El Cortez Hotel and Casino Downtown Las Vegas Visit

El Cortez Hotel and Casino. Downtown Las Vegas Visit. Constructed in 1941, In 1945 infamous mobsters Bugsy Siegel, Moe Sedway, Gus Greenbaum, and Meyer Lansky bought El Cortez and used it to train the original employees who opened the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in 1946. In the early 1950s the property received a remodel. Also during this time a pirate theme was in place. The cocktail waitress wore pirate uniforms.over the years this property saw different owners. 1980 a 15 story hotel tower was built and then owner Jackie Gaughan and his wife Bertie, turned the top floor into their private home where they lived for 30+ years. 2013 El Cortez was the first Hotel and Casino to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.