Casa del Rey Hotel, Historic resort hotel in Santa Cruz, United States
Casa del Rey Hotel was a large building along Beach Street containing 300 rooms equipped with private telephones and extensive facilities. The property stretched across a substantial area and featured Italian gardens as part of its grounds.
Fred Swanton built the hotel in 1911 as a major investment in developing the Santa Cruz Boardwalk area. The building was central to a larger plan to transform the waterfront district.
The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture of Casa del Rey Hotel incorporated elements that reflected California's heritage through its design and materials.
The hotel offered guests direct connections to railroad services and streetcar lines for easy movement around the area. A pedestrian bridge allowed visitors to cross Beach Street quickly and reach the beach directly.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the building was converted into a naval hospital that served wounded servicemen during the war. This transformation reflects how the Santa Cruz waterfront became crucial to military operations during the conflict.
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