InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco
Encyclopedia
The InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco is a luxury hotel located at the top of Nob Hill in San Francisco, California
. The hotel is owned by the InterContinental Hotels Group
. The chain operates over 200 hotels and resorts in approximately 75 nations.
The 19th floor penthouse suite of was converted into the glass-walled Top of the Mark
restaurant cocktail lounge.
Mark Hopkins, one of the founders of the Central Pacific Railroad
, chose the southeastern peak of Nob Hill as the site for a dream home for his wife, Mary. The mansion was completed in 1878, after his death.
Mary Sherwood Hopkins at the age of seventy-three, on her death in 1891, left the Nob Hill mansion and a $70-million estate to her second husband, Edward Francis Searles
. In 1893, Searles donated the building and grounds to the San Francisco Art Association (now San Francisco Art Institute
), for use as a school and museum.
The Mark Hopkins mansion survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
, however, it was destroyed in the three-day fire that followed the earthquake.
Mining engineer and hotel investor George D. Smith purchased the Nob Hill site, removed the Art Association building, and began construction of a luxury hotel. The San Francisco architectural firm Weeks and Day
designed the 19-story hotel, a combination of French château and Spanish ornamentation.
One of the banquet areas, "The Room of The Dons", contains a piece of California history. Nine seven-foot-high panels painted by artists Maynard Dixon
and Frank Von Sloun in 1926 for the hotel's opening decorate the upper walls. One panel shows Queen Califia
and her Amazons set against a gold leaf
sky.
During World War II, the Top Of The Mark lounge was a favored place for Pacific bound servicemen and their sweethearts to meet before being deployed.
In 1962 the hotel was sold by the original owner George D. Smith to San Francisco financier Louis Lurie. In 1973 Lurie's heirs signed a long-term management contract for the Mark Hopkins with InterContinental Hotels Corporation.
The Mark Hopkins became a social center for the City, and is rated AAA Four-Diamond and has won the Gold-Key award.
#754, was commissioned October 20, 1961. It is a recognition of the fact that a place acquired some special significance beyond its geographical location—that it has become exceptional.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The hotel is owned by the InterContinental Hotels Group
InterContinental Hotels Group
InterContinental Hotels Group plc is a global hotels company headquartered in Denham, United Kingdom. It is the largest hotels company in the world measured by rooms , and has over 4,500 hotels across over 100 countries...
. The chain operates over 200 hotels and resorts in approximately 75 nations.
The 19th floor penthouse suite of was converted into the glass-walled Top of the Mark
Top of the Mark
The Top of the Mark is a rooftop bar located at the top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill at California- and Mason Streets in San Francisco, California...
restaurant cocktail lounge.
History
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
, chose the southeastern peak of Nob Hill as the site for a dream home for his wife, Mary. The mansion was completed in 1878, after his death.
Mary Sherwood Hopkins at the age of seventy-three, on her death in 1891, left the Nob Hill mansion and a $70-million estate to her second husband, Edward Francis Searles
Edward Francis Searles
Edward Francis Searles was an interior and architectural designer.-Biography:Searles was born on July 4, 1841, in Methuen, Massachusetts, USA to Jesse Gould Searles and Sarah Searles...
. In 1893, Searles donated the building and grounds to the San Francisco Art Association (now San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the...
), for use as a school and museum.
The Mark Hopkins mansion survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
, however, it was destroyed in the three-day fire that followed the earthquake.
Mining engineer and hotel investor George D. Smith purchased the Nob Hill site, removed the Art Association building, and began construction of a luxury hotel. The San Francisco architectural firm Weeks and Day
Weeks and Day
Weeks and Day was an American architectural firm founded in 1916 by architect Charles Peter Weeks and engineer William Peyton Day ....
designed the 19-story hotel, a combination of French château and Spanish ornamentation.
One of the banquet areas, "The Room of The Dons", contains a piece of California history. Nine seven-foot-high panels painted by artists Maynard Dixon
Maynard Dixon
Maynard Dixon was a 20th-century American artist whose body of work focused on the American West. He was married for a time to American photographer Dorothea Lange.-Biography:...
and Frank Von Sloun in 1926 for the hotel's opening decorate the upper walls. One panel shows Queen Califia
Califia
Calafia is a fictional warrior queen who ruled over a kingdom of Black women living on the mythical Island of California. The character of Queen Calafia was penned by Spanish writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo who first introduced her in his popular novel entitled Las sergas de Esplandián , written...
and her Amazons set against a gold leaf
Metal leaf
Metal leaf, also called composition leaf or schlagmetal, is a thin foil used for decoration. Metal leaf can come in many different shades. Some metal leaf may look like gold leaf but not contain any real gold...
sky.
During World War II, the Top Of The Mark lounge was a favored place for Pacific bound servicemen and their sweethearts to meet before being deployed.
In 1962 the hotel was sold by the original owner George D. Smith to San Francisco financier Louis Lurie. In 1973 Lurie's heirs signed a long-term management contract for the Mark Hopkins with InterContinental Hotels Corporation.
The Mark Hopkins became a social center for the City, and is rated AAA Four-Diamond and has won the Gold-Key award.
Landmark status
A bronze plaque installed by the California State Park Commission, designating the site California Historical LandmarkCalifornia Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
#754, was commissioned October 20, 1961. It is a recognition of the fact that a place acquired some special significance beyond its geographical location—that it has become exceptional.