141. 장주암 선생님의 Palace Hotel, San Francisco 안내 설명

https://youtu.be/5ksgvxi6viw

조선의 보빙사가 묵어간 Palace Hotel in San Francisco (현재 메리어트 그룹 소유로 쉐라톤 팰리스 호텔)

-

Palace Hotel은 캘리포니아 주 샌프란시스코의 유서 깊은 랜드마크 호텔로 마켓과 뉴몽고메리 거리의 남서쪽 모퉁이에 있습니다. 이 호텔은 1906년 샌프란시스코 지진으로 인한 화재로 전소된 후 철거된 원래의 1875년 팰리스 호텔과 구별하기 위해 "신" 팰리스 호텔이라고도 합니다. 현재 건물은 1909년 12월 19일 이전 건물과 같은 부지에 문을 열었습니다. 이 호텔은 1989년 1월부터 1991년 4월까지 2년간의 리노베이션과 내진 보강 공사를 위해 문을 닫았습니다. 도시 블록의 대부분을 차지하는 이 호텔의 현재 100년 이상 된 9층짜리 본관은 BART Montgomery Street Station과 Monadnock Building 바로 옆에 있으며 Lotta's Fountain 에서 Market Street 건너편에 있습니다. Palace Hotel은 National Trust for Historic Preservation의 공식 프로그램인 Historic Hotels of America의 일원입니다.

.

1883년 9월 2일, 8명의 보빙사절단이 조선의 황제 고종의 명을 받고 배를 타고 태평양을 건너 금문교 아래를 지나서 샌프란시스코 다운타운에 있는 세계에서 가장 크고 호화로운 팰리스 호텔에 머물렀습니다. 고종이 조미통상조약으로 자동차 2대를 보낸 미국에 감사의 뜻으로 갓쓰고 도포입은 #보빙사 들을 보낸것입니다. 조선이 미국에 보낸 최초의 이 공식 외교 사절단은 고종의 내탕금으로 금 50냥씩을 받아와 1박에 1불씩 내고 이 호텔에 묵었습니다. 그 당시 SF 상공회의소는 보빙사 일행을 위해 300여명의 상인을 초청하여 환영 연회를 열어 주었습니다. 이 8명은 대부분 유창한 영어를 구사하며 화려한 한복 옷차림으로 당당히 파티장에 나타나 거침없이 소통하며 하객들과 어울렸습니다. 보빙사 일행은 박람회, 병원, 소방서 등 여러 공공기관을 시찰한 뒤 동부에서 미국 대통령까지 만나고 한국에 돌아가 그들이 본 신세계의 신기하고 귀한 기계화와 산업화를 한국에 소개했습니다. 그들은 그 미국에서 환영받았고 또 아주 열정적으로 무역에 대해서 미국인들과 아이디어도 주고받았습니다. 또한, 고종은 이 보빙사들에게 동양에서 가장 먼저 한양에 전차를 유치시키라는 밀명을 주어 보빙사들은 그 밀명을 완벽하게 수행했습니다. 후일 조선을 침탈한 일본군들이 조선에 전차를 보고 놀라 구경하고 올라타보며 신기해 했다고 종군기자 잭 런던은 전하고 있습니다.

.

#PalaceHotel , a member of Historic Hotels of America since 2010, dates back to 1875.

.

A member of Historic Hotels of America since 2010, the Palace Hotel in is one of the most renowned destinations active in American today. It is also the most historic in downtown San Francisco, having first debuted before an enthusiastic public at the height of the Gilded Age. The building was the brainchild of William Chapman Ralston, a wealthy financier who had originally co-founded the Bank of California. Using his position within the bank, he invested $5 million of its assets toward developing what he hoped would be the grandest hotel west of the Mississippi River. Ralston subsequently hired John P. Gaynor to craft the appearance of such a building. Using the best resources available, Gaynor designed a towering, seven-story structure that dominated the local skyline. It featured beautiful hues of white and gold, as well as ornate, 14-foot-high ceilings replete with lavish decorations. Each one of its 755 guestrooms contained the best amenities of the day, including an innovative electronic call button that could summon a member of the hotel’s concierge. Perhaps the most stunning aspect Gaynor created was a huge central courtyard known as the “Grand Court.” Topped with a gorgeous skylight, the space extended the full length of the building. Many white double columns lined the expanse of the Grant Court, which was large enough to accept numerous carriages as they dropped off arriving guests. When the Palace Hotel finally opened in 1875, it truly did impress all who stepped inside. Its unprecedented luxury quickly made it an incredibly popular social gathering spot in San Francisco, hosting thousands of people every year. Among the patrons were some of nation’s most influential individuals, including U.S. Presidents like Ulysses S. Grant, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt.

.

Unfortunately, Ralston never lived to see the success of the Palace Hotel—he died just two months before its debut. Nevertheless, the Palace Hotel continued to thrive until the cataclysmic San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. While the building managed to endure the calamity, it was still in dire need of a comprehensive renovation. Its owners thus initiated an ambitious three-year-long restoration that completely revitalized the historic Palace Hotel. Indeed, the structure possessed countless new facilities upon its anticipated reopening in 1909. Designed by the architectural firm Trowbridge & Livingston, the reborn Palace Hotel featured a wealth of new outstanding architectural details that reflected the reigning concepts of Renaissance Revivalism. Its interior floorplan had many ornate public spaces that added to its reinvigorated palatial character. For instance, the resplendent Garden Court—replacing the Grand Court—contained a wonderful stained-glass ceiling that cost some $7 million to create, as well as a massive series of Ionic columns. Its Pied Piper Bar also amazed with a 16-foot mural painted by Maxfield Parrish that depicted the mythic Pied Piper of Hameilin. These new facilities only further solidified the Palace Hotel’s reputation as one of America’s leading hostelries, and it resumed entertaining many illustrious people over the following decades. In 1919, for instance, President Woodrow Wilson specifically arranged to have a massive dinner party held at the hotel in an attempt to galvanize support for the Versailles Treaty and the League of Nations. Then in 1945, the Palace Hotel played host to dozens of international dignitaries who were ironically in San Francisco to inaugurate the founding of the United Nations.

.

After operating as part of Sheraton Hotels & Resorts for a time, the Palace Hotel was subsequently sold to a Japanese company known as the Kyo-Ya group during the 1970s. Kyo-Ya Hotels and Resorts oversaw the hotel’s operations throughout the remainder of the century, ultimately shuttering operations for yet another extensive renovation in 1989. The project was massive in scope, as it hoped to authentically preserve every aspect of the Palace Hotel’s rich architectural motifs. Taking years to finish, the entire project ultimately cost a breathtaking $150 million in funding! But the construction was nonetheless worth it, as the building once more teemed with the same vitality that first defined it back in the late 19th century. (Similar renovations transpired in the 21st century, which saw additional work done to the hotel’s historic pool facility, promenade, and iconic Garden Court.) Now managed by Marriott International, the Palace Hotel is still among the best places to stay in all of San Francisco, let alone California. It has received countless awards for its unrivaled hospitality, too, including an Award of Excellence for “Best Historic Hotel (Over 400 Guestrooms)” from Historic Hotels of America. And the preservation of its historical identity has also earned the praise of many professional organizations, such as the American Institute of Architects, the California Heritage Council, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Indeed, the City of San Francisco has even designated the building as one of its cherished historical landmarks. No avid cultural heritage traveler should pass on an opportunity to make a trip out to the legendary Palace Hotel.

.

+++