Background History

Inspired by visionary, William Ralston, the Palace Hotel was the result of one man's dream of turning the city from boom town into a booming metropolis, simply by erecting a hotel of timeless elegance and unprecedented luxury.

On October 2, 1875, the Palace Hotel opened its doors to great acclaim.

Then, in 1906, a massive earthquake shook all of San Francisco. The Palace survived the quake, but was overtaken by fires that engulfed the city in its wake.

The grand dame hotel went down in a blaze of glory and was gutted by flames, not reopening until 1909. In January 1989, the Palace closed again for a major restoration. Two years later, San Francisco witnessed the rebirth of the Palace Hotel.

Our Role

Working with general manager Don TImbie and Stanford Hughes, of Brayton Hughes Design Studio, we produced public exhibits capturing the Hotel's history, organized its archives and created memoriabilia displays in the lobbies. After the Hotel re-opened in 1991, we continued to assist the Hotel with services in architectural photography, graphic design, and merchandise production..