AMERICANA / THE MARK HOPKINS TURNS 100

The magnificent Mark Hopkins mansion commands the summit of Nob Hill in this late-19th-century view of San Francisco. Designed by architects Wright & Sanders and completed in 1878, the turreted Victorian showplace was built for Central Pacific Railroad magnate Mark Hopkins and his wife, Mary. Hopkins died before its completion and never lived beneath its elaborate roof. The mansion survived the great earthquake of April 18, 1906, but was consumed by the fires that followed. Two decades later, the Mark Hopkins Hotel rose on the same commanding site at California and Mason streets. Opened December 4, 1926, the landmark hotel celebrates its centennial in 2026—one hundred years above San Francisco and nearly 150 years after the Hopkins name first crowned Nob Hill.

If you are among the ranks of hotel aficionados, who hobby by staying at remarkable inns of note, mark your calendar for December 4 when San Francisco's Mark Hopkins hotel turns 100.

On December 4, 1926, the Hotel Mark Hopkins opened atop Nob Hill and immediately joined the ranks of San Francisco’s grand hotels. One century later, it remains in business at the same prestigious address, overlooking a city that has repeatedly rebuilt, expanded and reinvented itself. 

The 19-story hotel was designed by Weeks & Day, the prominent San Francisco architectural firm responsible for the Huntington Hotel and several major theaters. Its design combined the stately silhouette of a French château with Spanish ornamentation. 

Contemporary admirers proclaimed the finished hotel “architecturally perfect.” The location already possessed a colorful history. Mark Hopkins, one of the Central Pacific Railroad’s “Big Four,” selected the site for an elaborate mansion but died in 1878 before moving into it. 

The property later became the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art. The mansion survived the 1906 earthquake but was destroyed during the fires that followed. Mining engineer and hotel investor George D. Smith acquired the site in 1925, cleared the remaining art-school building and constructed the hotel that still bears Hopkins’ name. 

Nine large murals painted by California artists Maynard Dixon and Frank Van Sloun for the Room of the Dons were completed in time for the opening. The panels, including an image of the mythical Queen Calafia, remain among the hotel’s significant artistic features. 

The hotel’s most famous attraction arrived in 1939, when Smith converted its 19th-floor penthouse into the glass-walled Top of the Mark. Customers reportedly lined up down Nob Hill to enter the new cocktail lounge and admire its panoramic views. 

After the United States entered World War II, the lounge became an unofficial farewell station for servicemen departing for the Pacific. Soldiers, sailors and Marines shared final drinks there with wives and sweethearts. The “squadron bottle” tradition began when a serviceman left a bottle behind for members of his unit to enjoy when they returned. Veterans are still remembered through that tradition. 

 In 1945, the hotel entertained international delegates attending the San Francisco Conference that produced the United Nations Charter. Presidents, royalty, entertainers and business leaders also became part of its guest history. InterContinental assumed management in 1973. Extensive renovations during the following decades modernized the property while retaining its historic character. 

A $50 million project completed around 2000 reduced the room count by combining smaller accommodations into larger rooms and suites. Today, the InterContinental Mark Hopkins has approximately 380 guest rooms, including 39 suites, and continues operating as a luxury hotel. 

A 1929 advertisement offered rooms from $4 per night—the closest readily verifiable rate from the hotel’s opening era. Four dollars then represented approximately $75 in 2026 purchasing power. By 1940, advertisements listed rooms from $5 per day. 

Modern rates vary according to season, conventions and room category. Current booking information places the average at about $210 per night before taxes and fees, with some dates below $175 and high-demand nights exceeding $400. The prices and corporate names have changed, but the essential attraction has not. 

The Mark Hopkins still occupies one of San Francisco’s most valuable pieces of real estate: the crest of Nob Hill, where a cable car stops outside and a century of commerce, hospitality and history comes with the view. 

COFFEE BEANS & BEINGS / COFFEE AT CASA ROMANTICA

 

Casa Romantica sits on a bluff above the San Clemente Pier, where its white stucco walls, red-tile roofs and gardens command one of Orange County’s grandest ocean views. 

What began as one man’s expression of the California dream now serves the public as a museum, gallery, botanical garden and performing-arts center. 

Ole Hanson, the former mayor of Seattle and principal founder of San Clemente, built the house in 1927. Hanson envisioned his new community as a “Spanish Village by the Sea,” and his family residence became the architectural model for the town growing around it. 

Architect Carl Lindbom designed a seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom Spanish Colonial Revival house arranged around a central courtyard. Among its memorable features are a circular moon-gate entrance, an octagonal study, Italian floor tiles, pegged hardwood floors and handmade Mexican roof tiles. Sliding glass doors and a private bathroom for every bedroom were considerable luxuries in the 1920s. 

Hanson’s real-estate fortunes collapsed during the Great Depression, and Bank of America foreclosed on the property in 1934. The house passed through several owners before the City of San Clemente acquired it. 

After a major restoration, Casa Romantica opened to the public as a nonprofit cultural center in 2003. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and welcomes approximately 40,000 visitors annually. Visitors may explore the preserved rooms, changing art exhibitions, historical collections and 2½ acres of coastal gardens. 

The institution also presents concerts, lectures, workshops, children’s activities and community celebrations throughout the year. 

For coffee lovers, the special attraction is the Coffee Concert series presented with San Clemente’s High Tide Coffee. The arrangement is simple: Casa Romantica provides the historic Main Salon and the musicians; High Tide provides complimentary gourmet coffee. 

At 10 a.m. on the third Friday of the month, visitors settle in for an hour-long acoustic performance by a local or regional musician. 

This is a morning concert with coffee, not a visit to a working coffeehouse. 

Casa Romantica does not operate a permanent café with espresso service, meals and tables available throughout the day. 

Its gift shop sells snacks and refreshments, but visitors should not arrive expecting to order a cappuccino and hold court until closing time. 

Those who want the complete coffeehouse experience can visit High Tide Coffee’s San Clemente shop at 1624 North El Camino Real, a short drive north of the Casa. 

One agreeable plan would be breakfast or a second cup at High Tide, followed by the concert, a walk through the historic house and a few unhurried minutes looking across the Pacific. 

A 2023 landslide damaged portions of the bluff, terrace and gardens and forced the property to close temporarily. All indoor rooms have since reopened, and the Ocean Terrace and several surrounding gardens partially reopened in September 2026. 

The Amphitheater, Woodland Garden and Native Bowl remain closed while recovery work continues. 

Casa Romantica is worth visiting without music or coffee. Add a fresh cup and an acoustic concert to its tiled rooms, shaded courtyard and ocean panorama, however, and a pleasant house tour becomes one of San Clemente’s better Friday mornings. 

 

MORE INFO 

Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens 415 Avenida Granada San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 498-2139 www.casaromantica.org 

Public hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; closed Mondays and federal holidays. 

Admission: $8 adults; free for children 12 and younger, active-duty military personnel with identification and Casa Romantica members. Admission is free for everyone on the first Sunday of each month. 

Coffee Concerts: Generally presented at 10 a.m. on the third Friday of each month. Complimentary High Tide coffee and the performance are included with regular admission. Check the online calendar before traveling because dates and programs can change. 

Parking: Free on-site parking is available but limited during construction. Additional parking can be found in the Pier Bowl and near the San Clemente Community Center and Library. 

By train: Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner stops at San Clemente Pier daily. Metrolink serves the pier on weekends. Casa Romantica is uphill from the station. 

High Tide Coffee: 1624 North El Camino Real, San Clemente. Open daily, 7 a.m.–3 p.m.