Hotel del Coronado's Master Plan

The Del’s master plan builds upon the past Blueprint for the Future

Editor's note: First in a series of stories on the changes at Hotel del Coronado.

When Hotel del Coronado founder Elisha Babcock Jr. aspired in 1886 to build “a house that people will like to come to long after we are gone,” he knew By GINA PETRONE

that The Del’s future and its ability to transcend generations lay in its growth and development.

The hotel opened in 1888 and before the turn of the 20th century, a natural history museum and an indoor bathhouse were built south of the resort; an ice factory and carpenter shop were

installed in the industrial area; the two original smokestacks were replaced with a single 80-foot one; the white and gold parlor became bridal suites; fireplaces were removed; and private baths were added to guestrooms.

Second owner, John D. Spreckels, expanded the resort when

he opened Tent City in 1900. But it wasn’t until April 1948, after Barney Goodman bought the resort, that a hotel master plan was announced by managing director Harry S. Ward. The proposed plan included the construction of a series of cottages along the beach frontage and an “ultra-smart” marine dining room and lounge at the waters’ edge. The Beach School was turned into a private cottage and two additional private bungalows were added by the Goodman-Strauss trust, while a former storage room was renovated and opened as the Luau Room in 1949. After John Alessio acquired The Del in 1960, a master plan was formulated to develop the resort and adjacent property as a combined hotel and apartment resort. That plan didn’t materialize, however. M. Larry Lawrence acquired the property in 1963 and announced plans to add 300 rooms to the hotel through a fiveto 10-year master plan.

In 1973, Ocean Towers was completed, which added 200 guest rooms, along with Grande Hall, a new banquet facility. In 1979, the poolside addition (California Cabanas today) opened adding 96 guestrooms. Prior to Lawrence’s death in 1996, he had begun developing a plan that called for new buildings on all four sides of the historic hotel, including on the west side. Travelers Insurance acquired the property in 1996 and sold it to Lowe Enterprises, which began to move forward with preparation of these development plans. More immediate plans called for painting the wood interior of the lobby white – a plan that was immediately scrapped once it became public.

In the summer of 1999, Lowe Enterprises formally proposed a master plan that added a conference center, guest-room building, structured parking, a restored front porch and new main entrance. Under the plan, the Oxford Building would also be converted to guest rooms. Significantly, the plan proposed the demolition and removal of the industrial buildings including the power plant (1887), ice house (1889) and laundry (1910). A later iteration of the plan called for retaining the power plant but building a conference center on the site.

The Laundry Building was built in 1910 and operated as a laundry facility until 2018. It was restored last year.

A rendering of the plans for the Power Plant, constructed in 1887. It will serve as a co-work lounge and meeting space. The Del's 1999 proposed master plan (below) includes a new entry.

Save our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) mobilized to oppose the plan and its destruction of historic resources with a “Save The Del” campaign. After some negotiation, a settlement agreement was reached that retained the power plant, the tunnel from the power plant to the hotel and the front façade of the ice house. Approved in May 2002, the plan called for the new conference center (with some guest rooms) to be built immediately adjacent to the power plant and converting the power plant into meeting space.

In 2003, the hotel was acquired by KSL Resorts. The new owner completed the first phase of the 2002 Master Plan in 2007 with the addition of the Beach Village cottages and villas, a new spa and fitness center, new entry garden, street improvements along R.H. Dana Place and a new beachfront walkway. On the south side of the property, development of the new conference center was precluded by discovery of a fault zone running through the site. An amended master plan was proposed and approved in 2008. It relocated the conference center away from the industrial buildings, preserving the laundry building, and also consolidated the approved guest rooms into one new building. In contrast to the 1997-2002 process, SOHO actively supported Hotel del Coronado throughout the amended master plan review process.

Implementation of the master

plan is now underway. In addition to retaining and restoring the power plant and the laundry, the hotel is also preserving the entire ice house. This original 1889 structure will be restored to serve as the Ice House Museum, showcasing the hotel’s storied past.

For more information on the upcoming changes, visit masterplan2022.hoteldel.com. • Gina Petrone is heritage manager at Hotel del Coronado.