Whatever happened to Jackie Gaughan's penthouse apartment at the top of the El Cortez? Last we heard from Question of the Day, it hadn't been touched.
We last covered this question in the QoD on 7/20/15. At that time, the penthouse at the El Cortez in which Jackie and his wife Bertie Gaughan lived for 25 years was left untouched after Jackie Gaughan died in March 2014 at the age of 93. The then-current owners of the El Cortez, who were like sons to Jackie, were understandably reluctant "to make money off his passing" by renting out the penthouse, especially since Jackie lived in the apartment until mere hours before he was taken to hospice.
But time heals most wounds and since then, the penthouse has been made available. The 15th-floor apartment, atop the $12 million 14-story 200-room tower completed in 1983, is 2,700 square feet, with two bedrooms, 2½ baths, living room, full kitchen, and children’s playroom.
The décor remains the same as when the Gaughans first moved in nearly 35 years ago — original hand-carved wooden doors with starburst escutcheons around the front door knob, pink-upholstered walls and pink-marble and gold-plated master bath, original kitchen appliances and intercom system, and more.
You can see photos of the place, mostly unfurnished, from June 2016 at retrorenovation.com.
The penthouse is furnished now and rents for $500-plus a night.
Special thanks to Miami Beach George for an assist with this answer.
