Palace Hotel, San Francisco

The Palace Hotel is a historic hotel in downtown San Francisco with a story shaped by an extraordinary contrast: it initially withstood the violent earthquake of April 18th, 1906, then was consumed by the fires that raged through downtown. Only the ironwork and portions of its original carriage entrance survived, giving you one specific detail to notice when you pass the building.

What is the Palace Hotel in San Francisco?

The Palace Hotel was once San Francisco's grandest and most luxurious accommodation. Its steel framework and modern construction were considered a marvel of their time, making its initial resistance to the earthquake especially notable. The hotel stands within San Francisco's central downtown district, a setting that places its history directly within the city's 1906 disaster and rebuilding.

What happened to the Palace Hotel in the 1906 earthquake and fire?

The earthquake struck on April 18th, 1906, and the Palace Hotel initially withstood the tremors. Its steel framework and modern construction held through that first crisis, but the survival was brief.

Fires then raged through downtown. Despite desperate efforts by staff and firefighters, the inferno consumed the Palace over the next three days. The hotel's opulent halls, crystal chandeliers, and famed Garden Court were reduced to ashes. The San Francisco 1906 Earthquake and Fire Tour places this hotel within the wider account of the earthquake, fire, and the city's response.

What remains of the original Palace Hotel?

Only the ironwork and portions of the original carriage entrance survived the devastation. That surviving material is the Palace Hotel's clearest physical link to its gilded past and to the events that destroyed the original building.

The hotel reopened by 1909, more magnificent than before. The surviving portions of the carriage entrance therefore connect two parts of the Palace Hotel's history: the destruction of the original hotel and its rapid rebuilding and renewal.

Why is the Palace Hotel worth noticing in downtown San Francisco?

The Palace Hotel is a physical reminder of both destruction and rebuilding in San Francisco. Its history is not only the story of a hotel consumed by fire; it is also the story of a place that reopened by 1909, while portions of its original carriage entrance remained as evidence of what came before.

Save the carriage-entrance detail for a downtown walk, and share it with the companion who is planning your route. The San Francisco 1906 Earthquake and Fire Tour gives you a way to explore the Palace Hotel's 1906 history without losing sight of this surviving physical link.