What makes the desert beautiful, said the little prince,
is that somewhere it hides a well...
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
About 20 million years ago or so, there was a lot of horizontal movement along a crack in the earth, aka the San Andreas Fault. There was some vertical movement too caused by these tectonic plate collisions. Among other things, this movement created the extraordinary geologic masses of the San Bernardino Mountains and San Jacinto (hyacinth) Mountains.
Desert Hot Springs, a town in the foothills between these mountain ranges was built directly upon a geologically formed aquifer. The water in this aquifer is run-off from the surrounding watershed of the mountains. The water seeps down through layers of porous rock or fissures until it reaches an impermeable layer of rock. The water is heated by the solar mass of the earth, and it absorbs minerals from the rocks and soil. The further down the water goes, the more pressure there is, because there is less space for the water as the earth becomes denser. The hot water is hence forced back up to the aquifer as super-heated steam which heats the water in the aquifer. Via a well, a spot called HOPE SPRINGS draws, the mineral rich, sulfur-free water into its pools. The experience of HOPE SPRINGS is something akin to transformative time travel: touching both the past and the future while sitting squarely in a pool of mineral water.
This motor-lodge is not a pastiche, but a well-preserved Midcentury relic consisting quite simply of a small parking lot, a lobby/office, and 10 rooms (some with kitchenettes), all facing a central courtyard with three pools of water, drought-tolerant plantings and patios. The architectural plan is designed as a U-shape with very horizontal massing though the lobby does present a little verticality.
The place doesn’t overwhelm the environment but seems to notch itself clandestinely into the fabric of the community and open itself to the sky.
To relax in a pool of water in the arid desert that on average has less than 6” of rainfall per year with a view of distant snow-capped peaks is stunning. These peaks provide the backdrop for the turbine forest of the San Gorgonio Wind Park.
The turbine forest hides a promise of a sustainable future where people are less dependent on the very fossil fuels that were needed to inspire the creation of our motor-lodge dotted landscape. The intimate pool of here and now is a product of things going on at a vast scale. Seemingly tenuous overhead power lines stretch throughout the valley and create a visual tension between the still-shifting-higher peaks of the distant mountains (and the wind mills) and the enduring old-growth paddle cactus of HOPE SPRINGS.
Guests can sit in the pools whenever they’d like; they are always open. With little effort, sharp focus and respect to site, this modest spa is powerful evidence of our ability to use natural systems not only to sustain ourselves but to live a comfortable life without defacing or erasing our history.
The little prince was quite a visionary. He might find an aquifer but he would have to create a well.
Photos: JBLA, HOPE SPRINGS. For additional credit, please contact JBLA.