Palace Hotel: A Dominating Presence in San Francisco

In this installment of ‘Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we share glimpses of one of the most impressive ‘Gilded Age’ hotels in America.

Constructed of layers of light brick and stone, the Palace Hotel’s exterior ornamentations are many. Sculpted lion heads accentuate corbels over some windows and are embedded in the frieze. The frieze, which is under the roof-edge’s elaborate cornice, features classical Roman shell designs. Above the hotel’s classical display is the large, contrasting 1950s-era neon sign. Sergio TB/Shutterstock

In a satirical novel, Mark Twain coined the term “Gilded Age” to describe the time period from after the Civil War to the early 1900s. It was a season of invention, prosperity, affluence, and ingenuity for many Americans. Grand hotels were emblematic of this time period. One, aptly called the Palace Hotel, still dominates a corner at Market and New Montgomery streets in downtown San Francisco.

The current Palace Hotel replaced the “old,” circa 1875 structure that was destroyed in the infamous fire caused by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The Palace Hotel, built on the same corner, was meant to be just as elegant and impressive as its predecessor. To continue its Gilded Age allure, architects added additional details to convey Renaissance Revivalism. Also referred to as Italian Renaissance, the architectural style incorporates centuries-old Italian design elements such as ornate arches, dramatic corridors, exaggerated cornices, and decorative moldings.

The Palace Hotel was designed by the early-20th-century New York firm Trowbridge & Livingston. The firm aimed to capture the older structure’s palatial character and further elevate its Gilded Age architectural presence. One change was to boost the luxuriousness and resplendency of the hotel’s celebrated Garden Court.

Currently managed by Marriott International, the Palace Hotel has 556 guest rooms, including 36 suites and a presidential suite. It has been lauded with awards and earned the attention of such entities as the American Institute of Architects and the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its architecture, design, and heritage.

Dwarfed by some of San Francisco’s modern skyscrapers, the Palace Hotel holds its own as an imposing, massive structure—nearly 600,000 square feet—in the heart of downtown. The hotel covers three acres, with its Market Street frontage at 275 feet and its New Montgomery Street frontage at 344 feet. Replete with arched and tall rectangular windows, each has a decorative, wrought iron Juliet balcony—also termed fake railings or balconettes. Palace Hotel San Francisco

On the domed ceiling and the deep doorway arches are outline designs, painted in dark gold. They coordinate with the burgundy and brown hues in the lobby’s "wind rose." This eight-point compass star is a design embedded into the lobby's marble floor. The three architecturally balanced arched entryways leading from the portico are also accentuated with ornamental cast iron. Anna Lee By The Sea/Shutterstock

The Palace Hotel’s wide stone lobby corridor, complete with marble floors, presents symmetry in its multiple arched entryways, which are adorned with column façades. The arches support a series of dentil-molded, layered tray ceiling, from which hang stunning bronze and glass lighting fixtures. Public Domain

The Garden Court is sometimes referred to as San Francisco’s hospitality grand dame, due to its 110-foot-long-by-85-foot-wide presence. The dining room is bordered by Italian marble-lined corridors and topped with a massive bronze and leaded-glass atrium ceiling. Focal points in the 8,000-square-foot Garden Court are Austrian crystal chandeliers that hang from decorative brass chains. The dome ceiling, which has glassed arches and gilded moldings, appears to rest on a dentil-band ledge held up by the heavily veined marble columns. Atop the columns are elaborate capitals combining elements of Ionic and Corinthian design. Dllu/CC BY-SA 4.0

The striking main iron double door with gilded floral motifs, including rosette accents, greets visitors and guests to the Palace Hotel. Central over the arched tracery-style entryway are the hotel’s “P.H.” initials as well as a gilded, sculpted face. While the story behind the face is undocumented, this type of sculpture—called a mascaron—was originally used in Greek and Roman architecture to frighten evil spirits away from a building. Public Domain

This grandiose corner view of the Palace Hotel’s nine-story brick, marble, and limestone façade, leads the eye upward to the rooftop dressing in the form of a highly embellished Renaissance Revivalism-style cornice. Chris Allan/Shutterstock

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