On a postcard of Sutro Baths, San Francisco’s Cliff House appears beyond the great glass roofs. The National Park Service identifies that distant building as the replacement opened in 1909—and says it was painted into an older photograph. Other versions of the same view retained the ornate 1896 Cliff House. The coast was updated on the card without the whole scene being photographed again. [1]
In September 1907, the second Cliff House burned during renovations. Emma Merritt, Adolph Sutro’s daughter, subsequently applied to rebuild; work began in 1908 on a three-story, steel-reinforced concrete building designed by Reid Brothers. A celebration inaugurated it on July 1, 1909. The new structure was rectangular and much simpler than its predecessor. Its lower hall faced the promenade below the road; banquet rooms and dancing space occupied road level, with the main dining room and lounge above. [2]
Where is this place?
Sutro Baths, San Francisco, California. This map locates the town or region, not a verified exact historic event site.
The water outside the glass
The open pond in the postcard’s foreground was part of the baths’ water supply, not another swimming pool. It received seawater from a nearby catch basin and allowed material to settle before the water continued through the system. The park identifies the building at the left as the powerhouse, where water was filtered and heated before entering the bathing pools. [1]
This waterworks had an earlier job. In 1887, Sutro began an artificial tide-pool attraction called the Aquarium, linking a catch basin in the rocks to a second basin on shore. Its canalworks were later incorporated into the baths. [3]
The baths themselves burned in June 1966, while demolition was already underway. [2] Among the ruins, the smaller circular basin at the cove’s north end was the former Aquarium and settling pond. The grid-like concrete structure nearby was a filtration tank. [3]