El Mirador Tower

A familiar tower, a changing purpose

Above white stucco walls and shaded arches, El Mirador Tower remains one of Palm Springs’ most recognizable historic silhouettes. Its green, yellow and white patterned roof catches the eye; beneath it, the adjoining Jerry Stergios Building carries the name of the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation.

This is part of the Desert Regional Medical Center campus. The setting once belonged to the celebrated El Mirador Hotel, later served as Torney General Hospital during World War II, and ultimately became part of the city’s permanent healthcare landscape.

The essential distinction: the tower you see today was reconstructed in 1991 after fire destroyed the original in 1989. It preserves the landmark’s appearance, rather than an unbroken survival of the original structure.

View El Mirador on the map

Look closer at the architecture

Start at the top. The geometric tile pattern gives the roof its identity, while the weather vane extends the tower’s outline into the sky. Palm Springs Life reports that the original vane was recovered after the fire and returned to the rebuilt tower.

Then follow the building down: the open belfry, balcony railing, white stucco, red roof tiles and repeated arches form a Spanish Revival composition. The courtyard photographs reveal a quieter scale than the tower alone suggests. Wooden window details and deep shadows reward a closer look.

The site through time

• 1927–28: El Mirador’s opening celebration led into the 1928 resort season.
• 1942: the Army acquired the hotel and converted it into Torney General Hospital.
• 1952: El Mirador returned as a hotel after remodeling led by architect Paul R. Williams.
• 1972–73: Desert Hospital acquired the property; hotel operations ended the following year.
• 1989–91: fire destroyed the original tower, then reconstruction restored its familiar outline using the original plans.

For the full story, including the overlapping hotel and hospital years, read The Hotel That Became a Hospital: El Mirador’s Remarkable Second Life.

What is the building today?

The name above the arcade is Jerry Stergios Building. It houses Desert Healthcare District & Foundation offices and meeting spaces. District meeting notices identify this building at 1140 N. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262.

The landmark sits within an active medical campus. Its current civic and healthcare role is part of the story: a place once associated with a resort holiday now belongs to the daily life of the valley.

Seeing the landmark

Use the map button above to locate the El Mirador site on North Indian Canyon Drive. Approach it as an exterior architecture stop. Follow posted signs and respect patient privacy, entrances and hospital operations. This guide does not promise tower access, an observation deck or a public interior tour.

If you are attending a District meeting, use the room and access instructions in that meeting’s official notice. A public meeting invitation does not imply general sightseeing access throughout the building.

Photographed October 20, 2026

Mark Miller’s five photographs document the building as it appeared on October 20, 2026: the tower and courtyard, a roof-and-weather-vane detail, a wider facade, wooden window details, and the signed arcade. Open the gallery above to study each view at its original proportions.

Continue exploring Palm Springs, or use the Coachella Valley Atlas to connect this landmark with other local places and stories.