Al Capone was rumored to have been a regular visitor. The films In Caliente and The Champ were filmed on location there. Rita Hayworth was discovered there while performing in a show. The resort also attracted elites from around the world, including diplomats, royalty, sports stars, politicians, patricians, and nouveau-riche capitalists. Mayer, the Marx Brothers, Marlene Dietrich, Bing Crosby, Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, and the boxer Jack Dempsey were among the regular visitors. So, many wealthy Americans and Hollywood celebrities flocked to Agua Caliente, which was just 18 miles south of the San Diego International Airport. And alcohol was illegal throughout the US, due to Prohibition. Gambling and horse racing were illegal in neighboring California.

Stylistically, it was a blend of Mexican colonial and California mission styles, with significant neo-Moorish elements.

It was designed by the prominent North American architect Wayne McAllister, who was just 19 years old at the time. The vast and spectacular resort opened on June 22, 1928, outside the Mexican city of Tijuana in Baja California, in what is now the Agua Caliente neighborhood. 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. Although the casino and hotel were closed, the racetrack continued to operate for many years. The Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel was a resort that operated from 1928 to 1935. View of the Minaret, with Las Torres at background.Ģ2 June 1928 (95 years ago) ( ) in the Mexican city of Tijuana, Baja California

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