The Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel is a now-defunct resort that operated from 1928 to 1935. 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. History 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. It was designed by the prominent North American architect Wayne McAllister, who was just 19 years old at the time. Stylistically, it was a blend of Mexican colonial and California mission styles, with significant neo-Moorish elements. Gambling and horse racing were illegal in neighboring California. And alcohol was illegal throughout the US, due to Prohibition. So, many wealthy Americans and Hollywood celebrities flocked to Agua Caliente, which was just 18 miles south of the San Diego International Airport. Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Louis B. Mayer, the Marx Brothers, Bing Crosby, Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, and the boxer Jack Dempsey were among the regular visitors. The resort also attracted elites from around the world, including diplomats, royalty, sports stars, politicians, patricians, and nouveau-riche capitalists. Rita Hayworth was discovered there while performing in a show. The films In Caliente and The Champ were filmed on location there. And the resort also attracted gangsters. Al Capone was rumored to have been a regular visitor. And Bugsy Siegel cited Agua Caliente as his inspiration for building the Flamingo Club, on what would become the Las Vegas Strip. The great New Zealand racehorse Phar Lap won the Agua Caliente Handicap in 1932, earning the richest purse in North America. And the thoroughbred champion Seabiscuit raced on the iconic horse track in 1938. The first stage of the resort was completed in June 1928. It consisted of a 500-room hotel, casino, health spa with Turkish steam bath, minaret tower, and café. The second stage was completed at the end of December 1929. It consisted of an Olympic-size swimming pool, health clinics, 18-hole golf course, putting course, horse racing track, greyhound race track, gardens & tropical aviary, guest bungalows, laundry, and workshop areas. The resort also had its own private radio station and airport facility. The highlight of the opulent casino was the Gold Room, where