Hotel Whitcomb, historic hotel in San Francisco
Hotel Whitcomb is a hotel on the corner of Market Street and 8th Street in San Francisco, offering 459 rooms in a range of sizes. The building has a classical interior with marble columns and large chandeliers in the lobby, giving it a formal look that differs from most modern hotels.
The building went up in 1910 and served as San Francisco's temporary city hall from 1912 to 1915 after a major earthquake leveled the original one. It became a hotel the year after the city government moved out and has stayed that way ever since.
The hotel takes its name from the family that first ran it, and stepping into the lobby feels like entering a room that still remembers its civic past. The high ceilings and ornate columns give the space a weight that sets it apart from most hotels on Market Street.
The hotel sits on Market Street with a BART station directly below and streetcar stops across the street, so getting around the city on foot or by transit is easy from here. Those arriving from the airport should expect around half an hour by taxi, though the exact time depends on traffic.
The building survived the 1906 earthquake largely intact, which is precisely why it was chosen to house the city government when the original city hall was gone. That double life as both a seat of power and a place to sleep gives the building a past that few hotels anywhere can match.
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