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Building History

The architectural firm of Meyer and O'Brien, which existed between 1902-1908, designed this hotel following the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 04/18-19/1906. The Cadillac Hotel, had a central light court, allowing daylighting into interior rooms and providing a greater number of fire escape routes. Richard Gately was the hotel's manager in 1908. (See “Frank Kennedy Not Accused,” San Francisco Call, vol. 104, no. 48, 07/18/1908, p. 8.)

This management team did not stay long at the Cadillac's helm. The San Francisco Call reported in 09/1909: "“The Cadillac hotel company, through O.L. McMahon & Co., has sold all of the personal property, furniture, fixtures, etc., contained in the hotel at the northeast corner of Eddy and Leavenworth streets to Caroline W. Trewella. The Cadillac hotel is a four-story terra cotta pressed brick structure, containing 165 rooms or apartments in suites or single, with private bath and every modern convenience. This hotel will be under the management of Albert Kendall, formerly proprietor of the Langham and Windsor hotels.” (See “Make Important Sales,” San Francisco Call, vol. 106, no. 96, 09/04/1909, p. 8.)

Donald Fisher (1928-2009), the future billionaire owner of the Gap, owned the Cadillac Hotel in the 1960s.

When community activists Leroy Looper (1924-2011) and Kathy Looper bought the hotel in 1977, only 7% of its 200 rooms could used; the others had been allowed to deteriorate. The Loopers' Realty House West organization made the Cadillac the first non-profit single-room occupancy hotel in CA.

Reality House West, a non-profit housing organization that focused on serving senior citizens, ex-convicts and ex-addicts, purchased the Cadillac Hotel in 1977, when one-third of its 159 rooms were condemned as a unlivable. Using former convicts to do the labor, the building had rehabilitated 110 of its rooms by 04/1980, when 75 were rented to seniors and 35 were leased to ex-offenders. (See Patty Mantia, "'No Vacancy'--Sign of the Times," Historic Preservation, vol. 32, no.4 , 07-08/1980, p. 18.)

Building Notes

The Cadillac Hotel, was built with two street addresses, 366-394 Eddy Street and 300-324 Leavenworth Street, on the northwest corner of the Eddy and Leavenworth intersection in San Francisco, CA.

It operated a cafe for guests in 1908.

In 2020, the Cadillac Hotel billed itself as the first non-profit single-room occupancy (SRO) hotel west of the Mississippi. It had 156 units, with 12 rooms reserved for homeless seniors and/or disabled people “…who require referral from social worker.” (See Wikia.org, “Cadillac Hotel,” accessed 10/12/2020.) A $105 security deposit was required of guests.