The beautiful El Cortez hotel in San Diego, California, was built from 1926 to 1927, and this menu cover depicts the plush Starlite Roof lounge that afforded a wonderful view of downtown and the harbor. By all accounts, it was a glamorous place – the large El Cortez sign illuminated at night was added in 1937 – and in the 1950s the world’s first outside glass elevator - known as the Starlite Express - was installed by then-owner Harry Handlery who used the hotel as his residence. He also built a travolator – a moving sidewalk now commonplace in airports – to allow guests to access another of his properties across the road.

The El Cortez closed as a hotel in 1978 and was purchased by evangelist Morris Cerullo who turned it into an evangelism school. In 1981, after Cerullo sold the 310ft high property, it was threatened with demolition.

The San Diego Historic Site Board came to its rescue, rightly designating it as an historic site in 1990. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. While preserving the beauty of its Spanish Renaissance Revival Architecture, El Cortez was converted to condos in 2004 and remains a much-loved San Diego landmark. 

Courtesy Eric Lynxwiler.