It sits atop a hill at the north end of downtown San Diego, where it dominated the city skyline for many years and became a landmark hotel.

[2][3] The 14-story hotel was built by Richard T. Robinson, Jr., and designed by architects Albert R. Walker and Percy Eisen in a Spanish Churrigueresque style.

In keeping with the architecture, approach to the building is made through a Spanish garden of flowers, cool green lawns and fountains.

"[2]More than sixty years later, the Times noted that El Cortez's "graceful proportions and unique layout, with angular side wings embracing the main entrance, make it especially inviting.

Critics dubbed it "the outstanding eating rendezvous of the community ... because of its vast windows, brilliant ceiling and handsome equipment.

On December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, an anti-aircraft battery and radar station were installed on the El Cortez roof.

[3] Handlery made numerous changes both to the interior and exterior in his effort to make it "the finest hotel on the Pacific Coast," promising that "the hammers will never be still as long as I own the Cortez.

"[3] To attract visitors, Handlery added a swimming pool in 1952, the Caribbean wing (an eight-story addition with a grand ballroom) in 1954, the Starlight Room (located on the twelfth floor and known for its views and chic experience) in 1956, an exterior glass elevator, and a motel and moving sidewalk known as the Travolator in 1959.

The design of El Cortez's outside glass elevator was later copied by the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco and The Ilikai in Hawaii.

[3] In 1989, a controversy arose when the owner, San Diego hotelier Mark Grosvenor, proposed a renovation plan that omitted the glass elevator.

[13] Grosvenor announced plans to remove some of the non-original elements, including the glass elevator and rooftop sign and neon stars, leading to a split among preservationists.

Some preservationists approved of Grosvenor's plan, opining that Handlery's additions were "fifties kitsch" that detracted from the original Spanish architecture.

[12] Some objected to the Travolator's garish orange exterior, but in its early years, San Diego's elite used the moving walkway to attend events at El Cortez.

[3] During the time he owned the building, Cerullo became involved in several disputes with contractors, students, real estate brokers and labor unions.

[18] He was also criticized for installing individual air conditioning units that altered the hotel's exterior and ripping out the ornate interiors to accommodate cafeterias rather than fine dining.

[3] El Cortez Associates, led by Denver developer Terry Considine, bought the property and proposed the site in 1983 as a location for the planned San Diego Convention Center.

[18] After the convention center plan was rejected, proposals were made to restore El Cortez using funds from city-backed bonds or with the help of historic preservation tax credits.

Starting with its purchase in 1978 by Morris Cerullo, the El Cortez began a slippery slide to its current sad state.

Grosvenor remained involved as the developer and announced plans to renovate El Cortez as the centerpiece of a $250 million project that would include four new mixed-use towers, 362 residential units and 400 hotels rooms.

In 1999, developers Peter Janopaul and Anthony Block obtained a loan from San Diego's redevelopment agency to renovate the building, including restoration of some historic elements.

[23][24] By 2007, maintenance problems, including bursting pipes and backed-up plumbing, and declining values resulted in contentious litigation between the condominium homeowners and the developers.

[27] Guests who have visited the hotel include U.S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Gerald Ford, and singers Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and Roy Rogers, actress Jane Wyatt and bandleader Skitch Henderson.

[3] El Cortez Hotel was eventually added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 17, 2002, for its impact on architecture and engineering.