Condado Vanderbilt Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Condado Vanderbilt Hotel
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Condado Vanderbilt Hotel 2014
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| Location | 1055 Ashford Avenue, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00907 |
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| Built | 1919 |
| Architect | Warren, Whitney; Wetmore, Charles |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 08001110 |
| Added to NRHP | 25 November 2008 |
The Condado Vanderbilt Hotel is a fancy, old hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was built way back in 1919. This hotel is in the Condado area of San Juan. It's so important that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. The famous company Warren and Wetmore designed the hotel. They also designed New York's Grand Central Terminal. The rich Vanderbilt family built it. This hotel helped start luxury tourism in Puerto Rico.
Contents
History of the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel
Building the Hotel
Building the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel started in 1917. Frederick William Vanderbilt began the project. He was the son of William Henry Vanderbilt. Frederick chose the well-known firm of Warren and Wetmore to design the hotel. This firm also designed New York City's Grand Central Terminal. The hotel cost a million dollars to build. It opened its doors on October 16, 1919.
Frederick Vanderbilt suggested using an early Spanish Revival style. The hotel is right next to the Atlantic Ocean. So, the designers made a beautiful building. It had white walls, red tiles, and French windows. The ceilings were very high. Old Spanish tiles from Puerto Rico were used for the roof. The floors and public areas had marble and mosaics. The area near the ocean was built to protect the hotel from waves. The hotel also had a flagstone terrace. Its gardens had many plants like giant pandanus and coconut palms.
The Condado Vanderbilt was the first luxury hotel in Puerto Rico. It was also the first hotel there to have a casino. This happened after gambling became legal in 1940. Many famous people stayed at the hotel. These include former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt also visited. The American aviator Charles Lindbergh stayed there. Other guests were composer José Luis Moneró and singer Carlos Gardel. Hollywood actor Errol Flynn, comedian Bob Hope, and pianist Arthur Rubinstein also enjoyed the hotel. Guests could play golf, tennis, and go motoring. These activities were advertised in U.S. newspapers in the 1920s.
Changes and New Sections
Manuel Gonzalez bought the hotel from the Vanderbilts in 1930. This was during the Great Depression, a time when many people had little money. He changed its name to the Condado Hotel. In the 1940s, the hotel added a new section. This was called the East Wing. It had five floors and more guest rooms.
In the 1950s, the hotel changed owners a few times. Its name became the Condado Beach Hotel. In 1962, another new part was built. This was the West Wing. It was a nine-story building. It had 156 rooms, all with air conditioning and ocean views.
Challenging Times
In the early 1970s, the hotel was almost torn down. But Governor Luis A. Ferré stepped in. He said the hotel was an important cultural site. In 1973, the Condado Beach Hotel joined with the nearby La Concha Hotel. Together, they were called the Hyatt Puerto Rico.
The East Wing, built in the 1940s, was taken down in 1975. A large convention center was built in its place. This connected the Condado Beach and La Concha Hotels. In 1976, Hilton International took over. The complex was renamed the Condado Beach La Concha Convention Center. Later, Carnival Cruise Line managed it. They called it The Condado Beach Trio. The La Concha Hotel part closed in 1995. The state-owned hotel was then known as The Condado Beach Hotel & Casino. The whole complex closed on June 30, 1997. It was losing a lot of money. The buildings were empty for many years. In 2004, the La Concha and Condado Beach Hotels were separated. The convention center that joined them was removed. A public park was built there instead.
Bringing the Hotel Back to Life
In 1997, the government of Pedro Rosselló wanted to fix up the Condado area. Brian McLaughlin suggested renovating the hotel. But the mayor of San Juan, Sila María Calderón, disagreed at first. This caused the hotel to remain empty. Finally, in 2002, she agreed.
The hotel had been empty for seven years. Its renovation started in 2003. It cost a lot of money, about US$270 million. The goal was to make it a five-star hotel. They wanted it to look like the original 1919 building. The 1962 West Wing was taken down in 2003 for this work. The original 1919 central part of the hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
On October 16, 2012, parts of the renovated hotel opened. This included new banquet halls, bars, and restaurants. The renovation took ten years and many hours of work. On December 1, 2014, two new 11-story towers opened. These were built on each side of the old central building. The newly renovated rooms are wide and have high ceilings. The bathrooms have two sinks, a shower, and a tub. The original grand staircases are still there. Hugh Andrews and Jorge Rossello led the remodeling team.
Some of the new restaurants include "1919", "Tacos & Tequila by Patron", "Veritas", "Marabar", and "Avo Lounge". The "1919" restaurant has been called "Puerto Rico's finest restaurant."
Images for kids
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Hotel Condado, 1932
See also
In Spanish: Condado Vanderbilt Hotel para niños
