Nearest city Ocotillo, California NRHP Reference # 80000801 Phone +1 619-766-9139 | Built 1922-1928 Area 2 ha Added to NRHP 29 August 1980 | |
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Architectural style Other, Environmental Folk Art MPS Twentieth Century Folk Art Environment in California TR Address Old Hig 80, In-Ko-Pah Park Rd, Jacumba Hot Springs, CA 91934, USA Hours Closed now Monday8:30AM–5PMTuesday8:30AM–5PMWednesday8:30AM–5PMThursday8:30AM–5PMFriday8:30AM–5PMSaturday8:30AM–5PMSunday8:30AM–5PM Similar In‑Ko‑Pah Mountains, Anza‑Borrego Desert State Park, Salvation Mountain, Noah Purifoy Outdoor, Blue Angels Peak Profiles | ||
Desert view tower
The Desert View Tower is located on Interstate 8, near Jacumba and Ocotillo, in western Imperial County, Southern California. It is at 3,000 feet (910 m) in elevation, in the In-Ko-Pah Mountains.
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The stone tower was built from 1922 to 1928 as a roadside attraction by Bert Vaughn, a real estate developer who owned Jacumba. The three story tower houses a museum and has an observation deck on its upper level. The gift shop at the base of the tower is a later addition.
An ensemble of stone sculptures of animal, called Boulder Park, is adjacent to Desert View Tower. They were sculpted by M.T. Ratliffe (or Radcliff) over two years during the 1930s in the local stone. Both the tower and sculpture garden are works of folk art.
The tower and sculpture garden were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 29, 1980. As folk art, the tower and garden were included in the Twentieth Century Folk Art Environments in California Multiple Property Submission.