Hotel Orndorff
Hotel Orndorff
Hotel Orndorff
The image shows the Hotel Orndorff, which was is on the present site of the Cortez building at the corner of North Mesa and Mills Avenue. The Hotel was originally the Vendome Hotel but was acquired by Mrs. Alzina DeGroff in 1899, who renamed it Orndorff Hotel. She operated it for more than twenty-five years until 1924 when she borrowed 825,000 dollars and hired the renowned El Paso architectural firm Trost and Trost to design a new hotel. Unfortunately, Mrs. DeGroff did not live to see the completion of the building, which is now the Cortez building.