Dale Says

Restoring a hotel that has been in service for more than a century is a tricky business. That’s why San Francisco’s Hotel Majestic hired someone who knows his stuff.

Sean Francis has been in the business of managing and restoring hotels for more than 15 years, and he’s learned a lot about the process along the way. His current role as project manager of the legendary Hotel Majestic includes such diverse duties as investigating the hotel’s history, managing an extensive restoration process, and resolving leaks in the basement. It’s a demanding but rewarding job, which he loves.

Sean says it’s fun because “the owner is passionate about the property and its history. We want to make sure the hotel is preserved for future generations of San Franciscans.”

It’s a hotel worth preserving.

The original Hotel Majestic was built in 1901-1902 at the direction of Senator Milton Schmidt, a successful lawyer, railroad magnate, and California state legislator. (One of Senator Schmidt’s notable legislative accomplishments was to arrange financing for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, which celebrated San Francisco’s return from the 1906 earthquake.)

Senator Schmitt and his wife Helen lived at the corner of Sutter and Gough Streets in a sizeable home that was overshadowed by the nearby mansions on Nob Hill. But the hotel they had built on their property was conspicuous even in opulent turn-of-the-century San Francisco. The five-story Edwardian-style residential hotel had 58 bedrooms (including nine luxury suites) that were individually designed with a blend of French Empire and English furnishings, four-poster canopy beds, and softly-hued fabrics. Most rooms were equipped with coal-burning fireplaces and had romantic views of downtown San Francisco.

The Hotel Majestic billed itself as “San Francisco’s Leading Hotel,” and competed for well-heeled clientele with other up market establishments like the Palace Hotel. It had a first-class restaurant, which catered to hotel guests and the City’s elite. A typical luncheon menu in 1902 included caviar, rack of lamb for two, and strawberry short cake or baked ice cream.

Because the hotel is located two blocks west of Van Ness Avenue it escaped damage from the 1906 earthquake and fire. Following the earthquake, it was an interim home for some well-to-do refugees, including its architect, Albert Pissis (who also designed the Hibernia Bank, Emporium, and Flood buildings).

It served the City as a residential hotel through earthquake recovery and the 1915 Pan Pacific Exhibition, and then was converted into a commercial hotel in the 1920s. It continued to offer “affordable elegance” to San Francisco visitors through the Great Depression, the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1939, and World War II.

Guests at the hotel included many well-known San Franciscans such as Nicholas Cage, and the actress sisters Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine who lived there for several years.

Eventually, the hotel suffered from neglect and misguided modernization, and by the 1960s it had fallen into a dangerous state of disrepair. The exterior was “modernized” — the facades were stripped of their ornaments and the decorative detail was covered with a flat stucco surface. In the 1970s, the hotel briefly served as a gay bathhouse.

A limited partnership bought the hotel in 1984 and decided to restore it to its original condition. Exterior renovation led by architectural firm Ramon Zambrano & Associates repaired structural problems, removed the stucco, and recreated and replaced the window sashes, wood facades, and decorative ornamentation.

Noted San Francisco interior designer Candra Scott oversaw renewal of the interior, which included English and French antique pieces, Austrian Biedermeier chairs, and a 19th century mahogany bar from a Parisian bistro.

By the end of 1985, the building had been meticulously restored — an effort that earned first place for Restoration Design in Commercial Restoration’s 1986 awards competition.

Twenty years is a long time for a hotel, which experiences heavy daily wear-and-tear, and the current owner decided it needed another face-lift. This round will cost several million dollars and take nearly two years to complete. It is being conducted diligently, one floor at a time. Francis says, “Doing it right takes time and care. The owner wants the hotel returned to its original splendor.”

Outside the hotel, more than two hundred decorative rosettes have been painstakingly recreated from historic moldings and applied to the façade. An ironworking specialist is crafting new awnings over the front door and restaurant entrances to re-create the originals.

Inside the hotel, new elevators and an up-to-date telephone system have been installed and new carpets are being put in throughout. Guest rooms are being updated to achieve a careful balance of historic reference and comfort. Fireplaces that meet today’s fire codes, for example, will be surrounded by antique fixtures and furnishings. Three rooms will be upgraded for wheelchair access.
Francis and the rest of the staff are making sure the hotel meets its original intent. “It was built to be elegant,” he says, “but affordable. We want to retain the integrity of a landmark hotel that has served San Francisco for more than a century.”

Not many hotels in San Francisco have gone through this process, primarily because it’s expensive. But doing everything in a historically correct manner is vital. Francis has spent countless hours researching records of the hotel on microfiche, making sure management knows everything that has been done in the past. A consultant and lawyer have been hired to research the hotel and to help apply for historic preservation status.

“This is a beautiful hotel with a wonderful history,” Francis says, “and we want to make sure it stays that way.”

Note: Much of the restoration has been completed, and the Hotel Majestic and Café Majestic are open for business. For reservations, contact them at (415) 441-1100, or www.thehotelmajestic.com.

About the author:

Dale Fehringer is a freelance writer, editor, and documentary video producer. He lives in San Francisco where he shares office space with his wife, Patty, and cat, Molly. He can be reached at (415) 602-6116 or by email at dalefehringer@hotmail.com.