Ensenada, Then and Now



Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center

Today we rode the shuttle into town to have lunch and enjoy the sights of Ensenada.  Of historic significance is the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural and Convention Center, where a small flee market was taking place.  As we walked into the courtyard and went on a self-guided tour of the building, we realized we had discovered something very special.  We found the intricate carved wood ceilings and painted motifs exquisite. 

The structure was once home to a hotel and gambling casino.  Prohibition had sent U.S. citizens south of the border in search of entertainment and alcohol, creating new opportunities for capital investments.  The North American Compania Mexicana del Rosarito decided to establish a grand hotel in Ensenada, initially called the Hotel Playa de Ensenada, which opened in 1930.  The hotel and casino was originally managed by Jack Dempsey and supposedly financed by Al Capone.  Its clientele included Lana Turner, Marion Davies, William Hearst, Frank Morgan, and many others.  The interior was much in vogue at the time, plush and elegant. 



Casino Room of the Hotel

All the furnishings and décor were brought in from around the world.  Mosaics, chandeliers, and lamps came from Spain; wrought iron grilles of old colonial Havana adorned the windows and arches; rich tapestries once hung on the walls and Persian rugs covered the floors; and a select assembly of Spanish furniture and Chinese commodes filled the rooms.  Many of the walls, as well as the ceilings were constructed with Florida wormwood cypress and painted with murals by Alfredo Ramos Martinez, a Mexican artist that was greatly admired and an important figure of the time. 

From its beginning, the hotel was burdened by huge debts and weekend clientele wasn’t sufficient to sustain the property.  In 1931 new capitol came in, principally through the person of Jerome Utley, a Detroit contractor and builder of General Motors.  But times had changed.  The Depression and the U.S. repeal of Prohibition in 1935 plus the abolition of gambling in Mexico, decreed by President Lazaro Cardenas, was a fatal combination.  The hotel finally closed in 1938 with a number of lawsuits filed against it.  During WWII the hotel was used as a Military Headquarters.  Both Mexican and U.S. Officers lived there since it was feared that the Japanese would invade the Pacific coasts through Baja California.  In 1942 the Army moved to new quarters and the hotel was then used as a set for the Hollywood movie “Women of the Night” with a plot of war intrigue.  Virginia Christine (of Mrs. Olsen coffee commercials) was the female star.  

One of many Beautiful Ceilings

The second golden era for the hotel (renamed the Hotel Riviera del Pacifico) was ushered in with the fifties.  Ensenada was growing and the hotel served as a grand setting for main events of the city and of the State of Baja.  National and international conventions were often held in the monumental ballroom and Presidents of Mexico were routinely received at the hotel with a tradition of gentility.  

Wormwood Cypress Ceilings throughout

Saddled with debt, the Mexican Government eventually took over the property and managed the business intermittently until January 1964 when the hotel closed forever.  The Title was later transferred to another government department in charge of beautifying the border cities.  They proceeded to “reform” the hotel but the people of Ensenada expressed their concern.  They were told the changes would be minor and that if the city did not want to progress, they would take the money elsewhere.  The people voted for progress and a year later, the hotel was destroyed.  

Equisite Wood Work

When the project ceased due to a change in government, only the walls and beautiful ceilings remained along with a chandelier in the casino because it wouldn’t fit through the door – sadly, the site remained in this condition for 14 years.  In 1964 a group of citizens demanded its restoration, which finally began in 1978.  President Jose’ Lopez Portillo turned the property over to the State Government and it was rebuilt to become what it is today.  A happy symbiosis had been reached converting it into a social, civic, and cultural center for the city of Ensenada.



Fixture and Intricate Wood Ceiling in Casino