From Primedia Publications

Mark Hopkins Inter-Continental San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

By Susan Bard Hall

When novelist Robert Louis Stevenson visited San Francisco in 1879, he declared that Nob Hill, “the Hill of Palaces,” must certainly be counted the best part of San Francisco: “It is here that millionaires gathered together, vying with each other in display.”

One of those palatial homes belonged to Mark Hopkins, a founder of the Central Pacific Railroad and a so-called “robber baron” who amassed his personal fortune by “opening up the treasures of the American West,” according to the hotel’s literature.

Hopkins’ success enabled him to give his wife, Mary, carte blanche in the house’s design. She had a pipe organ built in, plus oak paneling inlaid with ebony and a multi-story entry hall/art gallery.

Hopkins died before the 40-room mansion’s 1878 completion. Thirteen years later, Mary passed away, leaving the house and her $70 million estate to her second husband, Edward T. Searles. He donated the mansion to the San Francisco Art Association in 1893, and it was used as a school and museum until it was destroyed by the fire that followed the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.

In 1925, mining engineer and hotel investor George D. Smith bought the Nob Hill site and began constructing a 19-story luxury hotel. When it opened on December 4, 1926, the Mark Hopkins Hotel had a tall central tower and two outstretched wings, affording each of the 392 guestrooms and suites a view of San Francisco Bay, the city, the surrounding hills, or the Pacific Ocean.

From the day it opened, the Mark Hopkins was a leading place for San Franciscans to meet, explains Sandor J. Stangl, general manager of the hotel. As Stangl points out, there were virtually no high-rise buildings in those days, so the hotel had the highest elevation in downtown San Francisco. It was elevated in status when it became the permanent residence of many of the Bay area’s high society.

Stangl says hotel owner Smith created quite a sensation in 1939 when he converted the 11-room penthouse, former home of copper magnate D.C. Jackling, into a glass-walled cocktail lounge boasting a 360-degree view of San Francisco. Smith supposedly confided to friends that he wasn’t convinced people would ride an elevator 19 stories just to enjoy a drink and the view, spectacular as it was. He needn’t have worried. From the day it opened on May 11, 1939, it was a hit.

According to a San Francisco Chronicle columnist, Smith had trouble coming up with a name for the space.

“I don’t know what to call the top of The Mark,” Smith reportedly shared with his friends.

They replied, “That’s it!”

“What’s it?”

“The Top Of The Mark.”

During World War II, The Top Of The Mark became a favorite spot for Pacific-bound servicemen to enjoy their last liberty before shipping out. Sometimes wives and sweethearts gathered at the windows to watch their loved ones’ ships leave the Golden Gate, and that part of the room became known as “Weepers’ Corner.”

For years, people have been willing to wait half an hour for a table at The Top Of The Mark, says Jack McGovern, and he should know. He’s worked here for 32 years, the last 25 as a doorman. In all that time, The Top Of The Mark has been the place for engagements. He said the bartenders cooperate fully when asked to put an engagement ring in the lady’s drink before serving it.

What has changed, he says, is the dress code. “Women had to wear hats and gloves, and men were required to wear jackets and ties,” McGovern recalls. “It’s much more casual nowadays.”

The Mark Hopkins has served its share of dignitaries over the years. It was the site of historic meetings for the founding of the United Nations in 1945, and in 1961 Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev stayed in the Presidential Suite, equipped with a one-button black telephone with a direct line to The Kremlin while he was there. Russian security guards were known to pace the rooms with Geiger counters, looking for radiation. Twenties and ’30s film idol John Barrymore was a frequent guest. His pet monkey, Clementine, was less welcome after she climbed the curtains in his suite, shredding the brocade as she went.

In 1962, Smith sold the Mark Hopkins to financier Louis Lurie. Eleven years later, Lurie’s heirs, who still retain ownership, signed a long-term management contract with Inter-Continental Hotels Corp. In 1995, the hotel painstakingly restored four of its banquet rooms, including The Peacock Court, which has received 11 presidents, plus royalty, heads of state, international celebrities and dignitaries. Even the famous Peacock, the room’s mascot since 1926, was refurbished. Stangl says the restoration program continued in early 1996 with six weeks’ work on The Top Of The Mark to bring back as much of its historic appearance as possible.

Guests often ask McGovern for his recommendations on what to see and do while in the city known to capture people’s hearts. A native San Franciscan, McGovern says a cable car ride is at the top of his list, along with visits to Fisherman’s Wharf, China Town, the Golden Gate Bridge and, if shopping is your bag, Union Square.

Mark Hopkins Inter-Continental San Francisco
One Nob Hill
California and Mason Streets
San Francisco, CA 94108 (415) 392-3434