RECENT RESEARCH — A newly unearthed photograph showing the north side of the 600 block of Commercial Street, San Francisco, in the aftermath of the earthquake and fires of 1906 reveals, for the first time, visual evidence of the fate of the building that housed the Eureka Lodgings, where Emperor Norton lived from 1864–65 until his death in 1880. Our analysis of the photo sharpens the focus on the identities and locations of the buildings along this stretch — and exactly what each building suffered in 1906. Includes our highly researched new infographic that can be used as a tool for understanding the history of this location.

The Emperor Norton Trust

TO HONOR THE LIFE + ADVANCE THE LEGACY OF JOSHUA ABRAHAM NORTON

RESEARCH • EDUCATION • ADVOCACY

Filtering by Tag: 1909

Emperor Norton in the Happy Valley Room

March 04, 2025  /  John Lumea

The beloved Emperor Norton mural at the Palace Hotel, in San Francisco, had its public debut at the Palace 90 years ago today — on 4 March 1935. 

The mural is one of two that were painted at the time by Antonio Sotomayor. The other features Lotta Crabtree and George Washington II.

Today, both murals are in the "lounge" room of the Pied Piper Bar & Lounge. 

But, this is not where they started out. In fact, the murals have been in their current location for only the last 34 years of their 90-year history. 

Did you know that Maxfield Parrish's famous 1909 painting "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" originally was in a different room — and that the room the painting now presides over originally was a barber shop? 

Have you ever heard of the Happy Valley cocktail lounge — and do you know what made the Happy Valley distinctive?  

Pull up a chair for a deep-dive into the forgotten story of these Sotomayor murals — including the Norton mural, which has kept the Emperor’s benevolent spirit alive among Palace Hotel drinkers and diners for 90 years.

Read More
Share
categories / Research, Original sources, Tributes, Places, ARENA
tags / Art, painting, mural, Palace Hotel, Antonio Sotomayor, Happy Valley Room, Happy Valley, cocktail lounge, bar, Pied Piper, Maxfield Parrish, barber shop, Bernard Bernhard, George Bernhard, Alma Spreckels, Art Digest, floor plan, menu, postcard, matchbook, 1877, 1882, 1886, 1909, 1935, 1989, 1991

The Other Side of Bagley Place

April 07, 2021  /  John Lumea

In recent years, there have been several claims on social media and elsewhere that Emperor Norton’s funeral in 1880 took place on the northeast corner of Bagley Place and O'Farrell Street, in San Francisco — on (or nearest to) the site of a building, still standing, that opened in 1910 as a bank; that in the last decade has housed an Emporio Armani store; and that today is home to the Museum of Ice Cream.

The temptation to connect this site to the Emperor’s funeral is understandable. The heavy, domed, stone-clad, temple-like edifice that now occupies the site has more than a touch of the funereal. Until very recently, the building had on the O’Farrell Street side medieval-looking, vault-like wooden doors that only added to the effect.

But, most likely, Emperor Norton’s funeral was across the street.

Read More
Share
categories / Research, Places, Original sources
tags / funeral, 16 O'Farrell Street, O'Farrell Street, Bagley Place, Lockhart & Porter, coroner, morgue, Savings Union Bank building, Kohler & Chase building, San Francisco directory, Sanborn Fire Map, Emperor Norton Map of the World, 1879, 1880, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1921

© 2025 The Emperor Norton Trust  |  Site design: Alisha Lumea  |  Background: Original image courtesy of Erica Fischer