37°46′48″N 122°30′49″W / 37.78000°N 122.51361°W / 37.78000; -122.51361
26-683: The Sutro Baths was a large, privately owned public saltwater swimming pool complex in the Lands End area of the Outer Richmond District in western San Francisco , California . Built in 1894, the Sutro Baths was located north of Ocean Beach , the Cliff House , Seal Rocks , and west of Sutro Heights Park . The structure burned down to its concrete foundation in June 1966; its ruins are located in
52-485: A 1912 article written by J. E. Van Hoosear of Pacific Gas and Electric . Materials used in the structure included 100,000 square feet (9,300 square meters) of glass, 600 tons of iron, 3.5 million board feet (8,300 m) of lumber, and 10,000 cubic yards (7,600 cubic meters) of concrete. During high tides, water would flow directly into the pools from the nearby ocean, recycling the two million US gallons (7,600 m) of water in about an hour. During low tides,
78-508: A major land owner/developer in and mayor of San Francisco . The 49-Mile Scenic Drive passes through it. In 1881, Adolf Sutro purchased 22 acres (89,000 m ) of undeveloped land south of Point Lobos (San Francisco) and north of Ocean Beach at the western edge of the city. It included a promontory overlooking the Pacific, with scenic views of the Marin Headlands , Mount Tamalpais , and
104-472: A powerful turbine water pump, built inside a cave at sea level, could be switched on from a control room and could fill the tanks at a rate of 6,000 US gallons a minute (380 L/s), recycling all the water in five hours. Facilities included: The baths were once served by two rail lines. The Ferries and Cliff House Railroad ran along the cliffs of Lands End overlooking the Golden Gate . The route ran from
130-540: A wall separating it from the dilapidated swimming pools, until 1964 when the property was sold to developers for a planned high-rise apartment complex. In addition to financial struggles, the Sutro Baths became the focus of a significant civil rights battle in 1897. John Harris sued Adolph Sutro after being denied entry to the baths because of his race. Harris won the case, making it a landmark victory against racial segregation in public facilities. This case set an important precedent for future civil rights actions, underscoring
156-562: Is a National Park Service historic district in the Lands End area of the Outer Richmond District in western San Francisco , California . It is within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area , since being acquired by the National Park Service in 1977. The historic district includes attractions along Point Lobos Avenue at the coast originally built by Adolph Sutro , a Comstock Lode silver baron, and
182-563: Is a rocky and windswept shoreline at the mouth of the Golden Gate , situated between the Sutro District and Lincoln Park and abutting Fort Miley Military Reservation . A memorial to USS San Francisco stands in the park. Numerous hiking trails follow the former railbeds of the Ferries and Cliff House Railway along the cliffs and also down to the shore. The most-traveled trail in Lands End
208-785: Is the Coastal Trail, a section of the California Coastal Trail that follows the railbed of the old Cliff House Railway. This trail is handicap-accessible until the Mile Rock Overlook, and bike accessible until the Eagles Point steps. A spur trail takes users to Mile Rock Point and Mile Rock Beach, which offer views of the Golden Gate . Additionally, Lands End contains the ruins of the Sutro Baths . Other historic sites include numerous shipwrecks, which are visible at low tides from
234-539: The Cliff House , also owned by Adolph Sutro at the time. Both the Cliff House and the former baths site are now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area , operated by the United States National Park Service . The baths struggled for years, mostly due to the very high operating and maintenance costs. Eventually, the southernmost part of the baths was converted into an ice skating rink , with
260-539: The Golden Gate . Sutro built his residence on a rocky ledge there, above the first Cliff House. The property had scenic views of the Pacific Ocean , Ocean Beach , Seal Rocks , the first and second Cliff House, Marin Headlands , Mount Tamalpais , and the Golden Gate . Features Sutro developed on his land holdings in the Lands End area include: The Park and Ocean Railroad had provided relatively expensive transport to
286-468: The Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Sutro Historic District . On March 14, 1896, the Sutro Baths were opened to the public as the world's largest indoor swimming pool establishment. The baths were built on the western side of San Francisco by wealthy entrepreneur and former mayor of San Francisco (1894–1896) Adolph Sutro . The structure was situated in a small beach inlet below
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#1732844722688312-542: The Cliff House via Golden Gate Park. To provide inexpensive and more scenic transportation for visitors to the "Sutro District" features, in 1885 he invested significantly in The Cliff House and Ferries Railroad, a new passenger steam train line from downtown San Francisco via Point Lobos to the Sutro Heights area. Adolph Sutro died in 1898. His daughter Emma Sutro Merritt then moved into the Sutro Heights estate. Until
338-461: The Coastal Trail and Mile Rock. A visitor center, Lands End Lookout, opened on April 28, 2012. The Yelamu Ohlone tribe lived at Lands End before Spanish settlement began in 1776. After the Gold Rush , entrepreneurs designed the new Cliff House as a fashionable resort for the wealthy. A private company constructed a new road called Point Lobos Avenue. By the 1860s, a horse-drawn stagecoach made
364-467: The Sutro Baths during World War II, Gustav Sutro offered the property for sale. George K. Whitney, owner of the Cliff House and nearby Playland at the Beach at Ocean Beach purchased it. He converted all of the swimming tanks to one large ice skating complex. Robert D. Fraser, a controversial developer, acquired the property in 1964 intending to build an apartment tower. In June 1966 a fire at Sutro Baths burned
390-587: The baths to a terminal at California Street and Central Avenue, now Presidio Avenue. The second line was the Sutro Railroad, which ran electric trolleys to Golden Gate Park and downtown San Francisco . Both lines were later taken over by the Market Street Railway . Lands End, San Francisco Lands End is a park in San Francisco within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area . It
416-556: The early 1920s the gardens remained in relatively good condition with the plantings maintained in a state of maturity. In 1920, the ownership of Sutro Heights was transferred to the City of San Francisco under the condition that it be "forever held and maintained as a free public resort or park under the name of Sutro Heights." Between 1920 and 1933 the Merritts continued to allow visitors access to Sutro Heights, but provided for minimal maintenance of
442-524: The grounds at Sutro Heights. When Emma Sutro Merritt died in residence at Sutro Heights in 1938, the WPA was in the process of further stabilizing the western slopes with an elaborate series of artificial concrete cliffs. Following her death, the WPA proceeded to demolish the aging Sutro residence, then in a state of serious disrepair, and also the remains of the conservatory, entrance gates, and Dolce far Niente Balcony vista point. During World War II , Sutro Heights
468-460: The growing demand for equal treatment and access to public spaces. A fire in 1966 destroyed the building while it was in the process of being demolished. All that remains of the site are concrete walls, blocked-off stairs and passageways, and a tunnel with a deep crevice in the middle. The cause of the fire was determined to be arson . Shortly afterwards, the developers left San Francisco and claimed insurance money. The following statistics are from
494-421: The once-grand structure to its foundations, and resulting sentiments impeded Fraser's development plan. National Park Service management efforts since the City of San Francisco transferred ownership of Sutro Heights Park to it in 1977 are to identify and preserve the historic features remaining on the site. Concrete headers, planters, fountains, and statues were removed for storage and cataloging. Reproductions of
520-480: The railroad track and confirmed the find, but the mine was never exploited. Along the Coastal Trail at Eagle's Point, local artist Eduardo Aguilera constructed a "hidden labyrinth" overlooking Golden Gate Bridge in 2004. It has been vandalized numerous times and was destroyed in August 2015, but was rebuilt a month later by the artist with the help of 50 volunteers. Sutro District The Sutro Historic District
546-472: The remaining statues, including the entrance gate lions, and the Stag and Diana, were cast and re-erected on the site. In 1976, the National Park Service acquired the ownership of the Sutro Baths site. The site is heavily visited by people who examine the remains of the baths and experience the feeling and setting of the site. In 1977, the National Park Service also acquired the ownership of the third Cliff House that
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#1732844722688572-491: The request of Emma Sutro Merritt, the City of San Francisco agreed to assume maintenance of Sutro Heights but there was no major improvement or rehabilitation of the grounds. The garden's condition declined after maintenance responsibility was deeded to the city, and it accelerated after her death in 1938. In 1937, the city submitted a proposal to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for the rehabilitation of
598-598: The site. The second Cliff House burned to the ground in 1907. The third Cliff House was a lower Neoclassical style structure designed by Reid & Reid . It opened in 1909 and prospered until 1918, when the involvement of the United States in World War I required closure of all establishments within a half mile of Fort Miley Military Reservation to the north on Point Lobos (San Francisco). The Cliff House closed once more in 1925, not to reopen again until 1937. In 1933, at
624-413: The trip every Sunday from crowded downtown San Francisco out to Lands End. During the 1880s, millionaire Adolph Sutro constructed a passenger steam train from downtown to Lands End for the affordable fare of 5¢. In 1891, an old miner called Charles Jackson announced that he had discovered a vein of bituminous coal under the cliffs at Baker Beach, on Sutro's land; Sutro had a tunnel dug 200 feet under
650-624: Was built in 1909. The National Park Service applied to have the area listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, under the proposed names Sutro Historic Landscape District and/or Adolph Sutro Historic District. The historic district listing was unsuccessful, but the Camera Obscura at the Cliff House was added to the National Register. The Sutro Historic District, including Sutro Heights Park and
676-456: Was closed for security reasons because of its proximity to Fort Miley Military Reservation . In 1949 the City of San Francisco commissioned a plan for the rehabilitation of the park. Little of the plan was implemented, except converting most of the planting beds to lawns. Between the late 1940s and the 1970s there was considerable vandalism and neglect at Sutro Heights Park. In 1951, battered still further by an even steeper drop in attendance at
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