The Stanford Court hotel occupies the corner of California and Powell Streets, recognizable by its glass-domed conservatory entrance that sits atop the steep incline of Nob Hill. This site originally held the mansion of railroad tycoon…
Nob Hill Mansions and Views
Walk the crest of San Francisco's most exclusive hill to see where the Gilded Age railroad and silver barons built their colossal estates. This route guides you past historic luxury hotels, imposing Gilded Age clubs, and towering cathedrals while offering spectacular views of the city below.
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1. Stanford Court San Francisco
2. InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco by IHG
The Mark Hopkins hotel rises nineteen stories above the crest of Nob Hill, defined by a terracotta exterior and an ornate, lantern-topped tower. Before this building arrived in nineteen twenty-six, the site held the lavish mansion of Mark…
3. Fairmont San Francisco
The Fairmont San Francisco covers an entire city block on Nob Hill, defined by its massive, white Neoclassical facade and Corinthian columns. Construction began in nineteen oh two, but the nineteen oh six earthquake left the interior a…
4. The Brocklebank Apartments
The Brocklebank Apartments sit at the corner of Sacramento and Mason Streets, distinguished by a heavy, ornate stone facade and a wide, grand awning that suggests the private clubs of the early twentieth century. Built in nineteen…
5. Pacific-Union Club
The Pacific-Union Club occupies a four-story brownstone mansion capped by a distinctive octagonal cupola. Originally built as the private residence of railroad tycoon James Flood, the structure survived the nineteen oh six earthquake and…
6. Huntington Park
The wrought iron gates at Huntington Park were originally designed for the Flood Mansion, the opulent residence that occupied this site before the nineteen oh six earthquake. Collis Huntington, a railroad tycoon, built his estate here, but…
7. Grace Cathedral
Grace Cathedral rises on the summit of Nob Hill with its massive, French Gothic spires and a pair of heavy bronze doors. These doors are direct casts from Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise in Florence, showing scenes from the Old…
8. Cable Car Museum
The Cable Car Museum occupies the Washington-Mason powerhouse, easily spotted by the heavy iron wheels spinning visible through the windows. This building houses the massive engines and winding gears that pull the steel cables beneath San…