Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE FAIRMONT
SAN FRANCISCO
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The magnificent Fairmont San Francisco was originally intended to be a monument to James Gra-
ham Fair. “Bonanza Jim” was one of San Francisco's wealthiest citizens, having struck it rich in a
Nevada silver mine. He left his great fortune to his daughters, Tessie and Virginia Fair when he
died in 1894. They began construction of the hotel in 1902 but, as time passed, their dreams became
a burden. The sisters sold the property in 1906 to Herbert and Hartland Law, in exchange for two
existing office buildings at Mission and New Montgomery Streets.
The hotel was not yet open when the Laws took over, but the massive structure was completed
and the interior furnishings had been delivered. The hotel was purchased on April 6, less than two
weeks before the great San Francisco earthquake and fire was to all but level the city. Photographs
show The Fairmont standing proudly at the top of the hill, while all around there was devastation
and rubble. The elegant building escaped the earthquake damage but the fires, which burned un-
controllably, finally reached the top of Nob Hill 24 hours later.
The Laws took the burden of social responsibility seriously and went ahead with plans to re-
pair, redecorate, and restore The Fairmont. Exactly one year after the earthquake, a grand banquet
celebrating the opening was held, with 600 pounds of turtle, 13,000 oysters, and $5,000 worth of
California and French wines. That evening, fireworks illuminated not only the beautiful new hotel,
but also the 1,000 ships at anchor in the Bay and City Hall and all the buildings that had risen from
the ashes of nature's wrath. San Francisco was alive and well again.
The Fairmont became the social hub of the City. Some wealthy families, displaced by the
earthquake, took up residence there for many years. Meanwhile, the Law brothers hired the Palace
Hotel Company to manage The Fairmont. Shortly thereafter, Tessie (Fair) Oelrichs returned to her
beloved City after her husband passed away while on a transatlantic crossing. She once again became
the owner and hostess par excellence of San Francisco's most famous hotel.
In 1917, D. M. Linnard, who owned a chain of hotels in California, took over the manage-
ment, and in 1924, bought the controlling interest from the Oelrichs family. Linnard sold The
Fairmont to George Smith in1929. Smith, a mining engineer, had just completed the Mark Hop-
kins Hotel. He immediately undertook a major renovation, including adding an indoor pool,
named the Fairmont Plunge.
