Hotel Cortez
Why it's listed
Rising eleven stories beside San Jacinto Plaza in El Paso, this brick hotel at 300 North Mesa Street opened on September 10, 1926, as the Hotel Orndorff. Trost and Trost designed it in the Spanish Colonial Revival style with strong Renaissance overtones. The second floor retains arched openings with French doors, pilasters and medallions, along with busts of helmeted conquistadores and Spanish coats of arms. A three-story arched entrance ends in a broken pediment, and a convex cornice with an egg and dart pattern crowns the building. The ground floor was later covered with modern materials and signage. The site had earlier held the Hotel Vendome and a four-story Hotel Orndorff. Mrs. Charles DeGroff commissioned the new building for $1,400,000. It was later renamed Hotel Hussman and then Hotel Cortez after a naming contest. President Kennedy stayed overnight in 1963. Lodging use continued until the late 1960s, and the building was vacant when nominated.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the hotel is an elaborate example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture with Renaissance overtones, showing the skill of architect Henry Trost. It also occupies a site that has served El Paso continuously as a hotel location and contributes to the architectural character of the inner city.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80004105, listed September 24, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 300 N. Mesa St., El Paso |
|---|---|
| County | El Paso County |
| Listed | September 24, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80004105 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Trost and Trost |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant at the time of nomination; leased in 1970 to the Department of Labor as the El Paso Job Corps Center. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 |
| Coordinates | 31.75984, -106.48787 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80004105.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q65098067
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.