Hotel Whitcomb

The Hotel Whitcomb is a San Francisco hotel that was built from 1911 to 1912. Located at 1231 Market Street, the Whitcomb opened in 1912 as San Francisco's temporary city hall and then reopened in 1917 as a 400-room hotel.

For the historic hotel in St. Joseph, Michigan, see Whitcomb Hotel.
Hotel Whitcomb
Hotel Whitcomb, 2009
General information
Location1231 Market Street, San Francisco

Development and use as temporary city hall

Plans for the building began in 1910 with the hiring of architects Wright & Rushforth and an agreement to lease the building for three years to the City of San Francisco as a temporary city hall (the old San Francisco City Hall was destroyed by fire spawned by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake).[1][2] From the outset, the intention was to convert the building into a hotel once the new, permanent city hall was completed. The staggered uses required the architects to prepare "two sets of drawings, one superimposing the plans for the municipal building upon the plans for the hotel."[1]

The eight-story, steel-and-concrete building opened as the temporary city hall in March 1912.[3] The basement of the building served as a city jail during this time.[4]

Conversion to hotel use

With the completion of San Francisco City Hall in 1916, the building was converted into a 400-room hotel that opened in 1917.[5] The hotel was named for Adolphus Carter Whitcomb whose estate owned the property.[4]

When it opened, the hotel was proclaimed "the last word in modern hoteldom" with "the most modern fireproof construction", Pavenazetta marble, and a palm-filled, glass-enclosed observation deck and sun parlor on the roof.[6] The owners also imported 300,000 feet of Central American Jenezerro hardwood which was used to manufacture furniture, doors, and other interior work for the hotel.[7] The total cost of the project was placed at more than $2.25 million, including $700,000 for original construction of the temporary city hall, $400,000 for structural changes to convert the building into a hotel, and $150,000 for furnishings.[8]

In 1922, a new wing with an additional 102 guest rooms was added at a cost of $250,000 for the structure and another $100,000 for the furnishings and equipment.[1] The Whitcomb included a large ballroom from which concerts were broadcast during the property's heyday.[4]

Subsequent uses

During World War II, the Whitcomb provided office space for the Office for Emergency Management, the organization responsible for organizing and administering the internment of Japanese Americans.[4]

In 1963, the hotel was converted into residential rentals, with no transient occupancy.[9] During this period, the property was known simply as The Whitcomb.[10][11] In subsequent years, the property became a hotel again and underwent multiple name changes, including "Biltmore Hotel", "San Franciscan Hotel",[12] "Ramada Plaza",[13] before the "Hotel Whitcomb" name was restored in 2007.[14][15]

In 2020 the hotel became a shelter for homeless due to the pandemic.[16][17][18]

Further reading
  • "The New Hotel Whitcomb", by Edward F. O'Day, Architect and Engineer, pp. 51-56 (1917).

References
  1. "Hotel Whitcomb To Celebrate 3d Anniversary Saturday Night, Feb. 14th". San Francisco Examiner. February 11, 1925. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "City Hall To Be Built in Market". The San Francisco Call. October 25, 1910 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "City Departments Domiciled in Splendid Home". The San Francisco Call. March 10, 1912 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Stanley Turkel (2017). Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels West of the Mississippi.
  5. "New Hotel Whitcomb a Notable Addition to City's Hosteleries". San Francisco Chronicle. March 29, 1917. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "New Hotel Whitcomb Presents the Acme of Modern Conveniences for Travelers". San Francisco Chronicle. January 17, 1917 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Rare Jenezerro Woodwork Put in By Walter White". San Francisco Chronicle. March 29, 1917. p. 6.
  8. "Showhouse To Be Fitted For 6,000". San Francisco Examiner. April 1, 1917 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "The New Whitcomb's New Life". San Francisco Examiner. July 28, 1963. p. 17W – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Advertisement". San Francisco Examiner. December 3, 1963. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Advertisement". San Francisco Examiner. June 15, 1965. p. 16 – via newspapers.com.
  12. Winn, Bernard C. "Mini History of the Hotel Whitcomb". Incline Press. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  13. "Ramada Plaza Downtown San Francisco". emporis. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  14. "Hotel Whitcomb Company Profile | Management and Employees List". Datanyze. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  15. "hotel whitcomb". San Francisco Citizen. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  16. Johnson, Sydney (22 September 2021). "Closing hotels could disconnect hundreds from critical health care services". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  17. Lazo, Alejandro (5 May 2020). "San Francisco Leaders Clash Over Hotel Rooms for Homeless Population". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  18. Nuala, More by (29 January 2021). "Even as Funding Expands, Hotels May Resist Taking in More Homeless Residents". San Francisco Public Press. Retrieved 26 January 2022.

37.7781°N 122.4150°W / 37.7781; -122.4150

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