Agua Caliente Casino Tijuana Mexico
The Tijuana Agua Caliente Hotel and Casino. By Will Chandler. Built by three American sports promoters at a cost of over $1.5 million, Tijuana’s legendary Agua Caliente Hotel and Casino opened to the public on June 23, 1928. #125 JARDIN DE AGUA CALIENTE GARDEN TIJUANA BC MEXICO REAL PHOTO POSTCARD RPPC. Note the Casino's Wishing Well in the foreground, with the hanging bucket clearly shown. In the background is the Minaret at the Spa.
Tijuana Mexico is a short trip across the border from San Diego. The Mexican border town had at one point achieved notoriety as a town of ill-repute, but this reputation is only a small part of the history of this colorful, interesting city. Tijuana is known for its live music and entertainment venues, and you can check out cultural spots such as Plaza Monumental de Playas, Centro Cultural Tijuana, and Fronton Jai Alai Palace. In addition, you might want to add Rosarito Beach and Agua Caliente Racetrack to your list.
Plaza Agua Caliente Tijuana
The Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel opened in 22 June 1928 in the Mexican city of Tijuana, Baja California. It was a lavish resort that included a casino, spa, championship golf and tennis facilities, its own airstrip, and a lot of entertainment. Stylistically, the resort was an amalgam of Mexican colonial, California mission, and neo-Islamic designs that ranged from mosaic minarets, to cozy guest bungalows, to steaming Turkish baths. It was designed by 19-year-old architect Wayne McAllister and built by Baron H. Long, Wirt G. Bowman and James N. Crofton. Some sources note the fourth partner was Abelardo L. Rodríguez, Military Commander and Governor of Baja California, and future Mexican President. The $2.5 million Agua Caliente racetrack opened in December 1929.
Drinking, gambling, and horse racing were illegal in neighboring California, so many wealthy Americans and Hollywood celebrities flocked to Agua Caliente. Rita Hayworth was discovered there while performing in a show. The films In Caliente and The Champ were filmed on location there. The highlight of the opulent casino was the Gold Room, where patrons could only bet using gold chips, with a rumored $500 minimum wager. Bugsy Siegel cited Agua Caliente as his inspiration for building the resort on what became the Las Vegas Strip.
Mexican PresidentLázaro Cárdenas outlawed gambling in 1935 and closed the resort. It became a state-run school, Escuela Preparatoria Federal Lázaro Cárdenas and eventually fell into disrepair. Remnants of the original buildings remain next to the Plaza Minarete strip center at the end of Avenida Sanchez Taboada. Although the casino and hotel were closed, the racetrack continued to operate for many years. The original grandstand structure was destroyed by fire in 1971, but was rebuilt and continues to operate today as the Agua Caliente Racetrack and casino, a branch of the Casino Caliente chain.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
The Agua Caliente Story: Remembering Mexico's Legendary Racetrack, David Jimenez Beltran (Blood-Horse Publications: Lexington, Kentucky) 2004
The Leisure Architecture of Wayne McAllister, Chris Nichols (Gibbs Smith, Publisher: Layton, Utah) 2007 [1]