The Condado Vanderbilt Hotel on Ashford Avenue in the district of Condado, San Juan, in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico is a hotel built in 1919. It has also been known as Grand Hotel Condado Vanderbilt, The Condado Hotel, Hotel Condado, Condado Beach Hotel, and the Hyatt Puerto Rico Hotel. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. The hotel was designed by the architectural firm Warren and Wetmore, who also designed New York's Grand Central Terminal. It was built by the Vanderbilt family and it marked the beginning of high end tourism in Puerto Rico. The hotel reopened partially on 16 October 2012, beginning December 1, 2014, its guestrooms and suites located in two adjacent 11-story towers would be made available and the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel will once again welcome guests for hotel stays and five star around-the-clock service. The renovated hotel also features five restaurants, one of which, "1919", is credited as "Puerto Rico's finest restaurant".
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History
Construction of the Condado Vanderbilt began in 1917 by Frederick William Vanderbilt, the son of William Henry Vanderbilt. He selected the prominent architectural firm of Warren and Whitmore--which designed New York City's Grand Central Station, as well as the Biltmore, Commodore, and Ambassador Hotels--to design the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel. On 16 October 1919, the hotel, having cost a million dollars to construct, was inaugurated. It was suggested that the early Spanish Revival style architecture be used by Fredrick Vanderbilt. Capitalizing on the property's setting adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, the designers created a Beaux Arts-style structure with white walls, red tiles, French windows, lofty ceilings and other design details typical of the style at the time. The original roofing featured antique Spanish tiles sourced from Puerto Rico's older Spanish buildings. The floors and the public areas including the main staircase were decorated with marble and mosaics and the area between the ocean and the hotel building was developed to help the building withstand damage from the Atlantic coast. The hotel also featured a flagstone paved terrace. Giant pandanus, several kinds of bougainvillae, fruit trees and coconut palms could also be found in the hotel's gardens.
The Condado Vanderbilt was the first luxury hotel to open in Puerto Rico and was also the first hotel in Puerto Rico to have a casino after gambling was legalized in 1940. Among the famous guests to have stayed at the Condado Vanderbilt are the former President of the United States Franklin Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor, the American aviator Charles Lindbergh, composer José Luis Moneró, singer-songwriter Carlos Gardel, Hollywood actor Errol Flynn, comedian Bob Hope, and pianist Arthur Rubinstein. Activities that were available included American golf, tennis and motoring among other things. These were advertised in various American newspapers during the 1920s.
During The Great Depression of the 1930s, Manuel Gonzalez bought the hotel from the Vanderbilts and changed its name to the Condado Hotel. In the 1950s, after a series of changes in ownership, the name was changed to the Condado Beach Hotel. During this time, 80 rooms were added to the hotel as well as a bar, cocktail lounge and coffee shop. However, by the 1970s, the hotel's popularity was decreasing to the point of demolition. Former governor Luis A. Ferré then issued an executive order declaring the hotel a cultural heritage. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
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Renovations
In 1997, the administration of Pedro Rosselló proposed that the Condado area be redeveloped. Brian McLaughlin suggested renovating and expanding the hotel, but then-San Juan mayor Sila M. Calderon challenged the proposal in court. This led to the hotel being abandoned until 2002 when she finally agreed. Having been abandoned for seven years, the hotel's renovation was finally undertaken at a cost of US$270 million in 2003. The goal was to transform it into a five-star hotel with resemblance to the original 1919 structure.
On 16 October 2012, after ten years and 53,441 hours of renovations, two years longer than originally planned, a part of the renovated hotel comprising several new banquet halls, bars and restaurants was finally opened for business. It also consists of newly built 11-story twin towers on either side of the central structure, restoring its original configuration. The renovated rooms are 17 feet wide with high ceilings. The bathrooms have double sinks and both a shower and tub. The original staircases, however, remain in place. The remodeling was handled by a team led by Hugh Andrews and Jorge Rossello.
Among the newly built restaurants, "1919", "Tacos & Tequila by Patron", "Veritas", "Marabar" and "Avo Lounge"; "1919" has been credited as "Puerto Rico's finest restaurant" by Turismo, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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