San Francisco Landmark #282
Hotel Utah
500-504 4th Street
Built 1908

Hotel Utah was built in 1908 as a saloon and hotel. It was one of many residential hotels South of Market that housed seasonal workers employed in nearby factories. In the 1930s, the saloon was a hangout for gamblers, longshoremen and ladies of the night. Most of the buildings in the neighborhood were razed in the 1940s and 1950s during a period of redevelopment, including almost all of the other residential hotels.

Source: Wikipedia

"....by the ’50s, the ornate wooden barback, imported from Belgium, served as the setting for customers like Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe. In the ’70s, owner Paul Gaer installed a stage and promptly ushered in a new age of live music and comedy, with a little help from opening acts Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg."

Source: Esther Mobley in San Francisco Chronicle, February 21, 2019