[3] Cameras obscura, devices which project an image of the surroundings onto a surface using only existing exterior light sources, usually sunlight, have a long history in San Francisco.

A previous incarnation of the Cliff House was noted to have had a camera obscura on its fourth floor in 1896.

(381 cm) focal length and is projected onto a parabolic white "table" in a black room.

[4] The Camera Obscura was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 for its engineering significance.

The 1957 external architecture was eligible to be evaluated for historical significance upon reaching fifty years of age in 2007.