Camera Obscuras have a long history in San Francisco. The first recorded reference to one is from the 1860s in an attraction called Woodward’s Gardens. The second Cliff House, built in 1896, had a camera obscura on its fourth floor that
was destroyed when the building burned down
in 1907.

The current Camera Obscura is the last remaining structure of the world famous Playland. It was built by Floyd Jennings and Gene Turtle in 1946 on the observation deck behind the Cliff House as an extension of Whitney’s Playland.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 for its engineering significance. While the exterior of the building was extensively modified in 1957 to appear as a giant camera, the internal workings of the camera obscura, the basis of its placement on the Register, remained unchanged since its erection
in 1946.

For more information about this rare optical device follow the below links.

Western Neighborhoods Project
Cliff House Project
Wikipedia