Hotel Del Coronado: An American Treasure with a Storybook Past

Hotel Del Coronado: An American Treasure with a Storybook Past

In 1977, the Hotel Del Coronado was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Trust for Historic preservation. In honoring the occasion, the National Trust paid homage to The Del’s legendary reputation. “This site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the U.S.A.” As one of the last surviving Victorian resorts, The Del has played a part in American history for more than 100 years. The hotel came of age during the “Gilded Era”, a period of unparalleled personal wealth, when America’s rich spent their lives traveling from one fashionable resort to another, servants in tow. In the difficult years that followed this time period, many of the Victorian resorts designed for the exclusive traveler perished. The Hotel Del Coronado, however, was able to withstand these hard times and continue to thrive. The Del endured two world wars, thanks in part due to San Diego’s strong military economy, which helped keep the resort afloat. The Depression affected the Hotel Del less than many other resorts because of its proximity to Hollywood, where there was always plenty of money, even during the worst days of the Depression. The Del was equally well suited to survive Prohibition since it is so close to the Mexican border. And, fortunately, with the social movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and with the nation’s bicentennial in 1976, Americans started to take a new look at “old” history, and The Del came back into fashion once again. In 1888, hotel founders Elisha Babcock and Hampton Story had a dream. They brought that dream to fruition. Today, that future has been ensured, as the Hotel Del Coronado continues to add to its remarkable history into the 21st century and beyond.