page_title: Westin St. Francis
section_title: 1950s to the present
hierarchical_section_title: Westin St. Francis / History / 1950s to the present
context_page_description: The Westin St. Francis, formerly known as St. Francis Hotel, is a luxury hotel located on Powell and Geary Streets on Union Square in San Francisco, California. The two twelve-story south wings of the hotel were built in 1904, and the double-width north wing was completed in 1913, initially as apartments for permanent guests. The 32-story, 120 m tower to the rear completed in 1972 features exterior glass elevators that offer panoramic views of the bay and the square below, making the St. Francis one of the largest hotels in the city, with more than 1,200 rooms and suites.
context_section_description: In April 1951, the St. Francis hosted General Douglas MacArthur, who received a tumultuous welcome when he returned from Korea after having been dismissed from command by President Harry Truman. Entertainer Al Jolson died while playing cards in his suite at the St. Francis on October 23, 1950—Jolson had just returned from entertaining the troops in Korea.
  The St. Francis was still owned by the Crocker family until the end of World War II, when the Crocker family sold it to hotel magnate Ben Swig, who then sold it to Edwin B. DeGolia. In 1954, the hotel became the twenty-third property in the Seattle-based Western Hotels chain, which eventually became Western International.
  With its acquisition by Western Hotels, the hotel was changed from a home of elderly San Francisco socialites, some of whom lived in large suites, to a modern hotel focusing on tourism and especially conventions. The old Mural Room, decorated by Albert Herter in 1913 with seven murals comprising The Pageant of Nations, a banquet and ballroom which had hosted many of America's famous big bands, was replaced in 1970 by a six hundred room tower, designed to help the St. Francis compete with The Fairmont, its rival on nearby Nob Hill. Architect William Pereira designed the new building, which was completed in 1972. The murals were rolled up and removed to storage.
  The St. Francis became the hotel where Republican presidents stayed when in San Francisco, while Democratic presidents usually stayed at the Fairmont. President Gerald Ford was almost shot while leaving the hotel on September 22, 1975 by a woman named Sara Jane Moore. A former Marine,  Oliver Sipple, moved her hand so that Ford was not hit. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan were guests of the hotel. The St. Francis also hosted many world leaders, including Queen Elizabeth II and Emperor Hirohito of Japan.
  When Western International became Westin Hotels in 1981, the hotel was also renamed, becoming The Westin St. Francis.
  In March 2016, Anbang Insurance Group, a Beijing-based Chinese insurance company, purchased the property as part of a $6.5 billion deal involving the St. Francis and 15 other luxury hotels and resorts.
  In April 2018, the hotel completed a four-year renovation of its landmark building at a cost of $45 million. Work included redecorating guest rooms and corridors, enlarging some bathrooms to include walk-in showers and upgrades to elevator systems.
caption: President Gerald Ford, Secret Service personnel and bystanders pictured outside the St. Francis immediately after an assassination attempt by Sara Jane Moore.
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