Peripheral Nerve Society

1999 Meeting Preview

 

Hotel Del Coronado

History
 
California, 1884: Grover Cleveland is running for president, Wyatt Earp is still in Tombstone, and the transcontinental railroad is about to reach the state's southernmost city. It was just 34 years after California entered statehood and people were moving westward in ever-growing numbers, following their dreams. Elisha Babcock, Jr., a railroad executive from Indiana, was one of these dreamers.
Due to poor health, Babcock was forced into an early retirement at the age of 36 and settled in San Diego, a quiet port on the Pacific coast. Along with his good friend, H.L. Story, he soon became intrigued by a sagebrush-covered peninsula across the bay-Coronado.
With the San Diego Bay on one side and a glorious vista of the Pacific Ocean on the other, the two men imagined Coronado as a garden spot for easterners seeking a winter escape. In 1885, Babcock and Story purchased the entire 4, 100-arce peninsula for $110,000, and began plans for building a hotel. They envisioned an extraordinary structure- an architectural wonder that would offer 19th-century guests every modern amenity.
With teams of laborers working day and night, the Hotel Del Coronado was completed in less than a year, welcoming its first guests in February, 1888.
Affectionately called The Del, it has been described through the years as the talk of the Western World. "White and ornate as a wedding cake, clean, polished and trim as a ship, it makes a monument not unworthy to dominate the lst blue concave dent in the shoreline before the United States stops and the Mexico Republic begins." (Edmund Wilson, The New Republic, 1931). During the past century, The Del's guest list has included 12 United States presidents from Benjamin Harrison to Bill Clinton, Britain's Prince of Wales, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe and other Hollywood stars, plus an ongoing list of dignitaries, corporate leaders and society's most famous families.
Though The Del stands as a magnificent reminder of past eras, it has kept up with the times. With the original guest rooms still in existence, it has expanded to include the Ocean Towers, the Grande Hall Conference Center, and the poolside addition with 96 guest rooms and seven meeting rooms. The Lower Lobby level, which once contained a billiards room and bowling alleys, now offers the Ocean Terrace Lounge, a history museum, spas, shops and offices.
Still recognized as a one-of-a-kind setting, Hollywood often selects The Del as a film site. Some Like It Hot, Wicked Wicked, The Stunt Man, Captains and Kings, and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous are just a few of the movies and TV series shot on location at The Del.
In addition to being a National Historic Landmark, the Hotel Del Coronado is Number 844 on the California Landmark Registry, is designated as a San Diego County Historical Landmark, and is listed as well in the National Register of Historical Places. It's no wonder The Del has been credited by publisher Rand McNally as enjoying "more fame and historical significance than perhaps and hotel in North America."
And, as the 21st century approaches, The Del continues to welcome guests seeking a unique way to experience the elegance of another era.
 
 
Images of Hotel Del Coronado
 
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