Why has the star above the Sir Francis Drake stopped spinning?

You have queries. Curbed SF has answers.

Redditor PhresherThanPhresh asks: “Does anyone know why the star on top of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel has stopped spinning and hasn't been illuminated for months (years?)? My assumption is that it is due to cost, but curious if anyone knows the story.”

Well, according to a representative at Sir Francis Drake, the star atop the Union Square building belongs to the Starlight Room above the hotel.

Photo by MomentsForZen

And according to the folks at the Starlight Room, said star, which stopped rotating over two years ago, is in need of major repairs. Which is to say, it broke down because it’s old and needed a refresh.

“We’re looking to get someone up there to fix it soon,” they tell us, but the price for the repair is, indeed, out of this world. “At least around a quarter of a million,” we’re told.

And now you know.

• Star above Sir Francis Drake Hotel stopped spinning [Reddit]