Top of the Mark

The Top of the Mark occupies the nineteenth-floor penthouse of the InterContinental Mark Hopkins hotel, a building recognizable by its French and Spanish renaissance terracotta facade. Perched at the crest of Nob Hill, this glass-walled lounge offers a three hundred and sixty degree view of the San Francisco skyline. Hotel owner George D. Smith opened the space in nineteen thirty-nine, investing over one hundred thousand dollars to replace a former private penthouse suite with a dedicated vantage point for the public.