InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel

The InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco opened to great fanfare in 1926 on the site of the former mansion of Mark Hopkins, one of San Francisco’s “Big Four” who founded what became the Southern Pacific Railroad. Originally built in 1878, the estate was later destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and rebuilt by the San Francisco Art Institute. In 1925, mining engineer George D. Smith bought the property and built a luxury hotel, which he opened on December4, 1926. Upon completion, San Franciscans declared it “architecturally perfect.” The Mark Hopkins became an immediate part of San Francisco’s rich and colorful history and continues to hold its place in the city today, including hosting American presidents, heads of state, and royalty.