Palace Hotel, San Francisco Facts for Kids

Hotel facts and statistics
The Palace Hotel
Quick facts for kids The Palace Hotel on Market Street in San Francisco, 2008

Location	United States
Coordinates	37°47′18″N 122°24′07″W / 37.7884°N 122.4020°W / 37.7884; -122.4020
Address
Architect	Trowbridge & Livingston
Management	Marriott International
Owner	Kyo-Ya Hotels & Resorts
No. of restaurants	The Garden Court Pied Piper Bar & Grill
No. of rooms	556
of which suites	53
Total floor area	592,000 sq ft (55,000 m²)
No. of floors	9
Footnotes

San Francisco Designated Landmark
Designated:	1969
Reference #:	18

The Palace Hotel is a famous historic hotel in San Francisco, California. It's located at the corner of Market and New Montgomery streets. People sometimes call it the "new" Palace Hotel to tell it apart from the first Palace Hotel built in 1875. The original hotel was destroyed by fire after the big 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The current hotel opened on December 19, 1909, in the same spot where the first one stood. It was closed for a major two-year renovation from 1989 to 1991. This renovation made it safer in case of earthquakes. The hotel takes up most of a city block. This nine-story building is over 100 years old. It is right next to the BART Montgomery Street Station. It is also across Market Street from Lotta's Fountain.

The Palace Hotel is part of Historic Hotels of America. This is a special program by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The First Palace Hotel (1875–1906)
The "Baby" Palace Hotel (1906–1907)
The "New" Palace Hotel (Opened 1909)
Images for kids
See also

The First Palace Hotel (1875–1906)

The original Palace Hotel in 1887

The first Palace Hotel was built by a San Francisco banker named William Chapman Ralston. He used a lot of money from his bank to pay for the $5 million project. Even though his bank failed in 1875, the hotel still opened on October 2, 1875. Ralston's business partner, U.S. Senator William Sharon, ended up owning the hotel.

With 755 guest rooms, the first Palace Hotel was the largest hotel in the Western United States at the time. It was also San Francisco's tallest building for over ten years, standing 120 feet (37 m) high. The hotel had a large open area in the middle called the Grand Court. It had seven stories of white balconies and was used as an entrance for horse-drawn carriages. Later, this area became a lounge called the "Palm Court."

The hotel had special "rising rooms," which were large elevators. Each guest room had its own bathroom and an electric button to call staff. Rooms could be connected to make bigger suites or apartments for people staying a long time. Each room also had a large bay window looking out onto the street.

Mōʻī, David Kalakaua, aboard the USS Charleston on his way to San Francisco. He later died at the Palace Hotel.

On November 25, 1890, King David Kalakaua of the Kingdom of Hawaii visited California. He stayed in a suite at the Palace Hotel. After traveling, the king became very ill and was brought back to San Francisco. He died in his hotel suite on January 20, 1891.

The Grand Court was a very special part of the hotel. It was later changed into the "Garden Court" before the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The Palace Hotel on fire in 1906

The hotel survived the first shaking from the April 18, 1906, San Francisco earthquake. However, by that afternoon, it was destroyed by the fires that followed. A famous singer named Enrico Caruso was staying at the hotel when the earthquake happened. He was so scared that he promised never to return to the city.

The "Baby" Palace Hotel (1906–1907)

The "Baby" Palace Hotel in 1906

While the original hotel was being torn down and rebuilt, a temporary hotel was quickly built. It was called the "Little" or "Baby" Palace Hotel. This small, two-story building had 23 rooms. It opened on November 17, 1906, just seven months after the earthquake and fire.

The "Baby" Palace Hotel was only open until July 1907. The Palace Hotel Company then leased the nearby Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. The "Baby" Palace building was later replaced by apartments.

The "New" Palace Hotel (Opened 1909)

The beautiful Garden Court Restaurant, also known as the "Palm Court"

The "New" Palace Hotel was completely rebuilt and opened on December 19, 1909. It quickly became an important landmark in San Francisco, just like the first one. Even though its outside looks simpler, the inside of the new "Bonanza Inn" is very elegant and grand. The "Garden Court" (also called the "Palm Court") is in the same spot as the Grand Court of the old hotel. It has been one of San Francisco's most famous hotel dining rooms since it opened.

Another famous spot is the "Pied Piper" Bar. It is located near the shiny marble lobby. The bar is known for a huge painting by Maxfield Parrish called "The Pied Piper." It is 16-by-6-foot (4.9 by 1.8 m) and weighs 250-pound (110 kg)!

The Ralston Room, named after the hotel's co-founder William Ralston, is also off the main lobby.

President Woodrow Wilson at a luncheon in the Garden Court of the Palace Hotel in 1919

The hotel has been the setting for many important events. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson gave speeches in the Garden Court. He spoke about the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations. In 1923, President Warren G. Harding sadly died at the Palace Hotel in Room 8064. In 1945, the Palace Hotel hosted a special dinner to celebrate the start of the United Nations.

The Palace Hotel was sold to Sheraton Hotels in 1954 and became the Sheraton-Palace Hotel. In 1959, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev spoke at a dinner there. The Garden Court was named a San Francisco Landmark in 1969. In 1973, a Japanese group called Kyo-Ya bought the hotel. Sheraton continued to manage it. The entire hotel building was declared a landmark in 1984.

The Sheraton-Palace Hotel closed on January 8, 1989, for a huge $150 million restoration. It reopened on April 3, 1991, as the Sheraton Palace Hotel. In 1995, the hotel dropped the "Sheraton" name and became the Palace Hotel again. In 1997, parts of the movie The Game, starring Michael Douglas, were filmed in the Garden Court.

In 2013, the hotel's owners tried to sell the famous Pied Piper mural. But many people were upset about this. So, the owners decided to clean and restore the painting instead. It was put back in the bar on August 22, 2013.

In 2015, the hotel had another big renovation. Its guest rooms, pool, fitness center, lobby, and the Garden Court were all updated. The Palace Hotel also became part of the Marriott chain. In 2016, it was named the Best Historic Hotel in its category by Historic Hotels of America.