June 19, 1969 Demolition of the famous old Del Mar Hotel is well underway. Workmen stripped the interior of the building of all valuable woodwork and hardware and now are removing walls and floors, almost piece by piece. Despite its age, a lot of the material is salvageable. The old hotel closed its doors in September, 1963, and in the ensuing years, the 300 room hotel became a shambles. It became a a haven for hippies, windows were broken, walls were smashed and its once beautiful carpeting was covered with trash. To Del Mar Fire Chief William Tripp, it's the removal of a dangerous fire hazard to neighboring buildings...but to thousands of others, it's a sad loss of "The Grand old lady of Del Mar."