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All the United States California San Diego Hotel del Coronado
AO Edited

Hotel del Coronado

L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

San Diego, California

Added By
Daryle Conners
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Hotel del Coronado.   zugaldia/CC BY 2.0
Hotel del Coronado.   zugaldia/CC BY 2.0
Hotel del Coronado.   Lyndi&Jason/CC BY-SA 2.0
Hotel del Coronado.   jrsnchzhrs/CC BY-ND 2.0
Trees from seeds brought from New Zealand. These were the very first outdoor tree to ever be lit with electric lights for Christmas   IronQueen / Atlas Obscura User
The Crown room. In late October/early November 2023 will close for renovations   IronQueen / Atlas Obscura User
The ball room   IronQueen / Atlas Obscura User
The hotel   IronQueen / Atlas Obscura User
Restored lobby reception 2023   IronQueen / Atlas Obscura User
One of four original stained glass.   IronQueen / Atlas Obscura User
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Nearby house where Frank L. Baum lived for a time while writing “Wizard of Oz”   seanjobst / Atlas Obscura User
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Hotel Del Coronado at Sunset   TheKatzPajamas / Atlas Obscura User
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The Dragon Tree   sinnerfamilysouth / Atlas Obscura User
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The original chandelier that was in Crown Room. Located in facilities now. All bricks were made on site.   IronQueen / Atlas Obscura User
Tunnel from facilites to the hotel. Called “flirtation lane”. The brick arch was discovered during recent restorations.   IronQueen / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Since its doors first opened in 1888, the Hotel Del Coronado has hosted presidents, royalty, and perhaps most famously, writers. L. Frank Baum stayed in the hotel while writing parts of his Wizard of Oz series. He also designed the featured chandelier in the hotel’s famous Crown Room.

The "Hotel Del," as it is known to locals, is just across the water from San Diego. It's one of the only surviving examples of an American genre of architecture, the wooden Victorian beach resort. You may recognize it as the inspiration for Disney World’s Grand Floridian. It's a National Historical monument, and the second largest wood structure in the United States.

The hotel is known for many things, including the famous ghost of Kate Morgan; the world’s first outdoor electrically lit Christmas tree; and its featured role in Some Like it Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis, and The Stunt Man with Peter O’Toole and Steven Railsback. The resort was considered a wonder of technological structure in the early years, and both Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison counted among its guests.

Today, the Hotel del Coronado has both the original building and a newer wing, but the Crown Room and other featured rooms from past eras remain intact and frozen in time.

Related Tags

Hotels Writers Places To Stay Resorts Haunted Architecture Architectural Oddities

Know Before You Go

To get to the hotel, you can drive across the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge, which is a dramatic two-mile long bridge with a 90-degree turn at its midpoint. Another option is to take the ferry which departs from the foot of Broadway in San Diego.  If you prefer not crossing the water, there's also a longer route via Interstate 5 south, through Imperial Beach and up the Silver Strand.

Community Contributors

Added By

daryleconners

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BelleAurore, darleneeats, TheKatzPajamas, rnD...

  • BelleAurore
  • darleneeats
  • TheKatzPajamas
  • rnD
  • lorenrae75
  • seanjobst
  • ccesare
  • cait7911
  • empappas1956
  • sinnerfamilysouth
  • 24rmf9qz87
  • Jason Michael Walker
  • color flow
  • IronQueen
  • nina85

Published

December 30, 2019

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Sources
  • https://hoteldel.com/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_del_Coronado
  • https://www.historichotels.org/hotels-resorts/hotel-del-coronado/
  • https://www.sandiego.com/articles/2012-01-05/how-frank-baum-became-wizard-coronado
  • https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-history-of-disneys-grand-floridian-resort-spa_b_596e4ba0e4b05561da5a5b14
Hotel del Coronado
1500 Orange Ave
San Diego, California, 92118
United States
32.680633, -117.178556
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