Photo Gallery (U.S. National Park Service)

The Cliff House, having gone through several iterations and architectural styles since its initial construction in 1858, is a restaurant that looks out onto the Pacific from a rocky cliff.

*The copyright status of these images may vary. Check the copyright status on the image detail pages before you download them.

Adolph Sutro inaugurated electric streetcar operations to the Cliff House in 1896, the same year he opened his grandiose new ‘French chateau’ Cliff House and the expansive Sutro Baths. Built as an alternative to the Ferries & Cliff House steam train that wound its way around Land’s End, the “Sutro Rail Road Company” electric cars offered inexpensive transportation direct to the new Baths. Passengers got off the Sutro streetcars in a covered depot (adjacent to today’s Louis’ Restaurant), where a covered walkway led directly to the Baths’ main entrance. In an era when horse cars and steam-powered locomotives still plied the streets of San Francisco, the Sutro Railroad’s silent, clean electric cars were truly state-of-the-art. As an incentive to riders, Sutro offered transfers ensuring a 5¢ fare from anywhere in the San Francisco. (The rival steam line was operated by the widely-hated Southern Pacific Railroad and didn’t respect transfers, a policy which resulted in a 10¢ fare for their riders.)

Sutro Railroad Car

359 x 528
0.1 MB

The ‘new’ Cliff House as it appeared at the time it reopened in 1909. When Emma Sutro Merritt decided to rebuild after the disastrous 1907 fire that destroyed her father’s “French Chateau” Cliff House, she asked for a fire-proof structure for the site. Dr. Merritt hired the noted San Francisco architectural firm of the Reid Brothers to design the new structure, which would be a radical departure from its predecessor. With its foot-thick concrete walls and subdued neoclassical details, the new Cliff House appeared more bunker-like than Victorian whimsy. Some architects have observed that the 1909 Cliff House bore a marked resemblance to another Reid Brothers landmark in San Francisco – the Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill.

Cliff House, 1909

673 x 1105
0.5 MB

This view from Sutro Heights shows the new Cliff House around 1910, before it started to sprout additions on its north and east facades. A tiny portico marks the main entrance to the restaurant from Point Lobos Boulevard. The flat roofed building just downhill was a short-lived waffle stand. This perspective also shows the large viewing terrace overlooking Seal Rocks on the ocean side of the restaurant. Shortly after this picture was taken, a turnstile was set up and a 10¢ admission charged for walking out to the viewing deck. The admission fee was a hefty amount for the 1910s (in today's dollars it translates to about $2.00) and it was eventually dropped.

Cliff House 1910

737 x 1223
0.5 MB

As the years progressed, additions began to appear on the Cliff House. Two of the earliest are visible in this mid-1920s photo: an enclosed vestibule outside the front door, and an open-front addition on the north side. The latter would eventually be converted into the famed Sequoia Lounge bar. A small concession kiosk, its use unknown, has blossomed on the back terrace. A clue to this picture’s date is provided by the new pavement on Point Lobos Boulevard which was widened in 1922. As part of the street improvement project, broad sidewalks were constructed in front of the Cliff House that extended all the way to Ocean Beach. The new sidewalk set the Cliff House further back from the street and permitted the addition of the new vestibule and portico. (Compare this photo to 1910 view.)

Cliff House 1920s

629 x 1049
0.3 MB

The 1920s and ‘30s were tough years at the Cliff House, where the combined effects of Prohibition and the Great Depression caused the restaurant to go dark for many years. In 1937, the building was refurbished and reopened by George and Leo Whitney, owners of nearby Playland at the Beach. Renovations included an art deco main dining room and the Sequoia Lounge bar. The latter featured maritime artifacts (some salvaged from ships that wrecked at nearby Land’s End) and a back bar made of massive redwood tree trunks. The most obvious exterior alterations were a coat of bright white paint and pair of cantilevered signs spelling out “CLIFF HOUSE” in light bulbs. Under the Whitney Brothers management, the Cliff House would enjoy a renaissance that lasted another thirty years.

Cliff House 1940

629 x 1057
0.3 MB

Following World War II the Whitney Brothers decided to give the Cliff House a facelift. During 1949 and 1950, they added a third floor dining room and pushed out the south and west walls to expand usable floor space on the street level. To mask these additions, the Whitneys clad the exterior with redwood siding and added a false brick chimney, giving the building a trendy art moderne look. In an economy move, the western façade facing the Seal Rocks was left in its original 1909 design. Small matter, though, since that side couldn’t be seen from the street. The neon signs on the building’s front reading “Since 1858” were a total fabrication; the earliest Cliff House only dated to 1863. However, as George Whitney’s son noted, his father was a showman who had been big on marketing but not very concerned with historical accuracy. This view, the taken shortly after remodeling was completed, also shows the Camera Obscura on the back terrace in its original nautical design. It wouldn’t be remodeled as a “Giant Came

Cliff House circa 1950

685 x 1101
0.5 MB

Cliff House, end of Ocean Beach, and Seal Rocks, c. 1910-1920.

Cliff House and end of Ocean B...

688 x 1024
0.2 MB

The Cliff House as seen from the Great Highway, c. 1910-1920

Cliff House from Great Highway...

677 x 1024
0.2 MB

“Cliff House and Seal Rocks, October 25, 1890”

Cliff House, 1890

696 x 1024
0.2 MB

Cliff House menu with seal on front.

Cliff House menu

1023 x 687
0.6 MB

“Cliff House, GOGA, San Francisco. Orientation: SW. View: Oblique of east and north 1909 exterior, 4/15/03”

Cliff House historic fabric do...

698 x 1024
0.2 MB

Cliff House with couple in front, 1935.

Cliff House with couple in fro...

619 x 1024
0.1 MB

Sutro Baths and Cliff House postcard.

Sutro Baths and Cliff House po...

687 x 1024
0.3 MB

Cliff House exterior, 1951.

Cliff House exterior, 1951

1024 x 1024
0.5 MB

Sutro Baths tram longshot with coastline and baths in background, 1951.

tram longshot, Sutro Baths, 19...

1023 x 1022
0.5 MB

“Seal Rocks from Sutro Park,” c. 1930s.

“Seal Rocks from Sutro Park,” ...

1023 x 608
0.4 MB

The second Cliff House from the Sutro Heights Parapet, 22 April 1897.

The second Cliff House from Su...

713 x 1024
0.3 MB

The second Cliff House on fire, seen here from Ocean Beach, September 7, 1907.

The second Cliff House on fire...

725 x 1024
0.3 MB

Group gathered on Sutro Height taking in the view of the 1st Cliff House and Seal Rock, July 19, 1894.

View of the 1st Cliff House an...

733 x 1024
0.3 MB

Ocean Beach without the Cliff House, either mid-1890s or c1908.

Ocean Beach without the Cliff ...

809 x 1024
0.2 MB

Back to top | View All