In 1969 Jerry Snyder had a vision when he purchased 32 acres of ocean front property south of the Hotel Del Coronado. At that time, the land was zoned R-6, meaning that up to 3,000 units could be built. Jerry Snyder met with Bill Krisel, an architect. Krisel had a different vision for the land bordering the shores of the Pacific Ocean in Coronado. He came up with a scheme of high rises that would maximize the view. The Coronado Shores would offer views of the ever changing skyline of San Diego to majestic Point Loma, the sparkling white water of the Pacific Ocean on one side to the Coronado Bay Bridge and the Glorietta Bay and Coronado Golf course on the other. The architect felt that each tower would be 150 feet tall and would not be within 150 feet of each other and each unit must have a water view. Rumor has it that the 150 foot height limit was based upon the flagpole atop the Hotel Del Coronado. By building units vertically it decreased the number of units to 1500 and left more open space.

 

In July 1970, developers broke ground literally and figuratively on the Coronado Shores. The first building was 1730 Avenida Del Mundo, The Cabrillo Tower. It was said, that in building the first building the developer and architect were not quite sure what configuration of bedrooms to build. Should they build studios, one-bedrooms, 2-bedrooms, 2-bedrooms with a den or 3-bedrooms? And so they did a mixture of all. The "01" stack on each floor were studios with a starting price of $37.900. The most expensive unit to sell in the Cabrillo Tower was the corner penthouse unit for $74,900! After the building was completed, the developer learned that the studios were not in high demand. Architect Krisel designed the buildings as construction went along, adjusting to market conditions and lessons learned. According to an article in the San Diego Union Tribune on April 28, 2008 Krisel stated that he was influenced by a South American modernist design. According to Krisel, "There’d never been a high-rise built on the beach in Southern California, so we didn’t know what to build."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to Krisel, the jumping around had to do with the idea of "what would happen if this was the last building?" By the time they were building the seventh tower, La Perla, most of the building had been pre sold.

 

With the ground breaking in 1970 for the first building and the last building completed in 1979 market conditions changed as well as building codes. For example, only 5 buildings have sprinkler systems. They are La Playa (1710 Avenida Del Mundo), La Princessa (1750 Avenida Del Mundo), La Perla (1780 Avenida Del Mundo), El Encanto (1810 Avenida Del Mundo) and El Mirador (1820 Avenida Del Mundo). Responding to a change in the energy laws, the last two buildings installed solar panels on the roof in order to keep the floor-to-ceiling windows. In the September 1999 "View from the Shores" Richard Maitland, the then President of the Coronado Shores Company stated that the "Cabrillo Tower had a co-generation plant on the roof. Oil prices came down and so did the plant."

 

The Coronado Shores are all about amenities! There are two clubhouses, four sparkling pools, eight tennis courts, a gym and let’s not forget the 1,800 feet of beach front! Tropical landscaping and lighting are found throughout the grounds.

 

With around-the-clock guard, gated security , 24-hour doorman service and the grounds constantly patrolled by security personnel, The Coronado Shores makes for a wonderful second or third home.

 

With the completion of the Coronado Shores over 30 years ago, it still remains unique. No other project of its size was ever built again in Coronado or on the California Coastline. On May 13, 2008 that same penthouse unit that originally sold for $74,900 was sold once again for $2,350,000. Don’t you wish you had had a crystal ball in 1970? Even though the 1970’s have come and gone, the Shores remains to be a great home, vacation spot and investment. Location, location, location!

 

If you would like additional information on the beautiful Coronado Shores, I would be delighted to assist you. Call me!

Expect More Than A Home…..Create A Lifestyle In Coronado!®

Gerri-Lynn Fives, ABR,CIPS,CNE,CRS,GRI,RSPS,TRC
REALTOR/Broker Associate

Prudential California Realty
511 Grand Caribe Cswy

Coronado, California 92118

 
619.813.7193
DRE# 01274657

 

www.CoronadoShores.mx 
www.CoronadoCays.com