Sutro Baths
Juli Lopez Documentary
Academy of Art University
Click above
for a photographic tour of Sutro Baths

Click above for
additional blueprints


Courtesy of Dennis O'Rorke

"10. SUTRO BATHS. INTERIOR LOOKING NORTH."
Adolph Sutro & Ladies of National Medical Convention, June 8, 1894
John Hall Collection

(close-up of above photo showing Adolph Sutro)


"6675 Sutro Baths, San Francisco, Cal. Taber
Photo., San Francisco, Cal"
Courtesy of
Glenn D Koch Collection

Courtesy of
Glenn D Koch Collection

Courtesy of Dennis O'Rorke

"SECTION REDWOOD TREE, HUMBOLDT COUNTY CALIFORNIA"
reverse


"6679 Elevator Promenade. Sutro Baths, San Francisco, Cal.
Taber Photo., San Francisco, Cal"
Courtesy of
Glenn D Koch Collection


John Hall Collection



Courtesy of
Glenn D Koch Collection

"107
Sutro Baths interior, looking east, San Francisco, Cal. W.C.
Billington, Photographer"
John Hall Collection

John Hall Collection

"Sutro Baths, looking east, May 1, 1896"
John Hall Collection

"Sutro Baths Interior, looking south. May 1, 1897 W.C.
Billington, Photographer"


"In the Great Sutro Baths, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
Copyright 1898 by Strohmeyer & Wyman"


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|
Sutro Baths Film |
© October
25, 1897 |
Thomas A. Edison |


Glenn D Koch Collection
(contact)

Sutro Baths Official Programme |
Feb 18 1906 |

Click here for
more programs |
_small.jpg)

Interior Sutro Baths, San Francisco, U.S.A.
COPYRIGHT 1908 BY J. J. KILLELEA & CO.
Courtesy of Frank Mitchell

Entrance to Museum, Sutro Baths, San Francisco, U.S.A.
COPYRIGHT 1908 BY J. J. KILLELEA & CO.
Courtesy of Frank Mitchell
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Credit: Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Martin Behrman Collection

Courtesy of the Jim Dickson
Collection

"CHAS. WEIDNER, Photographer" (on reverse)

Courtesy of Dennis O'Rorke

Zoom in to see the roof in poor condition, presumably taken near the baths
demise?
Courtesy of the Jim Dickson
Collection



Click above image for ultra-high
resolution....can you spot someone doing a handstand? Estimated date:
1910.

Courtesy of Mary Hountalas

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Change of Plans
John Martini notes an interesting glitch
in the construction...
I was reviewing the construction
photos and noticed something curious; the below views
indicate that part of the bathhouse building was
actually demolished during construction.
The first photo shows construction sometime in
January-February 1893. (The rising columns and trusses
help date these images.) Notice the circled area
in the vicinity of the future Grand Staircase.

Sutro Baths construction c1893 (BANC
19991.02)
The next photo was taken around June 1894. This
time, most of the previously-completed work is
missing
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This makes me speculate that Sutro changed his
mind and directed the architects to tear down new
construction while work was still in progress,
much like Hearst did to Julia Morgan at San Simeon. It's
a minor point, but still interesting. -John Martini 2008
And from John Hall...
"Based on my study of the SF Library plans the
construction shown in the first photo follows the
original plans. There were to be two "Towers," one each
side of the grand stair case. Each with an elevator.
Your first photo shows the beginning of the northern
tower. I think what probably happened is that they
realized the "towers" blocked the views from the
grandstands. So they demolished the western portion and
left it open with just columns. Only one elevator was
constructed and it was an open cage running on vertical
rails. The eastern portion of the structure then became
the windowed structure you see in the photos of the
grand staircase. The funny thing is that the roof of the
baths was constructed to accommodate both elevators even
though only one was built.
A similar thing happened with the 1896 Cliff
House. The large dormers on the north and south sides
below the tower were not built according to plan. I
think someone realized that if they were built to plan
there would be no bearing walls for the tower. At least
that's what happened to my model when I built it "to
plan." I had to modify it using the photos of the
building. John" - John Hall 2008 |
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Reverse: "Taken at the Cliff House
on our 3 hrs trip seeing San Francisco, Sept 1, 1913"

Sutro Baths - August 1915
John Hall Collection

Scan courtesy of Dave D. (not related to individuals in photo)
(reverse: "Kids at Sutro's Aug 1918")
Dave D's recollections: "I was born in
San Francisco in 1952 and remember visiting the Museum and Ice Rink.
As you descended the entry stairway towards the museum a left turn
brought you to the ice rink entry stairwell. Just before reaching
the stairwell there was a wooden case in the middle of the hallway
about three feet tall and about three foot square. On top was a
clear piece of glass that one could peer into and through a series
of mirrors was able to look down a series of shafts that afforded a
view of the ice rink from three floors above. I believe that the
upper restaurant area at this time (in the early 1960's) was used
for coin operated binoculars focused on Seal Rocks. The rear glass
wall of the ice rink that was the separation from the old baths had
a hand painted winter village scene across the entire wall. Kids
would scratch off the paint to create peep holes for a view of the
creepy old (haunted) baths. I've read that many of the curiosities
purchased by Sutro came from Woodward's Gardens. The Baths were
already closed when I was a boy but the Sutro Museum and Ice Skating
Rink were still running. I had just turned 14 years old in 1966 when
Sutros was lost to fire. The column of smoke drifted south over the
Sunset district and headed south for Pacifica. It burned for three
days. On the morning of the fourth day curiosity got the better of
me, so my friend and I boarded an 18 Sloat and walked up the hill
from Playland. The pit was still smoldering and yellow police tape
was still surrounding the perimeter. Down below the tape was an old
Sutro office cement vault room with the door open. Under the tape
and down the hill we went. Inside the vault room was an 1800's hand
painted safe about 5 feet tall and with the doors opened. it was
empty of course except for a small box of Sutro Bath Admission
tickets. The tickets were in decent shape considering the inferno
they survived." |




Similar view to previous photo. Caption: "Sea from the Cliff House
Nov 20 20"

aerial view, ca 1940

Sutro Baths, with pools drained

35


Image courtesy of Dan Fontes

Instruction card was from the walls of one of the many Sutro's dressing rooms
Image courtesy of Dan Fontes

Swimming Medal
Image courtesy of Dan Fontes

1957

Before |

After (burned June 26, 1966) |

Sutro Bath ruins, 11-29-03
Photo by Don Pierson and
Richard Nichols
Check out Alison
King's photos of the ruins...
http://www.pixelpixie.net/baths.html


Editor Note: baths???
Music from Sutro Baths
Track 01,
Track 02,
Track 03,
Track 04,
Track 05,
Track 06,
Track 07,
Track 08,
Track 09,
Track 10,
Track 11,
Track 12,
Track 13,
Track 14,
Track 15 |


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1898

Sutro Baths letterhead / letter, 1935, 8 1/2" x 11"



Courtesy of the Jim Dickson
Collection

San Francisco Call - 20 August 1892

THE MORNING CALL, SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 1893
THE SUTRO BATHS ARE RAPIDLY NEARING COMPLETION |
The
Sutro baths and casino out on the beach, just north of Sutro
Heights, are rapidly nearing completion.
It is only a matter of weeks now—and not so many of them
either—before the mammoth establishment will be thrown open to the
public.
If the work be rushed it can all be finished in a little over
a month's time, and the present orders are to "rush."
When it is completed San Francisco will have an institution
of which she maybe justly proud. There is no bathing establishment
in this country as large, as complete, as convenient or as
luxuriously appointed.
Once there was a huge depression on the north side of the
road that runs to Sutro Heights, and In the depression or gully was
a sea of sand, and rock, and seaweed and spray, and the gulls went
there to roost.
"That will always remain a wild and barren place," people
said. Now they see how mistaken they were. The gully is still there,
but in the place of its jagged |
rocks and sand
dunes is a huge concrete reservoir or series of reservoirs; and
rising high over these long reservoirs is a bewildering mass of
green iron and wood frame work.
Soon many hundreds of tons of glass will be covered over this
frame work. Then the Sutro baths and casino will be enclosed, and
one of the most desolate and forlorn spots in the world will have
been converted into one of the finest structures in the world—if not
the finest.
Inside these green, glass-covered walls there will he an
amphitheater capable of seating 5000 people comfortably; there will
be a stage appointed with all necessary scenic effects; there will
be private bathing lockers to accommodate 400 bathers at a time,
clubrooms for bathers which will give room for 1000 persons at a
time, booths, promenades, opera chairs, smoking-rooms, theater,
dining-rooms, luncheon parlors, elevators to the observatory on top
of the structure, conservatories and six mammoth swimming tanks, not
to mention tub baths and baths of all kinds, |
toilet-rooms,
waiting-rooms and every convenience and luxury that one could dream
of or unlimited money provide.
Here all manner of aquatic entertainments will be provided.
Sham naval battles will be held. There will be trapezes without
number, springboards galore, and all the athletic appointments that
can possibly be employed in aquatic sports.
The entire surface of salt water under cover will be 300 feet
in length by 150 feet wide. This will be divided into six
compartments, or separate tanks. The main tank will be shaped like
an L, the perpendicular stroke of the letter representing the entire
length of 300 feet, and the horizontal stroke stretching the entire
width, or 150 feet.
On the inside of the L there will be five smaller tanks. Two
of these will be 28 by 75 feet each in surface measurement, and the
fifth tank will measure 50 by 75 feet.
The main entrance to the baths and casino will be located at
the southeast corner of the structure. This will be quite an
elaborate piece of work, the |
architects, Messrs.
Lemme and Colley, having put in their brightest bits of
ornamentation on the plans.
Flanking both sides of the main entrance to the west are two
large passenger elevators, running from the observatory and
promenade on the roof, seventy-six feet above, to the lowermost tier
of dressing-rooms, which are on a level with the reservoirs.
Four flights of stairways, wide and easy of ascent, lead from
the booths and promenades on the top floor to the Mower bathrooms,
and on each side of the stairways are terraces, which will soon be
ornamented with flowers and shrubbery.
The dressing-rooms run in a semi-circle about the bathing
tanks, and are built in tiers, rising one above the other. Over
these dressing-rooms is the amphitheater. At the bottom of this
amphitheater, which begins on top of the first tier of
dressing-rooms, is a 14-foot promenade, running clear around the
amphitheater, and connecting with the four main stairways.
At the top of the amphitheater, running |
clear around, is a
platform thirty-six feet in width, which adjoins the esplanade, and
leads thereto by many entrances. The esplanade skirts the outside of
the entire structure, offering on the western side a magnificent
view of the ocean and the rockbound coast below.
On this platform will be the booths of all kinds, for edible
and liquid refreshments, for the sale of sea-shells, photographs and
souvenirs for travelers and whatnot. In front of the booths will be
another promenade or dancing pavilion, or casino with tables and
chairs, where one may sit and see all that is going on in the entire
building.
Nearly three acres will be under cover of this great green
structure, and when it is all completed it will form one of the
great attractions of this city. Midwinter Fair tourists and visitors
will find in it something they have found nowhere else in their
travels—an immense and luxuriously appointed bathing and swimming
establishment, combined with a theater, cafe and casino.
|

San Francisco Chronicle - Dec 30, 1893 |
|

San Francisco Call - March 7 1896 |

Sutro Baths, Heights and Cliff House
Courtesy of Glenn D Koch Collection
(click here
for booklet pages)

This is allegedly a pane of glass from the roof of the Sutro
Baths. Click here for more views.

Sutro's Glass Palace: The Story of Sutro Baths

"Sutro's Glass Palace - The Story of Sutro Baths"
by John A. Martini (website)
Available from Amazon (link)
For more information on the Sutro Baths I highly
recommend John Martini's definitive reference,
"Sutro's Glass Palace: The Story of Sutro Baths". His
meticulous attention to detail is unmatched and the 3D illustrations
are superb. I've known John for many years and neither this
page, nor the entire website for that matter, would be half of what it is without
his patient help. |
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