El Cortez (Las Vegas)

History

Marion Hicks and J.C. Grayson built El Cortez, downtown Las Vegas' first major resort, for $245,000. El Cortez opened on November 7, 1941. The location at 6th Street and Fremont was originally considered too far from downtown, but it quickly became so profitable that Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Gus Greenbaum and Moe Sedway bought the property in 1945 from J. Kell Houssels for $600,000. In 1942, FBI documents described Isadore Blumenfeld, alias Kid Cann, as the, "recognized leader of graft and racketeering in Minneapolis". They added that Blumenfeld was, "known to have corrupted City and County officials... and has been known to harbor criminals of various types." The same files also report that Kid Cann often boasted that he had the Minneapolis City Council, "in the palm of his hand." These files further allege that Kid Cann was involved with Bugsy Siegel in the running of the El Cortez Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

John Kell (J. Kell) Houssels Sr. (1895–1979) had originally opened the 59-room hotel and casino before the sale to the major organized crime figures. Houssels purchased the hotel back from Siegel's group in 1946 for $766,000. In 1963, the Pavilion Rooms were added after the hotel was purchased by Jackie Gaughan. Another 15-story tower addition was opened in 1984.

Operations

Gaughan ownership (1963–2008)

The 64-room Cabana Suites were completed in the former Ogden House in 2009, bringing the total room count to its current 364. Gaughan, a casino owner and operator since the early 1950s, lived in El Cortez's tower penthouse and was known to be on the casino floor almost daily. The property is one of the few casinos to have never changed its exterior façade in Las Vegas, retaining the same signage and ranch-themed architecture for over seventy years.

Jackie Gaughan's son Michael Gaughan ran the sports and race book in the current casino under the name South Point Race and Sports Book during the late 2000s, but the sports book is now run by Station Casinos. El Cortez has undergone several renovations, with the latest major remodeling completed in 2006. New carpet, marble flooring, gaming machines, refurbished guest rooms and an upgraded kitchen for the restaurant were added. Although only a block away from the Fremont Street Experience, the hotel is part of the newly created Fremont East section of downtown. It has also created a main entrance off Las Vegas Boulevard (5th Street) by opening a block-long pedestrian walkway from the boulevard to the hotel's main entrance on 6th Street. El Cortez is also well known in the casino industry as the most prominent "break-in house" for new table-game dealers to get experience before moving onto bigger properties. The separate hotel in the back, the 100-room Ogden House, has been completely renovated into the 64-suite Cabana Suites.

Epstein ownership & renovations (2008–present)

In 2008, Jackie Gaughan sold El Cortez and its properties to Kenny Epstein. Over the next decade, Epstein and his business partners put more than $50 million of renovations into the property. Gaughan continued to live at the casino and still played poker in the poker room until his death on March 12, 2014.

As of 2013, it was the oldest continuously operating casino in Las Vegas. In March 2019, El Cortez was closed by police for several hours following a shooting.

In 2018, renovation work took place on 73 rooms located on the first five floors of the hotel tower. Additional hotel remodeling was underway in 2019. El Cortez includes a restaurant, Siegel's 1941, which features memorabilia from Siegel. In 2021, as part of a $25M renovation project, the El Cortez opened up a high-limit room. Effective April 1, 2022, El Cortez became a 21-and-over property, prohibiting minors from all areas including the hotel and restaurants. The property's general manager said the change "comes after careful consideration and decades of trying to accommodate minors in a property that is focused primarily on gaming and popular casino bars".

Since the early 2020s, the El Cortez has had a novelty following online on YouTube and other streaming platforms, as it is one of the few Las Vegas casinos to allow players to stream their live table play to online audiences.

In the summer of 2024, El Cortez underwent a $20 million renovation of its casino, adding a high-limit slot room, two new bars, a new noodle restaurant called "Hot Noods" and a Starbucks coffee shop. The existing casino floor was also renovated, adding 10,000 square feet of casino space. Access in and around the property was also improved.

Photo gallery

File:ElCortez sign Las Vegas.jpg|The same sign has been atop the casino since the 1940s File:ElCortez famous sign.jpg|Close-up of the sign File:El Cortez Las vegas 6th and Fremont.jpg|The Spanish Ranch theme dominates the exterior File:ElCortez pathway from LasVegasBlvd.jpg|Las Vegas Blvd frontage was created with a palm tree lined walkway File:El cortez tower 2.jpg|Hotel tower File:Fremont East view from ElCortez.jpg|View of Fremont East from El Cortez. File:Exterior1 TheOriginal.jpg|View of the iconic El Cortez sign at dusk File:El Cortez Ext Twilight Final.jpg|Exterior view of the Cabana Suites at El Cortez File:El-Cortez-Tower-Exterior.jpg|Exterior view of the Tower at El Cortez

References

References

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2. Ron Sylvester, [http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/feb/25/el-cortez-joins-national-register-historic-places/ El Cortez joins National Register of Historic Places], ''Las Vegas Sun'', February 25, 2013, accessed February 26, 2013.
3. [https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2013-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf Weekly List for February 22, 2013], National Park Service, February 22, 2013, accessed February 26, 2013.
4. Chung, Su Kim. ''Las Vegas Then and Now''. Thunder Bay Press. San Diego, California: 2005. p.56
5. Jones, Jay. (November 9, 2016). "El Cortez in Las Vegas turns 75. (Makes 50-year-old Caesars seem young)". Los Angeles Times.
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8. "Bugsy Siegel opens Flamingo Hotel". A&E Television Networks.
9. Marda Liggett Woodbury (1998), ''Stopping the Presses: The Murder of Walter W. Liggett'', [[University of Minnesota]] Press. Page 219.
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11. [http://www.library.unlv.edu/arch/casinosbyname.html#e Las Vegas Hotels / Casinos: Time Line] {{Webarchive. link. (2006-09-01 UNLV Libraries)
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15. at [https://web.archive.org/web/20060507232401/http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2006/02/28/news/news01.txt City refurbishing rundown area to become hub of nightlife in valley]. Archived from [http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2006/02/28/news/news01.txt the original] on May 7, 2006. Las Vegas Business Press. February 28, 2006
16. Long Gaughan [http://www.lvrj.com/business/18758759.html] El Cortez owner sells stake in downtown casino, Las Vegas Review-Journal dated May 8, 2008
17. Horwath, Bryan. (May 28, 2019). "Spruced-up El Cortez will keep old-time charm, owner says". VegasInc.
18. Spillman, Benjamin. (February 26, 2013). "Las Vegas' El Cortez hotel-casino listed as national historic site". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
19. Torres-Cortez, Ricardo. (March 17, 2019). "4 injured in shooting at downtown Las Vegas casino". Las Vegas Sun.
20. Newberg, Katelyn. (March 17, 2019). "El Cortez in downtown Las Vegas reopens after early morning shooting". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
21. Przybys, John. (March 24, 2019). "El Cortez owner witnesses evolution of Las Vegas firsthand". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
22. "It's all new again at El Cortez in Las Vegas".
23. Martinez, Lauren. (2022-04-02). "El Cortez in downtown Las Vegas welcomes 21 and over crowd to property".
24. Velotta, Richard N.. (March 16, 2022). "El Cortez transitioning to 21 and over-only property". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
25. Cruz, Martha. (March 16, 2022). "El Cortez Hotel & Casino announces two-phase plan to become adult-only property". KSNV.
26. McCarver, Katie Ann. (2023-05-30). "El Cortez table game action comes alive on streamer’s YouTube channel".
27. [https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/downtown-hotel-casino-plans-20m-renovation-3048183/ Downtown hotel-casino plans $20M renovation]
28. [https://news3lv.com/news/local/construction-near-el-cortez-completed-offering-guesting-enhanced-access-to-casino Construction near El Cortez completed, offering guesting enhanced access to casino]