The hotel was at the heart of the city of San Francisco 's development of the central blocks in the South of Market area during the late 1970s and early 1980s . The city had put out an invitation to property developers to come up with ideas for the area . Ten developers originally responded and the eventual proposal chosen - in October 1980 - was a joint effort by Marriott together with the Canadian property developers Olympia and York . The Marriott Marquis opened on October 17 , 1989 , the day of the Loma Prieta earthquake . With better earthquake proofing than several nearby hotels , the building only lost a single window
Loma Prieta earthquake
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
San Francisco Marriott Marquis