2025 West Best Projects
Best Renovation/Restoration: Hotel Del Coronado Victorian Building Renovation
Hotel Del Coronado Victorian Building Renovation
Calif.
BEST PROJECT
Submitted by Swinerton
Owner BRE Hotels & Resorts
Lead Design Firm GSB Architects
General Contractor Swinerton Builders
Civil Engineer Hale Engineering & Surveying Inc.
Structural Engineer KPFF Consulting Engineers
MEP Engineer EXP
Historic Architect Heritage Architecture & Planning
Landscape Architect Burton Studio Inc.
A sweeping, multi-phased $128-million renovation updated guest rooms, balconies, corridors and support spaces at this historic hotel in Coronado. Historic architectural details were carefully preserved while crews made sweeping improvements. The project’s complexity required extensive preconstruction planning. More than 5,000 work hours went into early coordination, constructibility reviews and value engineering to identify risks and sequence work efficiently.
Scope of work included exterior facade and envelope improvements such as repairing existing windows to maintain their historical significance, replacing guardrails and painting window sashes and doors. Crews replaced MEP, fire protection and low-voltage systems and added a new egress stair to the southeast wing. Historic windows and architectural details were meticulously restored, and new finishes were selected to match original materials.
Despite numerous structural challenges, the project increased the guest room count to 404 from 367 by creatively reconfiguring room layouts and bathrooms, maximizing usable space and comfort for guests without compromising structural integrity.
Photo by David Marshall/Heritage Architecture & Planning
Preserving the 137-year-old building’s historic character and maintaining operations in an active hotel throughout construction required detailed phasing and logistics plans, which were updated in real time to address unforeseen structural and infrastructure hurdles. Working closely with hotel management, the contractor minimized guest disruption by scheduling noisy work during low-occupancy periods and establishing safe alternate pathways.
Preserving the Victorian Wing’s historical integrity was paramount. The team collaborated with preservation consultants and local authorities, using mock-ups and sample reviews to ensure new materials matched original finishes.
Given the hotel’s historic nature, a largely wooden structure built in 1888, the contractor implemented a more robust fire prevention plan. Fire watch coverage was increased from the standard 30 minutes to a 2-hour requirement during and after hot work operations.
