[My SF Past] Nob Hill Tour - Overview
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Gloria Lenhart
Feb 27, 2012, 4:49:25 PM2/27/12
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Learn about the men who built the transcontinental railroad and the Bonanza Kings of the Comstock Lode. Visit one of the largest Cathedrals on the west coast filled with meditative spaces and amazing art. See the building with the starring role in a famous Hitchcock movie, take in spectacular views, and finish in the lobby of a historic hotel designed by architect Julia Morgan.
It was originally called Fern Hill, and is so steep that horse-drawn wagons could barely make it to the top. As late as 1870, there were only two modest houses on it – one belonging to a doctor, the other to an undertaker.
It was difficult to get people or supplies up the hill until in 1873, when inventor Andrew Hallide built the first cable car line up Clay Street. That same year, General David Colton, a lawyer and vice president of the Southern Pacific Railroad, built the first mansion on the hill, on what is now Huntington Park.
By 1880, three of the Big Four – Stanford, Crocker and Hopkins – lived here in enormous mansions, an incredible display of the unimaginable wealth they acquired by building railroads. People started calling it Nob Hill, “nob” being a slang term for someone of extravagant wealth.
The Big Four and their Nob Hill neighbors joined together to build the California St. cable car line, opened in 1878. It was the third cable car line built in San Francisco, and it is the oldest of the three lines still in operation.
The mansions of the Big Four were all destroyed in the fire of 1906. None were rebuilt. The only surviving structures on Nob Hill were the sandstone mansion of Silver Bonanza King James Flood, and the grey granite shell of the Fairmont, a hotel built by the daughters of Flood’s partner, James Fair.
The Crocker family donated the property their house once stood on to their church, Grace Cathedral. The Huntingtons, who had taken over the Colton mansion, provided space for a park. Luxury hotels and apartment houses were built on the remaining properties.
City Guides Tour
Nob Hill
An easy stroll around the top of Nob Hill, packed with landmark buildings. There is are a few steep streets and a wide stairway into Grace Cathedral, although an elevator is available.
Every Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday at 2 p.m.
Meet: Front entrance of the Stanford Court Hotel, California and Powell. Map.
Getting there
Cable Car: California Street line
Muni bus: 1 California, Sacramento west or Clay east, to Powell Street
Parking: Extremely limited and expensive.
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Posted By Gloria Lenhart to My SF Past at 2/27/2012 01:49:00 PM
It was difficult to get people or supplies up the hill until in 1873, when inventor Andrew Hallide built the first cable car line up Clay Street. That same year, General David Colton, a lawyer and vice president of the Southern Pacific Railroad, built the first mansion on the hill, on what is now Huntington Park.
By 1880, three of the Big Four – Stanford, Crocker and Hopkins – lived here in enormous mansions, an incredible display of the unimaginable wealth they acquired by building railroads. People started calling it Nob Hill, “nob” being a slang term for someone of extravagant wealth.
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| Cable car on California St. , circa 1880 |
The Big Four and their Nob Hill neighbors joined together to build the California St. cable car line, opened in 1878. It was the third cable car line built in San Francisco, and it is the oldest of the three lines still in operation.
The mansions of the Big Four were all destroyed in the fire of 1906. None were rebuilt. The only surviving structures on Nob Hill were the sandstone mansion of Silver Bonanza King James Flood, and the grey granite shell of the Fairmont, a hotel built by the daughters of Flood’s partner, James Fair.
The Crocker family donated the property their house once stood on to their church, Grace Cathedral. The Huntingtons, who had taken over the Colton mansion, provided space for a park. Luxury hotels and apartment houses were built on the remaining properties.
City Guides Tour
Nob Hill
An easy stroll around the top of Nob Hill, packed with landmark buildings. There is are a few steep streets and a wide stairway into Grace Cathedral, although an elevator is available.
Every Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday at 2 p.m.
Meet: Front entrance of the Stanford Court Hotel, California and Powell. Map.
Getting there
Cable Car: California Street line
Muni bus: 1 California, Sacramento west or Clay east, to Powell Street
Parking: Extremely limited and expensive.
--
Posted By Gloria Lenhart to My SF Past at 2/27/2012 01:49:00 PM
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