Camera Obscura
National Register of Historic Places

Camera Obscura

San Francisco, San Francisco County, California
Listed
May 22, 2001
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
01000522

About this property

The Camera Obscura is a large-scale camera obscura, in the Lands End area of the Outer Richmond District in western San Francisco, California. It is located immediately adjacent to the Cliff House, perched on the headlands on the cliffs just north of Ocean Beach. Both the Camera and the Cliff House are owned by the National Park Service and are within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Camera Obscura was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 and is within the NPS Sutro Historic District.

Location

1096 Point Lobos Ave.
San Francisco, San Francisco County, California
37.77845, -122.51399

Categories

ENGINEERING
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Camera Obscura

This page lists Camera Obscura. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Fort Miley Military Reservation
Early Republic
0.5 mi
Veterans Affairs Medical Center-San Francisco, California
Listed
0.6 mi
Beach Chalet
Industrial
0.7 mi
Moss Flats Building
Industrial
1.6 mi
Six-Inch Rifled Gun No. 9
Listed
2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Camera Obscura listed on the National Register?

Camera Obscura was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 2001.

What type of historic resource is Camera Obscura?

Camera Obscura is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Camera Obscura?

The period of significance for Camera Obscura is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Camera Obscura?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Camera Obscura will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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