Time Lapsing with Lapidus about the El Conquistador Hotel, Puerto Rico
by Deborah Desilets
On a hillside overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, only a 15-minute drive from Fajardo, Puerto Rico, the El Conquistador Golf Resort is a place in the Caribbean where travelers come to simply be —where sugar sand beaches record cerulean waves and balmy breezes lightly lick at the palm leaves—No This is not a dream paradise. Or perhaps yes it was a dream, the dream that architect Morris Lapidus dreamt when he first experienced Puerto Rico. For him, Puerto Rico would be different than Miami Beach. It was not the flat lands of the Fontainebleau: here that he would “dare to dream for others dreams they would not dream for themselves” on a mountainside resort. The El Conquistador would be his last great master planning on a mountainside would hold three tiers of the hotel connected by a funicular with over a 200+ elevation change. It was a massive undertaking for him in his early sixties— with strenuous walking required to plan a most unusual golf course. This would be his masterpiece.
When Morris Lapidus and I visited Puerto Rico from the cobblestone streets in the city to the ancient ruins we drove into the mountains into this most wonderful the countryside to see his newly remodeled hotel lush with color of bougainvillea—a paradise. Lapidus stepped out of his shell and relaxed; he was viewing the beauty of the ocean from his still operating albeit changed hotel and was outwardly pleased to see that what he started was loved enough to become a truly modern destination. That remodeled mountainside retreat –set amidst a Caribbean oasis—took his breath away. Such tranquility and splendor brought tears to the eyes of Lapidus who was giving his last farewell to the islands. He was 97 years old and over drinks telling me stories of his client– whose occupation was selling ostrich feathers– who desired a resort hotel and golf course like nowhere else in the world. He recalled walking the mountainous terrain for weeks designing— not just the resort hotel but also the golf course– that would become the signature feature for this most modern El Conquistador Resort Hotel. It was his Caribbean masterpiece.
On the web site of the El Conquistador there is a notice now:
“This property was impacted by Hurricane Maria in September 2017. The resort continues efforts to restore operations after the effects of Hurricane Maria. Please direct inquiries for accommodations for relief operations to [email protected].”
“Less is never more. Look for less and you get nothing.’ Let us hope in the rebuilding of Puerto Rico that we can recall the sage words of architect Morris Lapidus; “The work we do is not of brick and stone and concrete alone but must consider the human spirit”. He did not believe the modern edict of architecture that “form follows function”; Lapidus acknowledged “Feelings find form.” Hopefully in rebuilding Puerto Rico all seek the true feeling of Puerto Rico in her restoration and double back on the spirit of the place.