The Palace Hotel

The Palace Hotel is a San Francisco landmark and the location where Sara and her Aunt Hester Varady lunch in The Trembling Hills. In 1906, the characters would have entered through what was then known as "The Palm Court" before moving on to one of the hotel's many dining rooms—"All around were chairs and tables and a great many potted palms. Columned galleries ran around the court for several stories above, ending in a vaulted glassed-in roof." The original Palace Hotel was built in 1875, but was destroyed by fire following the 1906 earthquake. The hotel was rebuilt in 1909 and over the years, The Palm Court lounge became The Garden Court dining room. In 1991, the hotel was restored to its 1909 splendor. Now you can dine or enjoy afternoon tea in The Garden Court dining room while enjoying the atmosphere and elegance of a time gone by.

The Palace Hotel is located at 2 New Montgomery Street. For more information, check out the pages at these web sites:

The Palace Hotel web site - contains information about the history of the hotel.

ThePalaceHotel.org web site - contains an illustrated history of The Palace Hotel along with a photograph of The Palm Court lounge as it probably would have looked in 1906 (scroll to the image with the caption "The Grand Court is seen here in 1904 after it had been converted from the Palace Hotel's carriage entrance to a gracious central lounge." The photograph is from 1904 before the Grand Court was renamed The Palm Court.)

The Garden Court web site - contains dining information and a virtual tour of the dining room.

Next, check out these other areas of interest.