PC-000-785

Picture postcard of El Cortez Hotel with Starlight Express and Travolator, 1959

 

1959

 

Curt Teich, Curteichcolor 3-D Natural Color Reproduction

Built on the site of the U. S. Grant, Jr. home on Ash Street, the hotel was the tallest building (at 310 feet) in San Diego from its opening in 1927 until 1963. The El Cortéz was designed by the firm of Albert R. Walker (1981-1958) and Percy Eisen (1885-1946), the architects responsible for the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. In 1937 the hotel changed hands, and a large illuminated sign was placed at the top of the hotel reading, "El Cortez Hotel." This was the first of several highly visible changes made to the hotel before its restoration to earlier appearances, in the late 20th century. The Cafe Cortez on the left at the bottom of the building was added along with the Pacifico Room. The "Starlight Express" glass hydraulic elevator was built up the front of the building (visible just to the right of the middle) in 1956. This 15-story elevator may have been the tallest hydraulic elevator in the world (175 feet), and it was the second exterior glass elevator ever installed. Its designer was architect C. J. Paderewski (1908-2007). Then the last of the Handlery additions was built in 1959--the "Travolator" moving walkway (here the pedestrian walkway in red) that connected the El Cortez with the Travolator "Motor Hotel" across Seventh Avenue, as well as with an elevator up Cortez Hill (also known, according to the Los Angeles Times, as "cardiac hill"). Also designed by Paderweski, the travolator bridge was torn down in 1986. The Curt Teich number of ths picture postcard is 9C-K2374, decoded to give the date 1959. The Western Publishing number on the back is D.93.

El Cortez Hotel; San Diego; Travolator moving walkway; Starlight Express; Glass elevators; Hydraulic elevators; Cafe Cortez; Pacfico Room; Albert R. Walker; Percy Eisen

702 Ash Street

California - San Diego

 

 

MS-0008

English

Western Publ. & Nov. Co., Los Angeles, California, US

Postcard

3.5 inches x 5.5 inches

No

PC-000-518, PC-000-609, PC-000-615, PC-000-708, PC-000-769 through PC-000-784, PC-000-786 through PC-000-788

[signs in photograph]
El Cortez Hotel
Cafe Cortez
Pacifico Room

 

Image

TIFF

20.08 MB