San Francisco ยท Union Square
Palace Hotel
William Ralston's 1875 Palace, gutted in 1906 and reopened in 1909 with the glass-domed Garden Court and Maxfield Parrish's Pied Piper mural.
- Built
- 1909First Palace Hotel opened 1875; gutted in the 1906 earthquake and fire and rebuilt, reopening in 1909 (HHA). The present building dates from 1909.
- Style
- Renaissance Revival
- Architect
- Trowbridge & Livingston (1909 rebuild)
- Type
- Grand hotel
- Area
- Union Square
- Credentials
- Local landmark; Historic Hotels of America member
The story
Financier William Chapman Ralston conceived the Palace, which opened in 1875 as San Francisco’s first luxury hotel and among the largest in the world; Ralston died two months before it opened. The 1906 earthquake and fire left it in need of rebuilding, and it reopened in 1909 with the glass-domed Garden Court and the Pied Piper Bar, home to Maxfield Parrish’s Pied Piper of Hamelin mural. Kyo-Ya Hotels and Resorts later closed it for a major renovation starting in 1989.
The ghost story
A KQED profile of a San Francisco City Guides ghost tour of the Palace says hotel workers' stories and a booklet once written for VIP guests describe mostly harmless spirits said to tousle guests' hair, hush loud children, switch off lights and leave brief pleasant scents.
Source: www.kqed.org
Good to know
- Address: 2 New Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94105
Things to do
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Sources (3)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.