Overview

This was probably the best-known, gambling house operating in Gold Rush San Francisco, located next to City Hall on Portsmouth Square.

Building History

In his 2000 article, "Popular Culture on the Golden Shore," Gary Kurtz indicated that architect Prosper Huerne could have 'possibly designed" the El Dorado Saloon #2. (See Gary Kurtz, "Popular Culture on the Golden Shore," California History, vol. 79, no. 2, Summer 2000, p. 285.)

Building Notes

The first El Dorado Hotel was a three-story, wood-frame building, while the second appears to have been constructed of more fire-resistant brick. It stood four stories tall, with four openings on each level. The first floor facing Portsmouth Square had three French doors to admit customers, with a fourth door to the right to admit guests to upper stories. Each of the three upper floors had four double-hung windows flanked by shutters. The El Dorado Saloon #2 had a flat roof and stood next door to the grand, Neo-Classical Jenny Lind Theatre, also constructed with a fire-resistant exterior cladding, in this case, cut stone.

PCAD id: 20850