Mark Hopkins Hotel - San Francisco

The Mark Hopkins Hotel is located on California Street atop Nob Hill in San Francisco, California.  It was built on the site of the Mark Hopkins mansion.  Hopkins was one of the founders of the Central Pacific Railroad and his mansion stood here from 1878 to 1906.  Hopkins died before the building was completed, but his wife, Mary Hopkins owned the mansion until her death in 1891.  In 1893 the mansion was donated to the San Francisco Art Association and became known as the Mark Hopkins  Institute of Art.  In 1906 the mansion survived the great earthquake, but was destroyed in the subsequent fires.  In the 1920's Mining engineer George Smith purchased the land and hired the architectural firm of Weeks and Day to construct a hotel on the spot.  The French Chateau/Spanish Renaissance building was opened in December of 1926.  In 1939 the famous club Top Of The Mark opened on the 19th floor.  Over the years the hotel has seen many famous guests, from world leaders such as Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Herbert Hoover, to French General Charles de Gaulle, to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.  Musicians ranging from Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman to Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and The Rolling Stones have also stayed at the Mark Hopkins.  The hotel has been designated California Historical Landmark #754 and a San Francisco Designated Landmark.  It is also part of the Historic Hotels of America. There are several plaques on the wall in front of the hotel.

 Submit photo(s) for this home.