{"nrhp_refnum":"01000522","name":"Camera Obscura","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1096 Point Lobos Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Francisco","county":"San Francisco","state":"CA","lat":37.77844645700003,"lon":-122.51399046499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-05-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small wood-frame building at 1096 Point Lobos Avenue in San Francisco, behind the Cliff House, housing a working camera obscura (projection table, lens and mirror) built in 1946.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion C in the area of engineering as a rare example of camera obscura machinery more than 50 years old that remains in its original location. The original projection table, lens and mirror survive and operate as they did in 1946. The 1957 \"giant camera\" exterior remodeling is not judged to lessen its integrity.","narrative":"Perched on a lower terrace behind the Cliff House at Point Lobos, this small wooden building contains a camera obscura that has operated continuously since 1946. A rotating lens and mirror on the roof, driven by a small motor, cast a live panoramic image of the Pacific Ocean, Seal Rocks, Ocean Beach and the Marin coastline onto a six-foot parabolic table in a darkened room. Businessman Floyd Jennings, fascinated by the device after reading about it, proposed the attraction to Cliff House owner George K. Whitney Sr., who approved its construction. Around 1957 the exterior was remodeled to look like a giant camera, and later changes include a copper-sheathed hood, a new sign and replacement front doors. The property was listed for its engineering significance: the original table, lens and mirror remain in place and work as they did when installed, making it a rare surviving example of this machinery in its original setting.","period_of_significance":"1946","architect_builder":"Floyd Jennings (Builder)","architectural_style":"no style","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"In continuous operation since 1946; open daily, weather permitting, from 11:00 a.m. to sunset.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.020485-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/01000522.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000522/b12f6ec7f7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000522/b12f6ec7f7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camera_Obscura_(San_Francisco).JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camera_Obscura_(San_Francisco).JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861069","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_Obscura_(San_Francisco)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5025996"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-francisco/camera-obscura-01000522/"}