Crown City History I N C O L L A B O R AT I O N W I T H H O T E L D E L C O R O N A D O & C O R O N A D O H I S T O R I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N HOTEL DEL CORONADO
Witnessing World War I
Guests watch as sailors maneuver boats at the beach.
B y G I N A P E T R O N E , H E R I TA G E M A N A G E R H O T E L D E L C O R O N A D O
Hotel del Coronado held a unique position during World War I—not only were The Del’s guests affluent and socially well-connected, they had everything in common with the military officers who populated the nearby aviation school, men who also descended from America’s most prosperous and prominent families. John D. Spreckels, the hotel’s second owner, had predicted a future in ocean takeoffs and landings and provided waterfront land to pioneer aviators as early as 1911. Flying conditions were so ideal,
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CROWN CITY MAGAZINE
the Army’s Signal Corps established a flight school on North Island, setting the precedent for continued military residency. After the United States entered WWI in April 1917, Coronado’s airfield saw increased military activity, and The Del provided elite officers with a socially familiar home-away-from-home, along with a packed calendar of events. Civilian guests – wealthy families settling in for a “season” of sunshine and carefree socializing – also had a ringside seat from which to witness America’s
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military preparedness. The Del hosted the Earl of Dunmore, who was on an American speaking tour about the Great War, a steady stream of military-themed dinners, afternoon tea dances, costumed balls and twice-daily band concerts featuring patriotic selections at Tent City. A daily guest program dated March 11, 1918, reflected the resort’s war awareness: “For the Information of Our Guests: In response to President Wilson’s recommendations for national food conservation, the following rules
