Hotel Del Monte

Hotel Del Monte
The former Hotel Del Monte, now known as Herrmann Hall
Location	Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, United States
Built	1926-7
Architects	Lewis P. Hobart and Clarence A. Tantau
Owner	Naval Postgraduate School, United States Navy

The Hotel Del Monte was a large resort hotel in Monterey, California from its opening in 1880 until 1942. It was one of the finest luxury hotels in North America. During World War II, it closed and the building was leased to the Navy. It was first used by the Navy as a school where enlisted men spent the second, third, and fourth months of an eleven-month course being trained as electronic technicians.

Later the Hotel Del Monte became the Naval Postgraduate School of the United States Navy. It is now known as Herrmann Hall and functions as administrative offices and hotel for the school.

Charles Crocker, one of California's Big Four railroad barons, established the resort through Southern Pacific Railroad's property division, Pacific Improvement Company, and opened the first hotel June 10, 1880. The first true resort complex in the United States, it was an immediate success. Nearby, along Monterey Bay, was a railroad depot.

The property extended south and southeast of the hotel and included gardens, parkland, polo grounds, a race track, and a golf course. Originally used for hunting and other outdoor activities, the hotel's property became Pebble Beach, an unincorporated resort community, and the world famous Pebble Beach Golf Links. The famous 17-Mile Drive was originally designed as a local excursion for visitors to the Del Monte to take in the historic sights of Monterey and Pacific Grove and the scenery of what would become Pebble Beach. The hotel became popular with the wealthy and influential of the day, and guests included Theodore Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway, as well as many early Hollywood stars.