Sep 11, 07 | 1:57 am
By Randy Shaw
After the 1906 earthquake, San Francisco's civic leadership sought to show that the city was rebounding by promptly undertaking a series of building projects. Among them was the construction of the Cadillac Hotel at Eddy and Leavenworth Streets. As the Cadillac prepares to celebrate a public 100th Birthday Party on September 19, most San Franciscans are likely unaware of the hotel's unique place in the city's history. The Cadillac was a "supportive housing" hotel before that term existed, and was the first San Francisco residential hotel (SRO) whose dilapidations brought renovation, rather than demolition. Senator Dianne Feinstein was on the Board of Cadillac owner Leroy Looper's original drug-treatment programs well prior to her becoming the city's mayor, and Donald Fisher had an unfortunate stint as the hotel's owner prior to launching the GAP. In many respects, the history of the Cadillac is the history of San Francisco.
On September 19 from 5:00-7:00pm, San Franciscans will have a unique opportunity to get a living history lesson in one of the city's most storied buildings. The Cadillac Hotel is celebrating its 100th Birthday, and will open its doors for an event featuring comments from former residents, a slide show on the hotel's revival in the 1970's, food, music (on the Hotel's 19th Century Steinway concert grand piano), photos of the hotel's history, and much more.
The Cadillac's history is remarkably interlocked with San Francisco's past 100 years.
Built in 1907 to send a message that the city was coming back from the 1906 quake stronger than ever, the Cadillac was once a place where guests checked their furs at the front desk and there was a furrier service to ensure they were properly cared for.
Those were the golden years of San Francisco, and the Cadillac's mammoth size---180 rooms plus a ballroom, in addition to significant ground-floor retail space---made it a popular destination for those visiting the city on a short-term basis.
Through the early 1950's, the Tenderloin was a place where people came to have fun. Longtime San Francisco political leader John Burton loved the neighborhood in those days, and recalled the Cadillac as one of the many hotels where men could meet women before spending a night on the town.
The Cadillac always had long-term residents and never catered to the nightly tourist trade. It may be the only SRO in history to contain an entire boxing gym (Newman's), where Muhammad Ali once trained prior to becoming heavyweight champion.
(It is said that Billy Newman helped Ali when he was on his way back from the 1960 Olympics. Ali hadn't fought a professional fight at that point, and apparently he ran out of money at the San Francisco airport. Newman helped him for a few days, letting him use the gym and lending him money.)
The Cadillac thrived in the days when the Tenderloin was an all-night town where people entered bars and everyone knew their name. Burton reports that one could "make book" (place a bet) in almost every Tenderloin restaurant, and that folks getting off work in the early A.M. would come down to the neighborhood to eat, drink, and make merry.
But the election of Republican Mayor George Christopher in 1957 soon spelled the end of good times for the Tenderloin, as well as nearby Market Street. Christopher had vowed to "clean up" San Francisco, and this meant eliminating colorful facades on Market Street theaters, demolishing the historic Fox Theatre, and stopping bookmaking activities in the Tenderloin.
