KoHoSo: Villa Capri Motel

Villa Capri Motel - 1417 Orange Avenue, Coronado, California - April 8, 2008Credit: AchiTexty on FlickrJust a couple of years ago, the Villa Capri was torn down and replaced in October 2025 with the opening of The Bower Coronado. While that is indeed sad, it is actually about the best possible outcome.The Villa Capri was built in the Dingbat style of architecture with part of it having street-level parking underneath the bulk of the structure. While a cool, space-saving idea at the time, many Dingbat apartments collapsed in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.While much more modern inside and out -- plus going for more upscale clientele -- The Bower did not completely forget this property's past. Not only did it keep the diving girl neon sign seen above, but now hanging the the outdoor rooftop bar is the glorious Villa Capri script sign, something that was the hallmark of so much Dingbat architecture.