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1888
Built on a sandspit, the hotel opened on February 19, 1888
Construction began in March 1887 on a sandspit populated by jack rabbits and coyotes. The hotel opened on February 19, 1888, when 1,440 San Diegans traveled across the bay. Labor was provided largely by Chinese immigrants from San Francisco and Oakland.
Landmark
It is a rare surviving wooden Victorian beach resort
The Hotel del Coronado is a rare surviving example of the wooden Victorian beach resort. It was designated a California Historical Landmark in 1970 and a National Historic Landmark in 1977. It is the second-largest wooden structure in the United States.
Crown Room
The Crown Room ceiling was built with pegs and glue and not a single nail
The Crown Room was the masterpiece of the architect James W. Reid. Its wooden ceiling was installed with pegs and glue, and not a single nail was used. In 1920 Edward, Prince of Wales was honored with a grand banquet in the room.
Firsts
Electric lighting came first, with the wires run inside the gas lines
Electric lighting in a hotel was a world first, and the wires were installed inside the gas lines, so that gas could illuminate the rooms if the electricity failed. In 1904 the hotel introduced the world's first electrically lighted, outdoor living Christmas tree.
The bust
The land boom collapsed as the hotel neared completion
Just as the hotel was nearing completion, the Southern California land boom collapsed. Babcock and Story turned to Captain Charles T. Hinde and the sugar magnate John D. Spreckels. By 1890 Spreckels bought out both, and the Spreckels family kept ownership until 1948.
Day 3, midday
It comes after Coronado Beach. Then Cabrillo National Monument.
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The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Hotel del Coronado, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.