Qualla: Hostess House

Hostess House: Introduction

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Sanfranman59, CC BY-SA 3.0. When Camp Fremont was training soldiers for the Western Front, the YWCA built a comfortable house where servicemen could receive visits from their families. The Hostess House, constructed in 1918 in Palo Alto, was designed to provide a dignified meeting place during a time when military discipline kept soldiers confined to base. When Camp Fremont was demolished after the war, the Hostess House survived -- one of the very few physical traces of the Peninsula's World War I military presence.

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Image: Sanfranman59 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Hostess House: A Place for Families

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jonathunder, Public domain. The concept was simple and humane: soldiers stationed at Camp Fremont needed a space to see their wives, parents, and children that was neither a barracks nor a public street. The YWCA designed and built the Hostess House as that space -- warm, welcoming, and appropriate for fami...

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Image: Jonathunder | Public domain

Hostess House: The Last Trace

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Stephen Lea, CC BY-SA 3.0. After Camp Fremont closed in 1919, its wooden buildings were quickly dismantled. The Hostess House endured, eventually becoming a historic landmark in Palo Alto. It now stands as a tangible connection to a military chapter that most Peninsula residents have forgotten -- a reminde...

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Image: Stephen Lea | CC BY-SA 3.0