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When the Palace Hotel Became Urgent Care
When the Palace Hotel Became Urgent Care
Words and Photos Provided by Terry Ommen
Many drive or walk past the 148-year-old Palace Hotel building, unaware of its history. Although it dominates the northeast corner of Main and Court streets in Visalia, the large and mostly unadorned structure doesn’t attract much attention. Though the exteriors lack eye-popping glitz, its interiors contain captivating history. Uncovering the hotel's past reveals its role in much of Visalia's history.
The hostelry was the brainchild of Visalia pioneer Solomon Sweet, who introduced it to the town at a gala grand opening ceremony on Oct 12, 1876, with sitting California Governor William Irwin as the guest of honor. His presence foretold the significance the Palace would hold in the town.
The two-story brick hotel was a first-class structure that gave Visalia a metropolitan flair. The second floor held the guest rooms while the ground level offered retail spaces. It had a restaurant and provided buggy service for guests needing transportation to and from the train depot. It even offered hot and cold water for bathing. While it was a popular hotel, many are unfamiliar with its use as an emergency medical facility for the sick and injured.
In 1884, Thomas Fowler, a wealthy cattleman, Mineral King mining entrepreneur, and former state senator representing Tulare County, unexpectedly found himself in the hotel. Upon returning to Tulare County after a business trip to San Francisco, he wasn't feeling well.
He had also injured himself, having fallen from a train in Goshen. When he arrived in Visalia, he felt terrible and checked himself into the Palace. When he called for medical help, a Dr. King arrived and treated him. A short time after the doctor left his side, Fowler passed away, leaving behind a wife and three children. The Fresno County town of Fowler was named in Thomas Fowler’s honor.
In 1893, again the hotel became, in part, a makeshift hospital. This time it was for Deputy U.S. Marshal Fred E. Jackson, a member of the posse on the hunt for local train robbers John Sontag and Christopher Evans. In June 1893, the officers confronted the pair of outlaws near Stone Corral, and Jackson received a serious gunshot wound in the battle. He was quickly taken by wagon to Visalia for treatment, and placed in a room at the Palace. Drs. Bernhard and Patterson treated his wound and even though he survived, his left leg had to be amputated. Using a prosthesis, Jackson continued to serve as a lawman for many years after the incident.
Less than a year later, the hotel would again serve as an emergency room. In April 1894, the Fresno Athletic Club baseball team came to Visalia to play the local squad. Charley Button was pitching for Visalia and by the fifth inning, Visalia was leading 7-0. When 18-year-old Frank Chance, Fresno’s star player, came up to bat, Button threw an inside pitch. Chance ducked, but not quickly enough. The ball struck him on the head knocking him to the ground. Visalia doctor E.D.
Farrow was in attendance and rushed to Chance's side. Dr. Farrow resuscitated the unconscious Fresno player, who was immediately taken to the Palace Hotel. The game was stopped as players from both teams rushed to the injured athlete’s aid. As Chance became more coherent, the Fresno team decided to return their teammate back to Fresno on the midnight train. Chance recovered from his injury. About four years later, Frank Chance debuted with the Chicago Cubs. While there, he became part of the famous double play combination known as “Tinker to Evers to Chance”. The all-time great ballplayer was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1946.
More than celebrities used the Palace for medical treatment. In August 1929, the Drake family's single-story wood-framed house near Visalia caught fire and the blaze spread quickly. Mrs. Drake tried to save some of her personal possessions, and in the process, she suffered extensive burns to her shoulders, arms, and face. Her home was totally destroyed, but she survived her injuries after she was taken to the Palace and treated by Dr. Wiese.
The Palace served not only as a hospital, but also as a doctor’s office and clinic. A number of traveling medical doctors and specialists found the hotel rooms to be convenient temporary quarters to “hang out their shingles.” One such specialist was Dr. H. Ehrlich, a German-born self-described eye, ear, nose, and throat surgeon. He made regular monthly trips to Visalia in 1901 and 1902. In advance of his Palace Hotel visits, he advertised his treatments in local newspapers: “[H] undreds of people suffering with weak eyes have thrown away their glasses and are able to see again.” In the 1930s and 1940s, J.H. Matchett, a traveling chiropodist and foot specialist from Oakland, California, made regular monthly visits to Visalia promising “everlasting foot comfort.” He had plenty of local patients visiting him at his room in the Palace.
After the Palace Hotel turned about 50 years old, it seemed to lose much of its glamour. In the 1930s, the Palace began transitioning from a glitzy hotel to an apartment building. Part of the reason for its decline was due to its age, but the economics of the Great Depression also played a part. By 1936, a room or apartment in the Palace Hotel rented for $15 per month which included “water, lights and a parking space.” Its glory days as a first-class hotel were over.
In keeping with its medical history, the ground floor retail spaces have frequently been home to many drug stores and pharmacies over the years with names like W.B. Wells, Charette, Harriman, Adams, and Mixter’s.
Today, although no guests occupy its rooms upstairs, the Palace continues to be home to retail businesses and plenty of amazing history.
