Nob Hill

The palatial mansions of the Big Four railroad magnates (Charles Crocker, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford and Collis Huntington) on Nob Hill were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. Now, luxury hotels carry on their legacy as an enclave for the rich and famous. The City’s historic cable cars are still carrying standing-room-only loads of tourists and locals up and down the steep hills. A few elegant mansions remain, along with several Julia Morgan Arts and Crafts-style homes, luxury apartment buildings, and assorted smaller single-family residences. Grace Cathedral, one of the oldest in San Francisco and a prominent landmark, is on California Street. Huntington Park, donated to the neighborhood by Collis Huntington in 1915, provides a playground and benches for the wealthy and not so wealthy alike.