El Cortez Apartment Hotel
historic place
The El Cortez Apartment Hotel in San Diego, California, opened on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1927. Designed by Albert R. Walker and Percy Eisen, the 14-story building showcased Spanish Churrigueresque and Spanish Colonial Revival styles. It was San Diego's tallest building at its completion, defining the city's skyline for many years. The El Cortez was a prominent apartment-hotel through the 1950s. Its large, illuminated "El Cortez" neon sign, added in 1937, became a city landmark. In 1956, the hotel introduced the Starlight Express, recognized as the world's first outside glass elevator. The hotel closed in 1978. To prevent demolition, the City of San Diego designated it a historic site in 1990. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 17, 2002. The El Cortez now operates as a condominium building, maintaining its historical significance.