When the San Francisco Architectural Heritage recently announced that San Francisco’s Palace Hotel had removed the iconic Maxfield Parrish painting from the Pied Piper Bar and Grill in anticipation of a planned sale at auction both locals and patrons were in dismay.

According to San Francisco Architectural Heritage, “Positioned prominently above the oak bar, ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’ has been the centerpiece of the establishment since the Palace reopened in 1909 after the city’s great earthquake and fire”.

The Palace stated, “It is no longer practical for the hotel to display an original work of this value and cultural significance in a public area.”  They also said that the owners had engaged with Christie’s in New York City to oversee the sale of the piece.

Based on the news the San Francisco Architectural Heritage posted a status on their Facebook page asking their fans to sign a petition to save the painting and keep it from being sold. The status update read, “Bring ‘The Pied Piper’ Home! A petition is now available online to protest the removal and planned sale of the Maxfield Parrish painting at the Pied Piper Bar and Grill. Stop the sale of San Francisco’s cultural legacy!”

In just two days they received over 1,000 Likes on their page and over 760 signatures on the petition. And, when it was announced that The Pied Piper would not be sold, they shared it via another Facebook status update, “Breaking news! The Palace Hotel has withdrawn its intention to sell ‘The Pied Piper’ after intense public outcry. We’ll provide more information as it becomes available. Thank you to the nearly 1,000 people who signed the petition!”

Using Facebook to get the word out and rally public support is just one example of using Facebook for a good cause. What are some of your favorite examples?

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