Top of the Mark

For the American Saddlebred horse, see Top of the Mark (horse).

Top of the Mark
Interior, showing view
Location within San Francisco Show map of San Francisco Top of the Mark (California) Show map of California Top of the Mark (the United States) Show map of the United States
Restaurant information
Established	May 11, 1939 (1939-05-11)
Owner(s)	InterContintental Hotels Corporation
Street address	999 California Street
City	San Francisco
County	San Francisco
State	California
Postal/ZIP Code	94108
Country	United States
Coordinates	37°47′30″N122°24′37″W / 37.791558°N 122.410364°W / 37.791558; -122.410364
Website	www.intercontinentalmarkhopkins.com

The Top of the Mark is a penthouse level bar located on the nineteenth floor of the Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill at California and Mason Streets in San Francisco, California. Located at the highest point of downtown San Francisco, on fog-free days the Top of the Mark has views of the financial district, Chinatown, North Beach, The San Francisco Bay, and of Grace Cathedral and Huntington Park.

History

The Mark Hopkins Hotel was built by George D. Smith ^[1] on the site of the old Mark Hopkins mansion, which had burned down following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The hotel was dedicated in 1926, and the penthouse suite was rented exclusively to Daniel C. Jackling, reputedly at US$1,250(equivalent to $22,000 in 2024) per month, ^[2] until he moved to his house in Woodside in 1936. ^[3] In 1939, shortly after emerging from a 1933 bankruptcy, George Smith convinced the trustees of the Mark to spend US$110,000(equivalent to $2,493,000 in 2024) to convert the 11-room penthouse on the hotel's 19th floor into a glass-walled cocktail lounge, ^[3] which became known as the Top of The Mark. ^[4]

Marjorie Trumbull won fame in the 1940s for her radio interviews of celebrities broadcast on KSFO and conducted from the Top of the Mark. ^{[5] [6]}

During World War II, when San Francisco was a major transit point for troops going to the Pacific Theater, servicemen traditionally had a farewell drink before shipping out while watching the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge. ^{[7] [8]} The northwest corner was known as "Weeper's Corner" after the wives and girlfriends who would gather there for their final look at departing ships. ^[9]

A new tradition was established during the Korean War, when squadron members would sponsor a "squadron bottle" to be kept available at the bar. Each member would sign and date the label after claiming a free drink, and the man who took the last drink would keep the signed bottle and purchase a new bottle. By the end of the Korean War, thirty-two squadron bottles were in use. ^{[3] [10]}

Present day

The Top of the Mark features over 100 variations on the martini. ^{[11] [12]} The bar remains popular today, featuring dancing and live music most days of the week. During the December holiday season, the Top of the Mark offers an afternoon tea service. ^[13]

Gallery

• 
  Interior, overlooking the Financial District
• 
  Exterior view
• 
  Panoramic view of the Financial District
• 
  Sunset over San Francisco Bay
• 
  Cocktails at the Top of the Mark
• 
  James C. Flood Mansion, Huntington Park, and Grace Cathedral

References

1. "Historic Hotels of America". Historic Hotels Worldwide. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
2. Christopher, Lee (November 25, 1964). "A "We Love You' Fete for Phyllis; And in SF, a Party at the Mark". Desert Sun. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
3. Erickson, Leif (May 11, 1959). "Memories of Remembering: Famous 'Top of the Mark' Holds 20th Anniversary". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. AP. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
4. "A Short Account of Its Long and Illustrious History". InterContinental Mark Hopkins.
5. "Radio Broadcast Scene". Sausalito News. November 7, 1946. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
6. "Marjorie Trumbull; Radio and TV Interviewer". Los Angeles Times. September 29, 1993. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
7. "Life Visits the Top of the Mark". LIFE. Vol. 17, no. 5. Chicago, Illinois: TIME Inc. July 31, 1944. pp. 75–79. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
8. Leighty, John (December 20, 1976). "Celebration With Style-The Mark: Fifty Years Of Elegance". Desert Sun. UPI. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
9. Chapman, Keith (October 10, 2015). "A high-up, San Francisco watering hole on the 19th floor". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
10. Dixon, Kenneth L. (February 16, 1965). "The Changing Scene: Top Of The Mark Revisited". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
11. "Top of the Mark – History". InterContinental Mark Hopkins. 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
12. Lovato, Kimberley (January 31, 2015). "Discovering the martini's Bay Area roots". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
13. Lovato, Kimberley (December 14, 2014). "Tis the season for afternoon tea". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved June 27, 2016.

External links

• Official website
• "San Francisco: War Stirs Golden Gate City". LIFE. Vol. 15, no. 2. Chicago, Illinois: TIME Inc. July 12, 1943. pp. 70–82. Retrieved June 27, 2016. THE CITY AT TWILIGHT stretches romantically westward over the low mountains. This is the view from the "Top O' the Mark," the glassed-in floor atop the famed Mark Hopkins Hotel.
• "Suds on the Mark". LIFE. Vol. 33, no. 18. Chicago, Illinois: TIME Inc. November 3, 1952. p. 146. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
• "Delights for Delegates". LIFE. Vol. 41, no. 8. Chicago, Illinois: TIME Inc. August 20, 1956. pp. 44–50. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
• "The Big New Face of the G.O.P." LIFE. Vol. 57, no. 4. Chicago, Illinois: TIME Inc. July 24, 1964. pp. 20–32. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
• Nolte, Carl (August 26, 1995). "Navy Vets Toast Memories at the Mark". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
• Schwartz, Stephen (September 17, 1996). "Top of the Mark Reopens ... With Bar Named for Herb Caen". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
• Poletti, Therese (October 17, 2009). "The disappearing sky room". Timothy Pflueger Blog. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
• Quinn, Michelle (December 15, 2009). "Sky Rooms Are Disappearing". New York Times Bay Area Blogs. Retrieved June 27, 2016.