City of Coronado history

In 1891, Benjamin Harrison was the first of 13 presidents to visit Coronado, joining the long list of celebrities as guests at the Hotel.

Spreckels took over the hotel, the Tent City came into being about 1900.

1901: Fort Pio Pico is established at North Island as a coast defense port.

1904: Lighting of the large Norfolk Island Pine at the entrance to the Hotel del Coronado, the first electrically lit outdoor tree in the United States.

1908: The United States Navy’s “Great White Fleet,” on a worldwide tour approved by President Roosevelt to show military strength, visits San Diego and Coronado.

1914: Opening of Tent City breaks all prior records as 10,000 people arrive.

After a dramatic opening in October 1915 and making about 20 films and documentaries in Coronado, the studio closed its doors one year later.

1917: Congress passes a Condemnation Act to acquire the 1,232-acre North Island as a permanent military aviation school and base.

1920: Twenty–six year old Edward, Prince of Wales, creates the social event of the year with his April visit.

In 1923 the thatched roofed cottages in the Tent City were stripped off of the buildings and the cottages were given permanent roofs.

1926: John D. Spreckels dies, ending an era in Coronado.

1927: Charles A. Lindbergh departs for New York from North Island; from there he undertakes the first transatlantic flight to Paris.

There have been a series of ferries that have been used including the "Della," the "Coronado," the Silver Gate," "Benecia," and "Ramona." Prior to 1929 the "Della" was used.

In June, 1936 the Spreckels Company to everyoneÕs surprise announced the abandonment of the Tent City as a resort and in its place the State Highway would be straightened.

The Tent City was dismantled in 1939.

1948: The Hotel del Coronado is sold by the Spreckels Company to Barney Goodman of Tuscon, Arizona.

1952: Fifty-two cedar trees are planted in the Orange Avenue median as memorials funded by private individuals.

Coronado, CA: The Coronado Federal Savings and Loan Association, 1959. "San Diego-Coronado Bridge," Coronado Online.

1960: Thirty-eight year old Coronado High School is demolished; voters approve a $1.25 million bond issue to fund a new school.

In February, 1967 construction of a $50 million bridge began.

In 1971 the first of the ten Coronado Shore Towers was completed.

1972: President Richard Nixon holds the first State Dinner outside of the White House at the Hotel del Coronado.

Coronado (Hotel Del Coronado), California, 1982.

The developers planned on obtaining financing from a Japanese bank, but when the Japanese bank, but when the Japanese banking crisis hit in 1989, they found themselves with approved permits and plans, but no construction funds.