Sutro Heights - around 1880

History remembers Adolph Sutro as one of San Francisco's finest citizens and its first populist mayor. A mining engineer, he arrived in The City from Prussia in 1850. Among his early accomplishments, Sutro designed and constructed a tunnel that drained and ventilated the mining shafts of the Comstock in Nevada. Sutro amassed millions from that and other mining endeavors, always as an owner or partner in any project. He sold his shares in the Comstock tunnel in 1880, just before the veins of gold played out. A man of foresight, he acquired fully one-twelfth of San Francisco--all the Western dunes and seashore deemed worthless by others. Developing that worthless land increased his fortune many times over. Best remembered for his attractions and gifts to the city, Adolph Sutro remains a city icon.

Sutro built his home on a rocky ledge overlooking the Cliff House and Seal Rocks just south of Point Lobos and north of Ocean Beach. The grounds consisted of a spacious turreted mansion, a carriage house and out buildings set in expansive gardens. The estate dominated the area. He spent in excess of a million dollars trying to recreate an Italian garden. Though the statues were plaster rather than marble and required a fresh coat of white paint annually to avoid erosion, the effect remained stunning. By 1883, Sutro opened his gardens to the public and allowed strolling the grounds for the donation of a dime. That small fee helped to pay the fifteen gardeners he employed to maintain the grounds. An attendant collected picnic baskets and the ever-present hot roasted peanuts at the gate returning them on departure. It seems Sutro didn't want their leavings or shells cluttering up his estate. Even a populist had his limits.

Adolph Sutro died in 1898, land rich but cash poor following his frustrating tenure as Mayor of San Francisco. His daughter Emma lived on the estate at Sutro Heights until her death in 1938. Becoming too expensive to maintain, the family donated the estate to the City of San Francisco that same year. The city demolished the buildings and removed the statuary with the exception of the winged lions at the gate and a few select pieces. The estate became Sutro Heights Park.

The Cliff House - 1890

The Cliff House still exists but only as a shadow of the legendary landmark that existed before and during the reign of Adolph Sutro. Few people agree how many Cliff Houses have actually stood at the far end of San Francisco just south of Point Lobos. The majority will say three; the knowledgeable will claim four and some will argue five. It's all a matter of interpretation but in fact the Cliff House has been built or rebuilt from nothing three times, extensively expanded once and has undergone one major facelift with an addition. Four is the best answer; five is what George Whitney, the last private owner claimed.

While an early history states San Francisco pioneer Sam Brannon first built the Cliff House in 1858, that structure was build on Sutro Heights, not on the cliff overlooking Seal Rocks. The Mormon elder built that structure from timbers salvaged from a ship that ran aground on the cliffs below -- purchased for the sum of $1500. Thought it bore the same name, it was not one of the progressions of the "Cliff House" at its current location.

Senator John Buckley and C.C. Butler built the first Cliff House on the current site in 1863. Captain Junius Foster assumed control as the Lessee and proprietor of the Cliff House Restaurant. High prices and limited access didn't deter San Franciscans--the carriage trade and well-heeled populace had money to spend. A great restaurant and wonderful view made the Cliff House an instant attraction. Feats of daring drew crowds that were happy to pay a dollar a seat to watch the outdoor acts of tightrope walkers or daring swimmers racing past the rocks, braving treacherous riptides. One daredevil, the celebrated Rose Celeste, walked a tightrope from the Cliff House across the ocean waves to Seal Rocks and back.

Captain Foster expanded the Cliff House in 1868. The extensive additions provided an expansive ocean view and promenade as well as two wings on the existing structure. Photos show the old Cliff House nestled safely inside the new, the second Cliff House. It attracted greater crowds and became the meeting place for city and state bosses as well as the seamier crowds from the Barbary Coast. Though it remained the attraction of choice by tourists including three Presidents, the genteel local clients abandoned the Cliff House. It became famous for scandals and antics committed in the upstairs rooms.

This shift disturbed Adolph Sutro owner of Sutro Heights across the road. Sutro purchased the Cliff House in 1883 and evicted Captain Foster, installing his own man, Mr. Wilkins as manager. The enterprise again drew crowds of local people with its renewed focus on families, good food and entertainment. In 1887, the schooner Parallel, loaded with dynamite, ran aground on the rock below the Cliff House, demolishing the north wing. That same year, the Cliff House also hosted the world's first parachute drop by Thomas Baldwin, carried aloft in a hot air balloon and observed by President Benjamin Harrison among others. A chimney fire destroyed the second Cliff House on the evening of Christmas day, 1894.

---
Sidebar -- The Cliff House and the Parallel

On the afternoon of Thursday, January 13 1887, the 98-foot schooner Parallel left Hay Wharf in San Francisco bound for Astoria, Oregon. She was loaded with kerosene, a cask of dynamite caps and 1,685 50-pound cases (about 42 tons) of black powder. By Saturday evening, the captain still fought for open sea, tacking against strong headwinds. The Parallel, gripped by on the tide, slowly approached the Cliff House. Captain Miller ordered his men into the lifeboats and abandoned the ship at 8:30 p.m.

Mr. Wilkins, manager of the Cliff House, telephoned John Hyslop at the Point Lobos signal station an hour later to report a ship that was about to hit the rocks. Descending to the bluff below the signal station, Hyslop saw the ship was heading toward a small cove below the restaurant. Sutro arrived at his restaurant with several of his gardeners and under the direction of Hyslop, they lowered ropes to the ship below. When no one took the ropes, it was obvious the crew had abandoned the ship. The Parallel hit the rocks at 10:30 p.m. and began breaking up.

A life-saving crew arrived on scene but with no one to save, Captain Kroeger, the chief put two members, Henry Smith and John Wilson on watch. The crowd gathered there slowly dispersed leaving just Smith and Wilson. At 12:34 a.m. the cask of dynamite caps detonated touching off the black powder and kerosene. The ship exploded in a deafening blast shooting a great wall of flame and debris up the cliff. The explosion catapulted Smith and Wilson 200 feet back from their position at the cliff edge. The sound of the blast carried all the way to Oakland and San Jose. The shock wave struck the ship Commodore 15 miles off the Golden Gate. Its crew scrambled to their stations thinking they had struck a reef. Sutro's mansion took considerable damage and houses nearby were nearly torn apart.

Both men caught in the blast had serious injuries but survived. The cliff face had forced the blast skyward along with the fact that the Cliff House had taken most of the brunt of the blast. The event destroyed the north wing and blew out every remaining window. Doors shot off their hinges and balconies inside and out collapsed. Each room was a mass of debris. Crowds gathered that morning to view the remains. Wilkins, spotting an opportunity, had one of the bars swept out and immediately opened for business. The bar had record sales that Sunday. Souvenir hunters had a field day looking for scraps of the Parallel.
---

Gawkers view the destruction following the Parallel exploded - January 14, 1887

Sutro paid $75,000 for the construction of the third Cliff House, a French Chateau-inspired eight-story structure. Completed in February 1896, it boasted a large public dining room and numerous private lunch and dining rooms, a bar, a ballroom, a parlor, an observation tower 200 feet above sea level and art galleries displaying some of Sutro's fine collections. Visited by two U. S. Presidents, William McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt, the Cliff House still remained a place for the common person to enjoy. Sutro's nickel streetcar line coupled with fair prices meant that a workingman could bring his family to share in the luxury, the stunning views and fine food all reasonably priced.
After Adolph Sutro's death, the Cliff House sold to John Tait of Tait's at the Beach, an earlier successful Ocean Beach resort. On September 7, 1907, the most opulent of all Cliff House reincarnations burned to its foundation. A remodeling project was underway and may have been the cause.

Tait rebuilt the Cliff House again with the support of Dr. Emma Merritt, daughter of Adolph Sutro. Steel reinforcing bar and poured concrete meant this version would not suffer the fate of the previous two. With the appearance of a giant gray shoebox, the Cliff House now depended on the local view rather than its own visage to attract customers. Tait reopened the fourth version of the Cliff House on July 1, 1909. In spite of its lackluster appearance, it remained the place to visit for locals and tourists. It still provided a ballroom for dancing as well as fine dining rooms and its one of a kind view.

The Cliff House again shut down in 1918. Located next to Fort Miley, the military had it shut down due to infractions by military personnel. It reopened in December of 1920 under the new ownership of Shorty Roberts, another beach resort owner, famous for Roberts at the Beach. Unfortunately, prohibition now reigned and a dry Cliff House lacked the previous allure. Roberts shut down all but the coffee shop in 1925.

The Cliff House changed hands twice more, purchased in 1952 by George Whitney, owner of Playland at the Beach, then acquired by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1977. It continues as a favorite for locals and tourists alike. Renovation is underway again, creating on more version of this famous landmark. After viewing the plans, the results promise to be disappointing.

Sutro Baths - 1895

The Victorian age charmed San Francisco. The city loved the grandiose, the ornate and the obscenely overblown. The popularity of public baths encouraged Adolph Sutro, flamboyant mayor and leading citizen, to build the Sutro Baths. Completed in 1894 and opened officially in 1896, it debuted as the largest public bath in the world. It had seven pools of various depths, temperatures and sizes, all but one being saltwater. The largest, an indoor L-shaped, unheated saltwater pool measured 300 feet long by 175 feet wide. The pools contained a total of 1,685,000 gallons of ocean water. It took one hour to empty or fill them using the action of the high and low tides. The accommodations included 500 dressing rooms and grandstands built for 5000 spectators. The magnificent Victorian building, roofed in crystal glass (100,000 panes), boasted an ornate Victorian d?cor with a Grecian temple-like entrance, sweeping staircases and gardens of tropical ferns, palms and climbers. Sutro Baths covered two acres of the coast at Point Lobos just north of the Cliff House; in all it could accommodate 25,000 guests.

Sutro built his baths for all the people of San Francisco, not just for the elite. A populist, he wanted all to share the current prosperity and opportunities. His baths included a theater with ongoing stage productions, three restaurants with combined seating of up to 1,000 diners, a gymnasium and a museum. A single modest fee offered entry to all. The Sutro Railroad (trolley) made regular runs out to the Beach and the people came in droves. Swimming cost a quarter and it was only a dime for spectators to view the pools and use remainder of the facility. Sutro's provided bathers with a locker, towel, woolen suit, soap, and showering facilities. The Baths boasted room for 1,600 bathers and maintained 20,000 suits and 40,000 towels.

Swimming at the Sutro Baths elevated aquatic sports and activities to a passion in San Francisco. In a place too chilly for outdoor swimming, now anyone could do so in warmth and comfort. At one point in its history, Sutro's carried a gigantic neon sign that proclaimed "Tropical Beach" and indeed, it was, with an abundance of plants and a warm, humid climate. Swimming classes overflowed, kids barreled down to the water in chutes and splashed in the pools. Competitions of every sort as well as special exhibitions took up significant space in the newspapers. Sutro Baths blazed with excitement and the town loved it.

The museum at Sutro's Baths inspired awe and curiosity. Artifacts from around the world and from other eras graced Sutro's museum. Old Woodward's Gardens provided some of the exhibits, puchased when they closed. Many of the exhibits had the air of a bygone morbidity. The statue of a Chinese man who had plucked each hair from his body and inserted it into his likeness to accurately copy himself featured in Ripleys "Believe It or Not!" column in the San Francisco Chronicle. The museum displayed the travel trunk and assorted clothing from Tom Thumb, midget of P.T. Barnum fame and it included a carnival created from toothpicks by a prison inmate at San Quentin State Prison. A real Tucker automobile was in residence by the late 1950s. Sutro's Museum even had authentic Egyptian mummies. Not leaving anything to the imagination, some were unwrapped. Those were the stuff of children's exclamations during the visit and their nightmares that night.

The museum also sported a large collection of historic amusement machines of an earlier era. Automata, coin-operated musical instruments, penny-arcade machines and mechanical sports games provided amusement for the mechanically obsessed. The automata were amazing, including a mechanical carnival, can-can dancers kicking up their legs and pirouetting to a lively tune, pioneers crossing the plains in covered wagons and scenes of Americana, all performing complicated mechanical activities.

The Baths struggled financially in the 1930s. A skating rink replaced the largest pool in 1937. San Francisco gained a toehold into winter sports. The city's kids learned to ice skate but it never drew the adults. Maintenance costs and dwindling attendance necessitated the Sutro's shutting down in 1952. Sutro's grandson, Adolph G. Sutro immediately sold Sutro's Baths to George Whitney who by then owned Playland and the nearby Cliff House. Whitney reopened the Sutro Baths but closed the remaining pools in 1954. Sutro's closed for good in early 1966--the land slated for an apartment complex. On June 26, 1966, during the early demolition, Sutro's Baths burned to its foundations. What's left are the finest ruins in the city, now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. People still gather to imagine the lost grandeur. Anyone lucky enough to have visited recalls unforgettable memories of one of Adolph Sutro's most memorable achievements.