Palace Hotel, San Francisco

The Palace Hotel is a famous historic hotel in San Francisco, California. It is located at the southwest corner of Market and New Montgomery streets. This hotel is sometimes called the New Palace Hotel to make it clear it is not the original Palace Hotel from 1875, which was torn down after a big fire from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

A smaller, temporary hotel called the "Baby" Palace Hotel was built nearby while the new one was being planned. The current Palace Hotel opened its doors on December 19, 1909, right where the old hotel once stood.

After being closed for about two years from January 1989 to April 1991, the hotel was renovated and made safer for earthquakes. The big nine-story building takes up most of a city block. It is next to the BART Montgomery Street Station and the Monadnock Building, and across Market Street from Lotta's Fountain.

The original Palace Hotel (1875–1906)

The original Palace Hotel was built in San Francisco by banker William Chapman Ralston. Though his bank failed and he passed away the same day, the hotel opened two months later in 1875. With 755 rooms, it was the largest hotel in the Western United States and San Francisco’s tallest building for many years. Guests could enjoy a grand open area called the Grand Court, later turned into a lounge known as the Palm Court. Each room had its own bathroom and a button to call staff.

The hotel had many modern features for its time, like a system to connect rooms and large moving rooms called elevators. Sadly, after surviving the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the hotel was destroyed by fires later that day.

The "baby" Palace Hotel (1906–1907)

While the original Palace Hotel was being rebuilt after a big fire, a small temporary hotel called the "Baby" Palace Hotel was built nearby. This little hotel had only 23 rooms and was opened on November 17, 1906, just seven months after the fire.

The Baby Palace Hotel stayed open until July 1907. After that, the building was used by a club for a few years before being replaced by an apartment building in 1916. The spot where it stood is still there today at the corner of Post and Leavenworth Streets.

The "new" Palace Hotel (opened 1909)

The "New" Palace Hotel was completely rebuilt and opened its doors on December 19, 1909. It quickly became an important place in San Francisco, hosting many big events. Though it looked simpler outside than the old hotel, the inside was just as beautiful and fancy. One of its most famous spots was the Garden Court, a popular dining room that has been important since the hotel opened.

The hotel was also known for its Pied Piper Bar, which had a huge, famous painting above it. Over the years, the hotel was part of many important moments. Presidents and leaders gave speeches there, and it even hosted a banquet for the United Nations. The hotel changed owners and names many times but stayed a famous place in San Francisco. In 2024, workers at the hotel went on strike but returned to work after a new agreement was made.

In literature and popular culture

The Palace Hotel appears in several stories and films. In the 2007 novel The Gravedigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates, the last chapter of the third part happens at the hotel. In Rhys Bowen's novel Time of Fog and Fire, the main character, Molly Murphy Sullivan, stays at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco while looking for her missing husband before the 1906 earthquake.

A fun chase scene from the 1974 Disney movie Herbie Rides Again was filmed inside the hotel, featuring Herbie, a Volkswagen Beetle, driving through the Garden Court. The cover of Nicolette Larson's 1978 album Nicolette was also taken in the hotel's Garden Court restaurant.