Only the columned portico of railroad tycoon Alban Towne’s mansion remained standing atop Nob Hill after the 1906 earthquake and fire.
The smoldering ruins of a shaken city could be seen framed between the white marble columns of the now freestanding portico. This sad image was captured by photographer Arnold Genthe and quickly became a symbol of the immense loss it encompassed. It portrayed the end of an era.
In 1909 the portico was placed on the edge of Lloyd Lake in Golden Gate Park as a memorial to another time. The monument was named Portals of the Past after poet Charles Kellogg Field found a quote describing the forward-looking nature of San Franciscans. The Portals now took on a more positive symbolism, that of perseverance and progress towards an optimistic future despite the tragedies of the past.
Lloyd Lake is named in memory of Reuben Headley Lloyd, the park commissioner.
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