El Cortez (Las Vegas) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids El Cortez |
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| Location | Las Vegas, Nevada 89101 |
| Address | 600 East Fremont Street |
| Opening date | November 7, 1941 |
| Theme | Western |
| No. of rooms | 364 |
| Total gaming space | 41,842 sq ft (3,887.2 m2) |
| Notable restaurants | Siegel's 1941 Pizza Lotto |
| Casino type | Land |
| Owner | Kenny Epstein |
| Renovated in | 1952, 1963, 1980, 2006, 2009, 2019 |
| Website | www.elcortezhotelcasino.com |
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El Cortez
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 Location in Nevada
Location in the United States
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| Built | 1941 |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Visitation | 3 million (2016) |
| NRHP reference No. | 13000010 |
| Added to NRHP | 2013 |
El Cortez is a famous hotel and casino located in downtown Las Vegas. It's just a short walk from the exciting Fremont Street Experience. This historic place has many games like slots and table games. It also has a special area for betting on races and sports.
El Cortez first opened its doors on November 7, 1941. This makes it one of the oldest hotel and casino spots in Las Vegas. It shares this history with the nearby Golden Gate Hotel and Casino. The building has a beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival architecture style. This look was updated in 1952. Because of its long history, El Cortez was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 22, 2013.
Contents
History of El Cortez
How El Cortez Started
El Cortez was built by Marion Hicks and J.C. Grayson. They spent $245,000 to create it. When it opened in 1941, it was the first big resort in downtown Las Vegas. At first, some thought its location was too far from the city center.
Changes in Ownership
However, El Cortez quickly became very popular and made a lot of money. In 1945, a group of businessmen bought the property for $600,000. One year later, in 1946, J. Kell Houssels Sr. bought the hotel back. He had originally opened the hotel with 59 rooms.
Growing Bigger
Over the years, El Cortez grew. In 1963, more rooms called the Pavilion Rooms were added. This happened after Jackie Gaughan bought the hotel. He was a well-known casino owner. In 1980, a tall 15-story tower was built. Later, in 2009, the 64-room Cabana Suites were finished. This brought the total number of rooms to 364.
Jackie Gaughan lived in the top floor of the El Cortez tower. He was often seen on the casino floor. El Cortez is special because its outside look has stayed the same for over 70 years. It still has its original signs and ranch-style design.
El Cortez Today
What's Inside Now
Today, El Cortez continues to be a busy place. It has a sports and race book where people can bet. This part of the casino is now run by Station Casinos. El Cortez has been updated many times. A big renovation was completed in 2006. This included new carpets, marble floors, and updated gaming machines. The guest rooms were also made new, and the restaurant kitchen was improved.
Location and Walkways
Even though it's close to the Fremont Street Experience, El Cortez is also part of the newer Fremont East area. A special walkway was built from Las Vegas Boulevard to the hotel's main entrance. This makes it easy for people to walk to the hotel.
A Place for New Dealers
El Cortez is also known in the casino world as a place where new table-game dealers can get experience. They learn and practice here before working at bigger casinos. The 100-room Ogden House, a separate hotel building, was completely changed into the 64-suite Cabana Suites.
Recent Updates
In 2008, Jackie Gaughan sold El Cortez to Kenny Epstein. Over the next ten years, Kenny Epstein and his partners spent more than $50 million to update the property. Jackie Gaughan continued to live at the casino and played poker there until he passed away in 2014.
More renovations happened in 2018, updating 73 rooms in the hotel tower. In 2019, even more hotel remodeling was done. El Cortez also has a restaurant called Siegel's 1941. It has cool items from the past on display.
Photo gallery
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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
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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.
Images for kids
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A remodeled King Suite
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View of a Tower premium room
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Bathroom view of a Tower Premium room
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Hallway in the El Cortez tower
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Tower room with king-sized bed
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Pavilion room with two beds
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Tower premium room with a king-sized bed
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The Tower elevator lobby
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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
