The Westin St. Francis

Identification

Map

Structure in general

Usage

Facts

• Costing an estimated $2.5 million to construct, this officially opened March 21, 1904.
• The grandfather clock in the Powell Street lobby has been a popular place for people to meet up since 1906, and remains a San Francisco tradition to this day.
• Following the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the hotel's structure would remain intact. However the ensuing fires would devastate the building, and cause it to remain closed for the following 19 months.
• The hotel has hosted many foreign leaders including Emperors Hirohito and Akihito of Japan, Queen Elizabeth II of England, King Juan Carlos of Spain, the Shah of Iran and all of the Presidents of the United States since Taft.
• Originally done to prevent women's white gloves from getting dirty from unclean silver dollars, since 1938 the hotel has operated the country's only legal money laundering operation in cleaning all the money that enters the hotel's coffers.