One of 14 views of San Diego in a folding color picture postcard. The El Cortez Hotel was the tallest building in San Diego in 1927 when it was built. The Sky Room on the 15th floor was added in 1940 with glass walls and a view of San Diego visible in the middle of the picture on this picture postcard. The El Cortez Owners Association trademarked the name and image of the hotel; in 1990 the City of San Diego Historic Site Board named the building "historic," which prevented it from being razed; and in 2002, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2004, the renovated building, called the El Cortez Apartment Hotel, was divided into condominiums. An inset on the side shows the elevator which is on the exterior of the building with glass walls allowing a view of the city from within.
