page_title: Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
section_title: Attractions
hierarchical_section_title: Old Town San Diego State Historic Park / Attractions
caption_attribution_description: English: The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant, or "Casa de Bandini", was initially constructed Between 1827 and 1829 by Juan Bandini as his home. It was sold in 1859 to pay off Bandini's debts. In 1869, the house was purchased by stagecoach operator Albert Seeley to be a stagecoach stop and hotel. Seeley restored and expanded the building, adding a second floor. Seeley sold it in 1888, and it was subsequently used as an olive factory. In 1928, Bandini's grandson bought the property, remodeled it, and rigged it for gas and electricity. The building was renamed "The Miramar". In 1945 it was sold again and remade into an upscale tourist motel. It was then sold to the state of California in 1968, the same year as the founding of the Old Town State Historic Park. The state and a concessionaire reached an agreement to have the building restored to its 1870 condition, and be operated as a hotel and restaurant again. It is now run by Old Town Hospitality Corp., which also operates Fiesta de Reyes and the Barra Barra Saloon.
context_page_description: Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, located in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California, is a state protected historical park in San Diego. It commemorates the early days of the City of San Diego and includes many historic buildings from the period 1820 to 1870. The park was established in 1968. In 2005 and 2006, California State Parks listed Old Town San Diego as the most visited state park in California.
  In 1969, the site was registered as California Historical Landmark #830. Then on September 3, 1971, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Old Town San Diego Historic District.
context_section_description: Five original adobe buildings are part of the complex, which includes shops, restaurants and museums. Other historic buildings include a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, San Diego's first newspaper office, a cigar and pipe store, houses and gardens, and a stable with a carriage collection. There are also stores, with local artisans demonstrating their craft. There is no charge to enter the state park or any of its museums.
  The museums include:
  Casa de Estudillo, 1827 adobe house, a National Historic Landmark in its own right
  Casa de Machado y Silvas, 1840s adobe
  Casa de Machado y Stewart, a restored 19th century adobe
  Blackhawk Smithy & Stable, which features blacksmith demonstrations
  Colorado House, reconstructed 1850s hotel building that serves as the Wells Fargo History Museum, featuring a reconstructed 19th-century stage stop and telegraph office
  First San Diego Courthouse, a reconstructed mid-19th century courthouse
  Johnson House, a reconstructed mid-19th century office building later the house of George Alonzo Johnson.
  Mason Street School, the first public school house in San Diego
  Racine and Laramie ("La Casa de Rodriguez"), a reconstructed mid-19th century period tobacconist
  San Diego Union Museum, a mid-19th century period newspaper office and print shop
  Seeley Stables, a reconstructed mid-19th century stable and barns that feature horse-drawn buggies, wagons, carriages and western memorabilia
  Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant ("La Casa de Bandini"), an 1870 restored hotel, still working as hotel and restaurant.
  Living history demonstrations and free tours are regularly scheduled. Historical interpretation is primarily carried out by park employees and volunteers, and the Mexican Commercial corner is host to several locally based small businesses and artists.
caption: The Cosmopolitan Hotel
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