Del Coronado Real Estate History
History of Hotel del Coronado: The Prize of Coronado Real Estate
One of the most famous hotels in the world, the Hotel del Coronado is steeped with history and its distinctive design dominates the area behind the beach facing the Pacific Ocean. Its design is Victorian, in keeping with a lot of Coronado real estate, and it is the largest beach resort on the Pacific Coast.
The hotel has a long and interesting history and was among the first buildings to be built on Coronado, long before the Coronado real estate boom that was to follow. In December 1885, Coronado was bought by Elisha Babcock, Hampton Story and Jacob Gruendike for $110,000. Construction of the Hotel del Coronado began two years later and was finished within eight months at a cost of $1 million.
For anyone considering investing in Coronado real estate, a stay at the Hotel del Coronado is an ideal way to steep yourself in the history of the island.
The hotel has provided a short-term Coronado home to many rich and famous people. Some of whom include Marilyn Monroe, Thomas Edison, Babe Ruth and Charlie Chaplin.In 1927, aviator Charles Lindbergh was honored at the hotel after he crossed the Atlantic. During a lavish banquet to celebrate the feat, a replica of the Spirit of St Louis was suspended from the Crown Room ceiling.
The hotel has also been popular among US presidents. Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, John F Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., Bill Clinton, and George W Bush all stayed at Hotel del Coronado.
Another famous, but rather tragic, guest of Hotel del Coronado was Kate Morgan. Kate Morgan checked into room 302 (then 3321) at the Victorian resort on November 25, 1892 to meet her estranged husband Tom. However, he never arrived and she never left the hotel. Six days after she arrived her body was found on the steps leading to the beach.
At the time, the death was declared a suicide but recent evidence suggests that she was shot. A number of ghostly sightings and happenings at the hotel since then have been linked to the death and hotel literature is happy to tell potential visitors of its ‘resident ghost’.
As well as being home to many stars, the Hotel del Coronado has also made numerous appearances on the silver screen. Scenes from Some Like It Hot, My Blue Heaven and The Stunt Man were all filmed at the hotel.
The present day Hotel del Coronado is much changed from the original structure. In 1963, Larry Lawrence and some other investors bought the hotel with the intention of demolishing it and developing the land. However, he changed his mind and refurbished the hotel instead, doubling its capacity to 700 rooms. Recently, the hotel has opened Beach Village. As far as Coronado homes go, these twelve beach front villas surpass almost anything on the island. Features include private pools, whirlpool baths and flat screen TVs, among other luxuries.
