When it was announced that the lunch plan was at the Hotel del Coronado, I did a little research, which surprised the San Diego-ite! 😉
While enjoying Pacific Ocean views, I walked in the footsteps of the creative wizard of the Yellow Brick Road and the Emerald City.
VISITING CORONADO
Taking the large bridge seen from Harbor Island, we arrived in the small town of Coronado, adjacent to North Island, which is home to much of America’s naval fleet.
While driving on that bridge, Point Loma comes into the view…
Further across the bridge is Harbor Island on the other side of the San Diego Bay…
After driving through Coronado, we arrived at a fanciful place from another era, sandwiched on a narrow stretch of land between the Pacific Ocean and the San Diego Bay, Hotel del Coronado.
FANCIFUL HISTORY
With a history as quaint as its appearance, the hotel opens one’s imagination.
Back in 1886, no one lived in this remote area between the Pacific Ocean and San Diego Bay.
Yet two men, Elisha Babcock, Jr., and Hampton Story, imagined an elegant resort with every amenity, so they created a town, then the hotel.
According to the hotel website, these industriously creative gents did all this in 1886: surveyed the site, created the Coronado Beach Company, chose the hotel site, designated parks, and named streets, two of them after their wives, Isabella and Adella.
Additionally they developed infrasture to support the resort: ferry company, water company, railroad company, and electrical power plant.
Afer they auctioned land to attract residents, they raised $2.25 million.
Then, in 1887, they broke ground after hiring architects and contractors.
In 1888, this beautiful Victorian resort was completed, which included an ice machine capable of producing 15 tons daily.
Advertisements for the Hotel del Coronado proclaimed it a health resort for its abundant sunshine and restorative ocean air.
Ammenities in the spacious 1888 hotel included electricity, which also supplied the local town.
This “original” elevator was a unique and fun experience!
Since the Crown Room was closed for renovations, I popped outside for a peak.
Located underneath this turreted Rotunda with lots of peepholes, the room, itself, is deemed an architectural marvel since there are no pillars supporting the massive 160’x60′ ceiling that soars 33′ high.
L. FRANK BAUM LEGENDS
Although rumors float that famed visitor L. Frank Baum, author of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, created the chandeliers, others say that’s a misnomer.
Finding lots of conflicting information, myself, I’m thinking it’s most likely that the crown chandeliers represent the name of the town, Coronado, which means crowned in Spanish.
Nicknamed the Crown City, official city website uses the crown as its logo.
FACT V FICTION
Remembering the John Ritter movie about Baum’s life, I recall that Baum was portrayed as highly imaginative, his creative wheels often turning except in times of duress, similar to most writers.
However, financial stress grew as Baum sought jobs to provide for his growing family, attempted investments that failed, then finally putting his oral creativities to paper…then had trouble finding a publisher.
Even while watching the movie, I wondered how much of the fantastical parts were real, and how much imagined.
FRANK BAUM’S CORONADO VACATIONS
After the highly successful publication of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900, the author, L. Frank Baum, visited the west for the first time, in 1904.
From 1904 to 1910, Baum brought his family to Hotel del Coronado nearly every year to escape the snowy northern winters of their home in Chicago…and perhaps to restore health in the fresh air and sunshine to his weary soul and weak heart.
How Baum learned of the Hotel del Coronado no one seems to know.
FRANK BAUM’S MUSE – CORONADO
Nevertheless one can imagine the numerous and intricate Victorian turrets, towers, and nooks, surrounded by interesting plantings on the property might have beckoned Baum to create new books in the unique atmosphere.
After all, doesn’t Hotel del Coronado look like it could come from the Land of Oz?
With a prior history of acting and creating stories for his children and their friends, Baum’s book writing seems inevitable, although it took a journey to succeed at publishing.
Since authors often seek inspirational locations to refresh creativity, perhaps a post card or newspaper advertisement caught his eye.
Dividing time between writing and exploring, each author does so differently.
It was his habit to write in the mornings and enjoy the scenery and the people in the afternoons. He told a newspaper reporter in 1904 that anyone who didn’t think Coronado was paradise would probably also find heaven unpleasant. –San Diego Union Tribune
With Coronado’s fairy tale setting to refresh his weary soul, Baum’s imagination soared to new ideas as evidenced from one of his remembrances.
When a child on the Coronado beach pointed out a crab to the author, Baum’s imagination quickly lit up, instead of dutifully explaining the scientific knowledge behind a crab as many adults do.
Instead, Baum proclaimed the creature a wobblebug…which became a new character for more stories.
Providing for his family while suffering from a weak heart, Baum labored at writing, sometimes excitedly when creativity of new adventures easily came, other times dutifully, wanting to elate his young audience wanting more tales from Oz, of which he felt no more was to be explored.
Yet, Baum faithfully created more Oz stories, resulting in a total of thirteen sequels, some of which were written at Coronado.
Also written at Coronado were other book series, sometimes written under a pen name.
Towards the end of his Coronado journeys, he rented a house near the Hotel del Coronado, where again, he wrote.
MOVING TO LOS ANGELES
In financial straits due to failed theatrical productions, Baum finally declared bankruptcy.
Selling his homes in the north, he moved himself and his family to Los Angeles, where he lived in Hollywood, much cheaper than his previous homes, in 1910.
Thus ended L. Frank Baum’s fanciful extended winter vacations to Hotel del Coronado, which he described in his 1905 poem:
Coronado: The Queen of Fairyland:
And mortals whisper, wondering:
“Indeed, ‘tis Fairyland!
For where is joy without allow
Enjoyment strange and grand.”
And tired eyes grow bright again,
And careworn faces smile;
And dreams are sweet and moments fleet,
And hearts are free from guild.
Too quickly it was time for us to return to another life, away from imaginative refreshment.
