Year: 1870




From the Overland Monthly of August


One would hardly suppose that there is in
vested in the five principal hotels of San Fran
cisco capital to the amount of 81, 300, 900, and
that their annual income is nearly So, ,000, 600.
Yet this is perfectly true of the five hotels which
are known as the Grand, Occidental, Cosmopol-
itan, Lick and Russ and they are about as dis
similar in their respective characteristics as
they are in their titles.


The first mentioned of these is the one last
constructed, and the one which has stepped with
the CELEBRITY of all new and large hotels to the
pinnacle of hotel fame in San Francisco, namely
% The Grand Hotel" 1t has become the home
of the weathier of the otel-paTonizing families
of the community, and is the caravansary of the
Eastern visitor in particular. OF such are the
inmates of the Grand Hotel and while the tastes
of so large class run in such channels there
will always be a Grand Hotel wherein they may
find their qualification. 1t supplies want
which, previous to it's construction, was divided
among the Occidental Lick and Cosmopolitan,
none of which were sufficiently distinctive in
character to exactly meet the requirements of
that particular patronage. The capital invested
in the Grand is over 81 900, but it is paying
investment, and it is regarded with some little
pride as tolerably representative hotel.


The Occidental opened with wonderful ad-
vantages in the shape of good set of permanent
people, with tt large and dihused acquaintance,
that rapidly brought the hotel all it could at
tend to but then travel increased to such an eX-
tent they all had plenty to do, and ere long the
necessity for "A new and large hotel became so
apparent that the Grand stepped in to fill the
place. The Lick, which has always had less of
the transient custom than any other, has been
par exceHeRce the family hotel of San Francisco,
even as the Everett House the family hotel
of Boston. The " Lick House set " was as dis
tinct branch of society rs it is well possible to
4 a. n,.s atale eafll


lively opposition But the Occidental and Lick
House sets have disappeared they have been
scattered broadcast into many places, and the
old rivalry is almost forgotten, and is fast fad
ing into oblivion. The Lick maintains its fam
lily characteristics as much as ever and with
the exception of few theatrical people, at
tracted thither by the former proclvties of its
proprietor it sees but little Of the transient busi
ness. The Occidental has a steady family sea-
soning, in addition to its large Eastern business
and is capable of accommodating $50 persons,
which it does most of the time. 1t yields an
income Of $6O0i0O0 per annum, and its rental
is 500, 900.


The Cosmopolitan Hotel is favored from gar
ret to basement with thorough Washoe flavor.
The Comstock built the Cosmopolitan and all
Nevada, when it comes to town, puts up at the
Cosmopolitan. 1t opened under Washoe infu-
ences, when San Francisco talked of nothing but
" feet"


The Rrss House is essentially and distinctvely
transient in the character of its patronage, with
just or two families thrown in as a sort of
moorings, or nuclues, for the more ephemeral
portion. Here you meet your friend from the
country, and it is his headquarters, while he
negotiates with capital for an advance on his
Fall crop, purchases stock of groceries for
his store in some inland village. 1t has just
enough of the city flavor to give him all the
spice of novelty he wants, while the appoint
ments table, and general arrangements of the
house are plain and subdued enough to make
him feel at his ease. 1t must not be supposed
from these remarks, that the Russ is inferior as
a hotel on the contrary, it is just as good as
any in the city, and differs from them only in
the respect that it is conducted on plan caicu-
lated to meet the requirements Of its peculiar
class of customers. Country folks like the Russ;
and the minute they land in the city they go to
it at once. The hotel people know them at
sight, and are on terms of intimate acquaintance
with them, even if they have never been in the
city before they know all their friends, and
when they were in town last; and, in Short are
walking compilations Of just that particular
kind of information that country folks most
want. Then, at the Russ, Squoggles and Brown
are sure to meet any other Sskiyouan or San
Diegoan who is in town, who left the week be-
fore they did, or who was to start next day. 1t
is far pleasanter to spend their spare time in the
city in company with each other and the fact
of one Siskiyouan seeing the city sights in com
pany with another Siskiyouan greatly enhances
his enjoyment of them The Russ fronts 275
feet on Montgomery street, and 1870 on Pine and
Bush. 1t contains $50 rooms, and has accom-
modated, at times, as many as 800 people The
land upon which it stands is worth about $780,
900, and the building and its furniture 1926, 900.
1t is good investment, and pays the owners
one per cent. a month. The income of the hotel
may be estimated at 100000 per annum or
thereabouts