San Diego Metropolitan - 40 Under 40

Anthony P.A. Block has a talent for taking something old and making it new while keeping it historic. Take the El Cortez Hotel. He saw in that dilapidated building, abandoned for 20 years, an opportunity to return it to its glory days. J. Peter Block Cos., of which he is a co-founder and co-manager, made it happen.

Today the El Cortez stands renovated, with 85 modern apartments and its 1927 grandeur restored. The hotel's Don Room, the grand ballroom with an elaborately carved ceiling, is once again the site of many special events.

With his partner Peter Janopaul, Block and their team seek to perform the same kind of miracle with two other historic structures: the old Park Theatre at Park Boulevard and University and at Temple Beth Israel in Hillcrest.

The theater, built in 1923, also known in the past as the Fox Egyptian and the Capri, will be restored to a '50s modern entrance for 65 to 80 new apartments. The temple, designed in 1926, will be restored and maintained within a 125-apartment complex to open in 2003.

"I have always been interested in historical landmarks," says Block. "Because I have lived in lots of places, I’ve seen what can be done." Block, 39, was raised in Nairobi, Kenya. His family was in the hotel and restaurant business, with 16 popular luxury establishments in East Africa. He received two degrees, "both in hotel and restaurant management," he says, one from Brighton College in England and the other from the University of Denver.

Restoration of the El Cortez has resulted in renewed interest in the surrounding Cortez Hill neighborhood. The Block Cos. also are involved in building the El Cortez Tower 2, which will add another 160 high-rise apartments Downtown.

Block is active in the California Preservation Foundation and the San Diego Historical Society. This year he received the California Preservation Award. In addition, he is active in the gay and lesbian community, working with Mama's Kitchen, which provides home-delivered meals every day to San Diegans affected with AIDS. He also belongs to the Human Dignity Foundation.

As co-manager of the business, Block handles marketing and day-to-day activities. That position keeps him involved in all aspects of the company, coordinating communication among employees.