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

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Filtering by Tag: 2017

Filtering by Author: John Lumea

The "Emperor Norton" Disappeared from the Ghirardelli Menu a Decade Earlier Than Believed

February 16, 2021  /  John Lumea

In the 17 years since the San Francisco Chronicle noted in 2004 that the Emperor Norton Sundae no longer was on the menu at the Ghirardelli ice cream shop in San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square, the conventional wisdom has held that 2004 was when the “Emperor Norton” was removed.

But, I always have pointed out that 2004 is when the absence was noticed and reported as news — the removal itself could have happened earlier.

Turns out I was right. But, the cherry on top may be that the Emperor Norton Sundae has been hiding in plain sight at Ghirardelli — under a different name — for 20-plus years.

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categories / Research, Tributes, Original sources
tags / Emperor Norton Sundae, Ghirardelli, Domingo Ghirardelli Sundae, Cammy Blackstone, San Francisco Chronicle, Leah Garchik, San Francisco Examiner, Rachel Gordon, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2002, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019

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