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El Cortez (Las Vegas)

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El Cortez, a hotel and casino, is a relatively small downtown Las Vegas gaming venue a block from the Fremont Street Experience and Las Vegas Boulevard. Slots, table games, and a race and sports book occupy one floor of the main pavilion, at this historic casino. It opened on Fremont Street on November 7, 1941, and is one of the oldest casino-hotel properties in Las Vegas, along with the nearby Golden Gate Hotel and Casino. Primarily Spanish Colonial Revival in style, it reflects a 1952 remodel when the façade was modernized.[2] On February 22, 2013, the structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3]

El Cortez
Location Las Vegas, Nevada 89101
Address 600 East Fremont Street
Opening dateNovember 7, 1941; 83 years ago (November 7, 1941)
ThemeWestern
No. of rooms364
Total gaming space41,842 sq ft (3,887.2 m2)[1]
Notable restaurantsSiegel's 1941
Casino typeLand
OwnerKenny Epstein
Renovated in1952, 1963, 1980, 2006, 2009, 2019, 2024
Websitewww.elcortezhotelcasino.com
El Cortez
El Cortez (Las Vegas) is located in Downtown Las Vegas
El Cortez (Las Vegas)
El Cortez (Las Vegas) is located in Nevada
El Cortez (Las Vegas)
El Cortez (Las Vegas) is located in the United States
El Cortez (Las Vegas)
Coordinates36°10′9.7284″N 115°08′19.0602″W / 36.169369000°N 115.138627833°W / 36.169369000; -115.138627833
Built1941
Architectural styleSpanish Colonial Revival
Visitation3 million (2016)
NRHP reference No.13000010
Added to NRHP2013

History

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Marion Hicks and J.C. Grayson built El Cortez, downtown Las Vegas' first major resort, for $245,000.[4] El Cortez opened on November 7, 1941.[5][6] The location at 6th Street and Fremont was originally considered too far from downtown, but it quickly became so profitable that Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Gus Greenbaum and Moe Sedway bought the property in 1945 from J. Kell Houssels for $600,000.[7][8] In 1942, FBI documents described Isadore Blumenfeld, alias Kid Cann, as the, "recognized leader of graft and racketeering in Minneapolis". They added that Blumenfeld was, "known to have corrupted City and County officials... and has been known to harbor criminals of various types." The same files also report that Kid Cann often boasted that he had the Minneapolis City Council, "in the palm of his hand." These files further allege that Kid Cann was involved with Bugsy Siegel in the running of the El Cortez Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.[9]

John Kell (J. Kell) Houssels Sr. (1895–1979) had originally opened the 59-room hotel and casino before the sale to the major organized crime figures. Houssels purchased the hotel back from Siegel's group in 1946 for $766,000. In 1963, the Pavilion Rooms were added after the hotel was purchased by Jackie Gaughan. Another 15-story tower addition was opened in 1984.[10]

Operations

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Gaughan ownership (1963–2008)

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The 64-room Cabana Suites were completed in the former Ogden House in 2009, bringing the total room count to its current 364.[11] Gaughan, a casino owner and operator since the early 1950s, lived in El Cortez's tower penthouse and was known to be on the casino floor almost daily.[12] The property is one of the few casinos to have never changed its exterior façade in Las Vegas, retaining the same signage and ranch-themed architecture for over seventy years.[4][13][14]

Jackie Gaughan's son Michael Gaughan ran the sports and race book in the current casino under the name South Point Race and Sports Book during the late 2000s, but the sports book is now run by Station Casinos. El Cortez has undergone several renovations,[citation needed] with the latest major remodeling completed in 2006. New carpet, marble flooring, gaming machines, refurbished guest rooms and an upgraded kitchen for the restaurant were added.[15] Although only a block away from the Fremont Street Experience, the hotel is part of the newly created Fremont East section of downtown. It has also created a main entrance off Las Vegas Boulevard (5th Street) by opening a block-long pedestrian walkway from the boulevard to the hotel's main entrance on 6th Street. El Cortez is also well known in the casino industry as the most prominent "break-in house" for new table-game dealers to get experience before moving onto bigger properties. The separate hotel in the back, the 100-room Ogden House, has been completely renovated into the 64-suite Cabana Suites.

Epstein ownership & renovations (2008–present)

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In 2008, Jackie Gaughan sold El Cortez and its properties to Kenny Epstein.[16] Over the next decade, Epstein and his business partners put more than $50 million of renovations into the property.[17] Gaughan continued to live at the casino and still played poker in the poker room until his death on March 12, 2014.

As of 2013, it was the oldest continuously operating casino in Las Vegas.[18] In March 2019, El Cortez was closed by police for several hours following a shooting.[19][20]

In 2018, renovation work took place on 73 rooms located on the first five floors of the hotel tower.[17] Additional hotel remodeling was underway in 2019.[17][21] El Cortez includes a restaurant, Siegel's 1941, which features memorabilia from Siegel.[17] In 2021, as part of a $25M renovation project, the El Cortez opened up a high-limit room.[22] Effective April 1, 2022, El Cortez became a 21-and-over property, prohibiting minors from all areas including the hotel and restaurants.[23] The property's general manager said the change "comes after careful consideration and decades of trying to accommodate minors in a property that is focused primarily on gaming and popular casino bars".[24][25]

In the summer of 2024, El Cortez will undergo a $20 million renovation of its casino, adding a high-limit slot room, two new bars, a new restaurant and a Starbucks coffee shop. The existing casino floor will be renovated, adding 10,000 square feet of casino space.[26]

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  •  
    The same sign has been atop the casino since the 1940s
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    Close-up of the sign
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    The Spanish Ranch theme dominates the exterior
  •  
    Las Vegas Blvd frontage was created with a palm tree lined walkway
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    Hotel tower
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    View of Fremont East from El Cortez.
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    View of the iconic El Cortez sign at dusk
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    Exterior view of the Cabana Suites at El Cortez
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    Exterior view of the Tower at El Cortez

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Listing of Financial Statements Square Footage (2017 data)". Nevada Gaming Control Board. March 6, 2018. p. 4. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  2. ^ Ron Sylvester, El Cortez joins National Register of Historic Places, Las Vegas Sun, February 25, 2013, accessed February 26, 2013.
  3. ^ Weekly List for February 22, 2013, National Park Service, February 22, 2013, accessed February 26, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Chung, Su Kim. Las Vegas Then and Now. Thunder Bay Press. San Diego, California: 2005. p.56
  5. ^ Jones, Jay (November 9, 2016). "El Cortez in Las Vegas turns 75. (Makes 50-year-old Caesars seem young)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  6. ^ "El Cortez Fun Facts". El Cortez Hotel & Casino. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  7. ^ Chung, Su Kim. Las Vegas Then and Now. Thunder Bay Press. San Diego, California: 2005. p. 56
  8. ^ "Bugsy Siegel opens Flamingo Hotel". A&E Television Networks. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  9. ^ Marda Liggett Woodbury (1998), Stopping the Presses: The Murder of Walter W. Liggett, University of Minnesota Press. Page 219.
  10. ^ "Fremont Street". Vintage Las Vegas. Vintage Las Vegas. Retrieved June 6, 2024. 1984, Oct: 'Tower II' opened
  11. ^ Las Vegas Hotels / Casinos: Time Line Archived 2006-09-01 at the Wayback Machine UNLV Libraries
  12. ^ "EL Cortez History". Archived from the original on 2006-12-07. Retrieved 2007-01-07.
  13. ^ "El Cortez Hotel-Casino". The Online Nevada Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on December 8, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  14. ^ Caitlin McGarry (November 5, 2011). "El Cortez mixes retro with modern in marking 70th year". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  15. ^ at City refurbishing rundown area to become hub of nightlife in valley. Archived from the original on May 7, 2006. Las Vegas Business Press. February 28, 2006
  16. ^ Long Gaughan [1] El Cortez owner sells stake in downtown casino, Las Vegas Review-Journal dated May 8, 2008
  17. ^ a b c d Horwath, Bryan (May 28, 2019). "Spruced-up El Cortez will keep old-time charm, owner says". VegasInc. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  18. ^ Spillman, Benjamin (February 26, 2013). "Las Vegas' El Cortez hotel-casino listed as national historic site". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  19. ^ Torres-Cortez, Ricardo (March 17, 2019). "4 injured in shooting at downtown Las Vegas casino". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  20. ^ Newberg, Katelyn (March 17, 2019). "El Cortez in downtown Las Vegas reopens after early morning shooting". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  21. ^ Przybys, John (March 24, 2019). "El Cortez owner witnesses evolution of Las Vegas firsthand". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  22. ^ "It's all new again at El Cortez in Las Vegas". Las Vegas Magazine. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  23. ^ Martinez, Lauren (2022-04-02). "El Cortez in downtown Las Vegas welcomes 21 and over crowd to property". Fox 5 Vegas. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  24. ^ Velotta, Richard N. (March 16, 2022). "El Cortez transitioning to 21 and over-only property". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  25. ^ Cruz, Martha (March 16, 2022). "El Cortez Hotel & Casino announces two-phase plan to become adult-only property". KSNV. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  26. ^ Downtown hotel-casino plans $20M renovation
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