Hotel Californian
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Why it's listed
Hotel Californian is a sixteen-story hotel at the corner of Taylor and O'Farrell streets in San Francisco, two blocks from Union Square. Edward E. Young designed the original twelve-story building, which opened in 1924 for owner and builder Matthew A. Little as an upscale apartment-hotel. Alfred Henry Jacobs added four floors in 1929, giving the exterior Art Deco ornamentation, while the lobby kept its Spanish Colonial Revival coffered ceilings, twisted columns and ironwork. The steel-frame, brick-clad building has 250 guest rooms, each with a private bath and outside light. Its listing rests on social history. In 1935 Lizzie Glide, a Methodist philanthropist, had the Glide Foundation buy the hotel, and it operated as San Francisco's only temperance hotel until 1978. Ground-floor shops were remodeled many times, notably in 1942, but the upper floors remain largely as built. The hotel still operates with a restaurant and shops.
Significance in brief: The hotel is significant locally under Criterion A in the area of social history for its association with the temperance movement. In 1935 Lizzie Glide's Glide Foundation bought it to run as San Francisco's only temperance hotel, a role it kept until 1978.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 98001195, listed September 25, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 403 Taylor St., San Francisco |
|---|---|
| County | San Francisco |
| Listed | September 25, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98001195 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1935-1948 |
| Architect / builder | Young, Edward E.; Jacobs, Alfred Henry; Matthew A. Little (owner/builder) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & Early 20th Century Revivals: Spanish Colonial Revival/Art Deco |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still operating as a hotel with restaurant and commercial space; ground floor storefronts heavily altered while upper floors are largely intact. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 37.78584, -122.41145 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 98001195.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q65079205
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.