El Cortez sign lights up again; Balboa Park wins acclaim
For more than eight decades, the neon sign atop the former El Cortez Hotel lit up the sky and was a beacon to passengers in planes as they descended into the San Diego airport.
The huge sign, each letter rising 12 feet, once dominated downtown San Diego's skyline. In its early days, it could be seen for 30 miles. It's since gone through multiple iterations, as has the historic building it crowns.
When the sign was added atop the high rise at 702 Ash St. in 1937, it said “El Cortez Hotel.” The wording changed to “El Cortez Center” in the late 1970s, then simply to “El Cortez” in 2000, after which the hilltop edifice transformed into a mixed-use condo complex.
Despite alterations, the red neon billboard remained a downtown landmark throughout the years — until late 2019, that is, when the eight letters that lit up sequentially, then flashed and repeated their show, suddenly lost their glow.
Why the sign went dark remains a mystery, says Eric Wagner, president of the El Cortez Homeowners Association (HOA).
The shutoff wasn't related to the pandemic like so many other darkened downtown buildings. It was rumored to be a maintenance issue, notes Wagner, whose association tried unsuccessfully to pinpoint the cause.
“Details are sketchy since we've changed management companies and completely replaced the HOA board of directors just recently,” he explains.
Still in the dark, HOA leaders huddled with a neon sign expert, who examined the operating system and determined that there was no harm in trying to power the sign back to life.
After more than two years in the dark, the switch was activated Feb. 18. Observers were pleasantly surprised that all the letters turned bright red, with the exception of two partially lit letters on the twin sign on the northeast-facing side of the tower roof. Plans to repair those are in the works.
For now, though, the letters are lit from sunset until dawn, and a formal sign relighting ceremony is being planned, Wagner says.
After all, the El Cortez complex has had a storied history. It was San Diego's tallest building when it opened in 1927. It is on the site of the home of Ulysses S. Grant Jr., son of the former U.S. president. Grant's house was torn down to make way for the hotel.
During World War II, the U.S. military installed an anti-aircraft battery and radar station on the roof.
In 1956, the hotel added the world's first outdoor glass elevator carrying passengers up to its 15th floor Sky Room with a 360degree view.
The ornate ballroom, with its carved sandalwood ceiling and lighting effects, avant-garde for the era, was the scene of wedding receptions, graduation parties and numerous memorable events. In the 1970s, county election results were reported there to throngs of anxious watchers.
In 2002, this rich history was memorialized when the hotel was added to the
National Register of Historic Places.
Now that the sign has been re-lit, the HOA, representing 85 condo units, wants to make sure it stays operable. Upon learning that rain is the enemy of neon lights, the HOA is investigating the installation of a high-tech device that checks the weather forecast over the Internet and regulates lighting accordingly.
“All of us here are so happy to be able to return this iconic landmark sign to the San Diego skyline,” Wagner says. “The El Cortez is back!”
Another glowing report: “Balboa Park is the best multi-use, multi-layered destination in North America.”
That is in the opening sentence of a critique of our city’s park centerpiece published online by the Social Life Project. It is high praise, indeed. The project’s mission is to highlight thriving public parks, plazas and promenades internationally.
It is welcome news in light of San Diego’s recent co-designation with Tijuana as the 2024 World Design Capital.
The analysis branded Balboa Park as a “global destination,” although it also makes suggestions for improvement.
The article was co-written by urban design specialists Fred Kent, Kathy Madden and editor Katherine Peinhardt.
Kent is a widely respected Columbia University-trained urban planner who founded and was longtime head of the New York-based Project for Public Spaces. He has traveled the world studying and promoting public spaces, including several visits to San Diego over recent years.
Instead of designing these spaces for appearance, Kent believes they should be designed for people’s use.
Many cities are linked to a single landmark destination, such as the Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and Pike Place Market in Seattle. The article notes that San Diego’s 1,200-acre park differs because it offers a wide variety of attractions — from hiking trails to multiple museums, performance and cultural venues, art and sculpture, gardens and the San Diego Zoo, to mention a few.
Especially critical, in the view of the public space experts, is the Prado, the wide east-west promenade, a bustling pedestrian thoroughfare connecting with many gathering hubs.
Michael Stepner, former city architect for the city of San Diego, says the Social Life Project has an international following of people involved in cities and public spaces.
The NewSchool of Architecture & Design professor emeritus says park organizations and the city continue to work on many of the things the article suggests could be done to improve the park experience: “Food, identification of landmarks and focal points, markets and having the museums bring ‘the inside out’ with exhibits on the Prado. And maintenance!”
Roger Showley, president of park preservation group Committee of One Hundred, points out that the Balboa Park Conservancy has created an activation plan for the park that awaits implementation.