HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
1890 San Francisco Victorian, Once Miss Mary Lake's School for Girls
1590 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Boutique hotel rates; check official site for current pricing.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Historic four-story Victorian with elevator access
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1890 · Queen Anne style Victorian architecture · Original site of Miss Mary Lake's School for Girls
The Queen Anne Hotel was built in 1890 on Sutter Street in San Francisco, in the elaborate Queen Anne style for which it is named. The building's first major use was as Miss Mary Lake's School for Girls, a finishing school where young women received instruction in etiquette, music, and the social skills expected of San Francisco society at the turn of the 20th century.
Miss Mary Lake (1849-1904) served as the school's headmistress. She was, according to surviving accounts, popular with both her students and her staff. Her office occupied the space now numbered Room 410. The school closed in the late 1890s, and Mary Lake remained in San Francisco until 1902 before relocating to Montclair, New Jersey, to live with her half-sister. She died there on her 55th birthday in 1904.
After the school closed, the building cycled through several uses common to large San Francisco Victorians of its era. It was eventually restored and reopened as a boutique hotel under the Queen Anne name. Today it operates as a 48-room independent hotel in the Pacific Heights district.
Sources
The Queen Anne Hotel's haunting is unusual in its character: Mary Lake is consistently described as a helpful rather than threatening presence. Guest reports collected over the hotel's modern operating life describe luggage being unpacked while the guest was out, clothes hung in closets, beds turned down, and occasional reports of guests being tucked in after they had already fallen asleep. A few reports mention champagne or flowers appearing without explanation.
Room 410 is the most reported location. It was the office Mary Lake occupied during her time as headmistress of the finishing school that ran in the building during the 1890s. Lake died in New Jersey in 1904, and the building's lore positions her return as an act of attachment to the place where she spent her professional career rather than as a haunting tied to violence or tragedy.
The hotel acknowledges its ghost in its guest materials and has been featured in regional ghost-tour itineraries, but the reported activity remains consistently gentle.
Notable Entities
Stay in the restored 1890 Victorian hotel, with the option to request Room 410 - the office of former headmistress Mary Lake, the room most associated with the building's haunted reputation.
Some links on this page may earn HauntBound a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial picks are independent. Full disclosure
See current room rates and availability at Queen Anne Hotel.
Check rates and bookRates come from booking partners, so a small property may not be listed. Book direct with Queen Anne Hotel
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Free Guide
10 verified stops, rated for families, mapped in order. Free.
One email to confirm, then the guide link. Unsubscribe anytime.
Austin, TX
Colonel Jesse Lincoln Driskill, a Tennessee-born cattle baron who supplied beef to the Confederate Army and later the Texas Rangers, opened The Driskill Hotel on December 20, 1886. Its first event, two weeks after opening, was the inaugural ball for Texas Governor Sul Ross. Driskill sold the hotel in 1888 after severe drought devastated his cattle herds and died in 1890. The hotel has hosted every Texas governor's inaugural ball since 1887.
Las Vegas, NV
The Aladdin Hotel opened in Las Vegas in 1966 as a major resort and casino property. The hotel underwent renovations and continued operations until its closure in 2003. Planet Hollywood Entertainment acquired the property in 2005, completely renovating and reopening it in 2007 as Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The 7th floor Panorama Suite emerged as the property's most paranormally active location during Aladdin Hotel operations.
Genoa, WI
Big River Inn dates to either 1879 or 1896 (sources vary) in Genoa, Wisconsin. The building originally functioned as a restaurant before evolving into a combined inn and restaurant. It now operates as Water View Inn, maintaining its paranormal reputation while serving contemporary hospitality functions.