Cliff House Project
A Program of Western Neighborhoods Project

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Introduction

The goal of this website is to preserve the visual imagery of Adolph Sutro’s Victorian Cliff House. It was neither the first structure nor the last to carry the name of Cliff House, but it was certainly the most grand. Sadly, its existence was short-lived. It was constructed in 1896 and, like so many wooden structures of that era, burned completely to the ground in September of 1907.

Over the last few years I’ve collected a number of photographs and such, some from ephemera shows, some from antique shops, and many from ebay. But my personalAdolph Sutro resources can only go so far. My hope is that others who share an interest in the Cliff House will share their finds on this website as well. There’s an implied obligation of those (myself included) who own these nuggets of history to share them, not squirrel them away in some dusty shoebox only to risk oblivion via flood, fire, or neglect.

So by all means…drop me an email if you have some treasured photograph of your own that you’re willing to share. If you’re worried about copyrights, I can overlay the image with a watermark or some other identification to protect it from being copied. If you want to be credited, that's not a problem. If you have a capitalist slant and want to sell copies, I can link to your website. It’s all fine by me. As long as these images are not eventually lost forever, history is served.



 


  New Book!!! 


"Adolph Sutro, King of the Comstock Lode and Mayor of San Francisco"
by William R. Huber
Available from Amazon:  link
Publisher link:  McFarland


 

Sutro's Glass Palace: The Story of Sutro Baths


"Sutro's Glass Palace - The Story of Sutro Baths"
by John A. Martini (website)
Book available from Amazon (link)


 


"The Argonaut"
A story titled “Sutro’s San Francisco—What’s Left?” appears in the Summer 2020 issue
of "The Argonaut", the Journal of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society
Online version:  https://www.sfhistory.org/publications/digitized-versions-of-the-argonaut

 

 


Explore hundreds of stories and be immersed with Guidekick

 

Build you own Cliff House!!!

 
 

Courtesy of Wurlington Press
Click here for free plans!

 

*** Cliff House Documentary ***


From the makers of the Playland & Sutro's documentaries.
For more information:  http://www.novemberfire.com/dvd/pages/nfrdvd008.html

 


Amazing model of the 1896 Cliff House by Charlie Moran

 

 

This way to the Photo Gallery...


ENTER
 

 

Looking for the Sutro Baths?  Right this way...

ENTER

 

 

Or perhaps a stroll along Ocean Beach...

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Special Collections
Jim Dickson

Glenn D Koch
Dennis O'Rorke 1 2
Bob Holloway
Frank Mitchell  1  2
Judy Cash

Bob Schlesinger
James Smith
Raldolph James


Taber Photos 1886


 

 

Historic images to be transferred to WNP  link

Interested in using an image from this website?  Please look here.

Contact: gary@cliffhouseproject.com
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