William F. Cody designed the 16-room Del Marcos Hotel. (Del Marcos Hotel)

Palm Springs has become a hotspot for fans of mid-century modern architecture, inspiring restorations of the city's rare collection of Rat Pack-era buildings.

This fall, the new owners of the 1947 Del Marcos Hotel completed a renovation of the 16-room inn, designed by desert architect William F. Cody.

The hotel reopened in September after workers updated the lobby, installed new restrooms, and created a saltwater pool complete with piped-in music. "It's back to A-plus condition," says Jack Davis, the manager and partner in the company that bought the hotel last year.

The Del Marcos Hotel won a design preservation award from the Palm Springs Modern Committee in 2005. It also rehabbed the city's 1960 Wexler House, designed by Bob Alexander, whose 2,200 houses were the city's first subdivisions.

"This type of architecture has become so hot now," Davis says. "A lot of foreign architects are coming here. It's incredible."

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