The San Francisco call., 1906-05-31
SHARON ESTATE
PEOPLE BUSY
Will Erect Beautiful
Building on Palace
Site.
What Structure Is to
Be Not Yet Deter
mined On.

The members of the Sharon estate party.
which includes Fred Sharon. Senator New
lands. the young son of the Earl of Hes
keith and H L. Wright, solicitor sor Lady
Hesketh, spent busy day yesterday in 60
ing about the city. looking over the situa-
ton and gazing at the ruins of the Palace
and the Grand hotels and their many other
properties here. No definite conclusion re-
garding the rebuilding of ther structures was
arrived at except that on the Palace site
a magnificent building Will be erected, but
what the structure will be they have not
determined Whether it will be hotel.
surprising in grandeur and beauty the old
Palace, or whether it is to be a great bust
ness block, they have as yet no idea. Sen
ator Newlands said:
I'VE have come here to see what is 10
be done about rebuilding. Naturally, the
Palace site interests us most; This will
have. our first attention, We nave already
decided to put up ~magnincent ,pulloine
there. but what the structure VIII De we
cannot say whether ii is TO be notel
or a business BLOCK. On all sides we hear
expressions of the deepest regret. at the
burning of the old hostelry, which seems
to have been greatly endeared TO the people
of this city 1T was built thirty-hye years
ago, and of course during that time tne
that naturally the surroundings of the old
place have changed. All these changes must
be considered before we can come 10 con-
clusion as TO what We shall erect tnere.
But no matter what II is, | can assure you
ii will be as great an ornament 10 the city
for the future as the old Palace mas peen
in the past We. haven't commenced TO con
slider what We will do with the Grand prop
erty-we want TO settle the future OF the
Palace site first.
We had ali read of and thought we had
fully prepared ourselves for the terrible
losses the city has sustained. but we are
more than amazed at the extent oil the nre,
as IL now appears TO us after visit over
the city. Everybody here however, seems
10 be in unusually good spirits. and all are
looking eagerly forward TO bringing the civ
back to the former great position II neld
before the country and the world at large.
What | particularly noted in coming across
the continent were the remarks OF the peo,
pie in the cities and towns We passed
through. and all these remarks dealt with
the wonderful grit and stamina the people
of this State were showing, and the manner
in which the people of this place were go
ing ahead TO build up the new and greater
San Francisco.
.'Mr. sharon will be here for some
months. and ! shall stay here as long as |
can We are very comfortably fixed at San
Mateo. where w. S. Tevis has turned over
his house to u.s.
Later yesterday afternoon the Sharon
party were the guests of Mr. kirkpatrick
at the Cosmos Club
Every building belonging to the Sharon
estate was destroyed by the fire.
Every topic relating TO the restorass =
tion of the Palace Hotel is of absorb
ing interest to the people of San Fran
cisco. Reports to the effect that II is
intended to reduce the ground area OF the
new structure and diminish the size of
the court produce feeling of general
regret The regret will be worldwide
in expression, as the fame of the hos
telry extended TO every quarter of the
civilized globe. Many a tourist quotes
the lines of Shenstone:
whoe'er has Travelled iife's dull round
Whereer his fortunes may have been,
Nav sigh TO think he still has found
The warmest welcome at inn.
The people of San Francisco would
not deplore the announcement that the
City Hall as ii existed before the fire
would not be restored, but the senti-
ment touching the Palace is different
Memories of the ample court with its
palms and foliage, the grills and ban
quet halls. the spacious dining-rooms,
the wide corridors and the many feat
ures which the lofty hotels of the mod
ern type have excluded, strongly ap
peal to the old-timers and the new
corners. The original cost of the Palace
structure and the land approximated
$5.o00,oo0. 1t is probable that at least
s1,000,000 was expended in remodeling
the interior. The hotel paid a good in
terest on the Investment of s6,000,000.
At Bohemian Club headquarters yes
on the report that the new hotel would
not be like the Palace of old Surprise
was expressed that the managers of
the Sharon estate should deprive the
hotel of ground space to make way
for a commercial or office building
when the fact is obvious that many
steel structures of the class A type
will be erected in the center of the
business district. The accommodations
for offices. stores and the uses of COM
lmerce in general promise to be ample
1t is predicted that hotel of the
Palace type would be a much greater
producer of income than a steel struct
ure could be under conditions now ex-
listing and likely to prevail
Regret is expressed that sentiment
must give way to business considera-
tions and many are the hopes that Col
and Frank G. Newlands will be able
to convince the absent representatives
of the Sharon estate that the Palace
Hotel reconstructed on lines closely ad-
herring to the original edifice which
w. c. Ralston and William Sharon
erected would be more profitable to
the owners than any other form of
! building.