Occidental Palace

  

Occidental Palace
Aerial view of the Occidental Palace
General information
Architectural style	Châteauesque
Address	1858 Columbia Place, Holmby Hills, Porciúncula, Gold Coast
Current tenants	Queen Elizabeth II of Sierra and the Royal Family
Construction started	March 15, 1878 (1878-03-15)
Completed	December 7, 1880 (1880-12-07)
Technical details
Floor area	56,500 sq ft (5,250 m2)
Design and construction
Architect	Chester Gazaway

The Occidental Palace is the primary official residence and administrative workplace of the monarch of Sierra. It is located in Holmby Hills, a neighborhood in northwest Porciúncula, Gold Coast. Completed in 1880, the palace was used as the new permanent residence for the Sierran monarch and the Royal Family after the St. Francis Palace in the Presidio of San Francisco City was burned down by Republican forces during the Sierran Civil War. It is one of the six official residences of the Sierran Royal Family. Important state ceremonies and processions are held at the Palace including the inauguration of the Prime Minister and other state officials and royal funerals.

Designed by Canadian-born architect Chester Gazaway, the Occidental Palace is built in the Châteauesque style and was modeled off of French Renaissance chateaus. The property underwent further renovations and expansions during the Sierran Cultural Revolution under Louis I. Office building annexes and underground facilities were constructed after World War II to accommodate the Royal Household's offices and the Privy Council. Once open to the public nearly year-round, access to the Occidental Palace has been generally limited to only ten weeks during the summer since 1970 due to heightened security concerns of dissident republican attacks against the monarch and members of the Royal Family.

The Occidental Palace is owned by the Her Royal Majesty's Government and held in trust by the Stuart-Miller Estate, which leases the palace to the Queen and her royal family for a peppercorn payment of an orange and a bouquet of roses of Sharon and golden poppies per annum for 999 years.

History

The land on which the Occidental Palace now occupies was once the homeland of the Tongva Amerindians. The land was later known as Rancho San Jose de Buenos Ayres, which was granted by Alta California Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Maximo Alanis. It remained under the ownership and management of Alanis after the Mexican-American War. In 1858, before California was reformed as Sierra, Alanis sold the land to Anglo-American Benjamin Davis Wilson.

Public access and security

The Occidental Palace Complex is protected by the Queen's Guard, the Sierran Secret Service, and the Royal Park Service Police. In addition, the airspace directly above the Occidental Palace is restricted and closely monitored by the Sierran Royal Air Force.

Public access has been limited to ten weeks in the summertime, allowing members of the public to tour the entire Palace grounds with Royal Park Service tour guides. All members of the public must enter the grounds via the Occidental Palace Reception Building where they must be screened for contraband items, weapons, food, drink, electronic devices, and other prohibited items. Photography and video recording of the premises is strictly forbidden under federal regulations and is only allowed by authorized members of the press, Occidental Palace staff, and Royal Park Service staff. It is a federal offense to trespass the Occidental Palace and it carries a minimum sentencing of two years in prison.

See also

• List of Sierran royal residences