Unofficial Website for Historical Artifacts from the Palace Hotel.
Unofficial Website for Historical Artifacts from the Palace Hotel.
Until 2019, I had never heard of the Palace Hotel. After planning a week in Napa Valley to tour various vineyards, we decided to spend some time in San Francisco. Primarily a World War II historian, my secondary pastime is staying at historic hotels during our travels. After researching hotels such as the Fairmont and Ritz-Carlton, I came across the Palace Hotel and became instantly enthralled by its beauty and history.
On April 2nd, we walked through the main lobby doors and were instantly transported back to a time when luxury and attention to detail were the norm at established hotels. It soon became four days of soaking up historical ambiance beyond anything I've experienced in any hotel previously reserved. My obsession with the hotel began that first day and I soon found myself looking up everything I can about the property to learn about its past. While the information and photographs I've been able to find are fantastic, I get the most enjoyment out of viewing (and collecting) the physical objects from throughout its history. I managed to find a few images of the Palace's previous relics, but there are not many to be found. Before long, I began tracking down and obtaining as many pieces from the Palace that I could. There are several items from the hotel's recent past around for purchase, but my primary interest ranges from the original 1875 hotel up to around 1950. Upon our return in 2022, I was able to visit Landmark 18 - the Palace Hotel's historical museum on its history, which is located in the area of the former Barber Shop across from the Rose Room. Curated by the previous hotel manager Clif Clark, the exhibit features relics from the 1875 building all the way through to the April 3rd,1991 reopening. Mr. Clark was kind enough to give us a personal tour of the first floor of the hotel and Landmark 18 while we were there.
As my collection continues to grow, I decided to create a website dedicated to showcasing the historical artifacts of the Palace Hotel's history along with brief notes. Unless noted, all items on this site are in my personal collection. The links below are current websites and books with an in-depth look at the history of the hotel.
I am always looking to acquire new pieces for my collection, so if anyone has any Palace Hotel items they are looking to sell or donate,
please contact me through the information below.
Thank you for your interest in the Palace Hotel, San Francisco!
This website is not affiliated with the Palace Hotel, San Francisco. Please do not contact me for hotel information or reservations.
This website was published on February 27th, 2020.
Last Update: April 13th, 2024
As I purchase various lots with memorabilia from the Palace Hotel, they often come with other items from San Francisco's past that I do not collect. These pieces are offered here for sale below: Payment by Paypal Preferred!
Below: An extremely rare Lick House menu & wine list from 1880! The Lick House was one of San Francisco's first luxury hotels, built by the piano maker / real estate investor James Lick. Late in 1861 he began work on the hotel on the corner of Montgomery and Sutter Street. The dining room, with it's seating for 400, was modeled after one which he had seen 35 years before at Versailles. Lick meticulously cut and placed much of the exquisite wood inlay in the dining room with his own hands. The magnificent hotel was destroyed in the great San Francisco fire which followed the earthquake of 1906 and was never rebuilt.
Very few physical artifacts from Lick House survive today. In my research, I have only been able to find a handful of menus, and those were for special events. This is a daily menu from February 17th, 1880 with Geo. Schönewald, Manager. Printed by Crowe & Cooke Engravers and Printers, 22 Montgomery Street. (Which was directly across from Lick House). Also includes two brand new printouts of the Lick House and dining room by Watkins' Pacific Coast. SOLD!
Below: An extremely rare Lick House wine list from 1880! The Lick House was one of San Francisco's first luxury hotels, built by the piano maker / real estate investor James Lick. Late in 1861 he began work on the hotel on the corner of Montgomery and Sutter Street. The dining room, with it's seating for 400, was modeled after one which he had seen 35 years before at Versailles. Lick meticulously cut and placed much of the exquisite wood inlay in the dining room with his own hands. The magnificent hotel was destroyed in the great San Francisco fire which followed the earthquake of 1906 and was never rebuilt.
Very few physical artifacts from Lick House survive today. In my research, I have only been able to find a handful of menus, and those were for special events. This is a wine list from1880 with Geo. Schönewald, Manager. Printed by Crowe & Cooke Engravers and Printers, 22 Montgomery Street. (Which was directly across from Lick House). Also includes two brand new printouts of the Lick House and dining room by Watkins' Pacific Coast. SOLD!
Below: A 4" x 2.25" Carte de Visite of Lotta Crabtree c1880, with her autograph. The CdV photograph reads Lotta, Sarony, 680 Broadway, N.Y. on the front. The back reads, "Lotta Crabtree, Gold Rush Actress & companion of Lola Montez." The autograph card is slightly smaller in size, front reads, "Lotta April 18th, 1882." The back reads, "Crabtree, End of Western B.....? California Pioneer Family - 1861. Lola Montez taught her to dance. Sierra Mining Frontier Actress - 1864. 1847-1924." SOLD!
Below: Time Tables of All Street Car Lines in San Francisco, Compliments of the Montgomery Street Coffee House, 426 Montgomery Street. 9th Edition, February 1st, 1888. 5" x3", ripped in the top middle. The final image is a new reprint I found online in a similar book that actually shows an image of the building. This is also included in the lot. $25
Below: Stereoscope image of the Dining Room, Baldwin Hotel, San Francisco, Cal. By. E. Nesemann, Marysville, Cal. The Baldwin was an extremely luxurious hotel built in 1875 by Elias Jackson Baldwin. It also featured the Baldwin Theatre, to which both buildings took up the entire block. The luxury was short lived, however, and the hotel burned to the ground in 1898. $20
