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The original 1962 El Con sign, featuring a helmeted conquistador and his crossed swords, was restored and reinstalled Dec 21, 2012, on its 50th anniversary. "The sign was in remarkably good condition considering it's been laying on the ground behind the mall since 2000," said renovator Jude Cook.
El Con Shopping Center carries the affectionately abbreviated nickname of the El Conquistador Hotel, which stood just to the west of the original shopping center site. The El Conquistador Hotel was a posh Spanish Revival structure which opened in 1928 (and should never have been torn down). Although initial plans called for the hotel to be part of the mall itself, these plans were later scrapped. The hotel closed in 1964 and sadly, met the fate of the wrecking ball.
When the mall opened in 1960 as Tucson's first mall, it was initially outdoor, and anchored by Levy’s Department Store, which moved from downtown Tucson, as well as Montgomery Ward and Woolworth's.
The sign is 35 feet tall in its bulk, but the sword extends to over 45 feet high. The sign has been placed about 300 feet west of it's original spot on Broadway. The mall spent close to $50,000 to renovate and re-install this sign, which is designated as an historic landmark.