Prolific architect H. C. Baumann designed the Gaylord Hotel in the Spanish Colonial Revival style inspired by the buildings of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego. The style was especially popular for large buildings such as apartments and public institutions.

The Gaylord Hotel is located in the Lower Nob Hill Apartment Hotel District. When we photographed it in 2004, it was operating as a hotel under named Gaylord Suites.