Adolph Sutro
December 9, 2012 7:32 PM Subscribe
Anyone who has spent any time at all on the Western side of San Francisco is familiar with the name
Sutro. Being the 24th mayor of the City was actually one of his smaller and lesser-known accomplishments.
Born in Prussia in 1830, he first made a name for himself with
The Sutro Tunnel, which was used to drain water from underneath the
Comstock Lode, improving working conditions and lowering the mine's operating costs. He sold his interest in the company he founded and left for San Francisco, where
he built himself
a mansion, among other things...
The Sutro Baths: Located at
Land's End,
it contained not just swimming pools, but also a museum and a concert hall. Opened in 1896, the largest pool (or "tank" as it as known) was converted into an ice-skating (and later roller-skating)
rink in its later years. The structure was set to be demolished
when a fire broke out, in what was
apparently no accident, in June of 1966.
The ruins of the Baths are now an attraction in and of themselves. Across the street you can walk around
the area that was once his estate.
The Baths were sadly not the only structure Sutro financed to be destroyed by fire. He was responsible for the
most elaborate (and short-lived) incarnation of the
Cliff House (
pictured here), which opened in 1896 and burned to the ground in 1907.
Rising above even the thickest fog,
Sutro Tower broadcast signals for 11 TV stations and four FM radio stations. It is located
atop Mt. Sutro, which along with
Mt. Davidson was completely barren before Mr. Sutro enlisted schoolchildren to plant trees (mostly Eucalyptus) as windbreaks.
And if you want to get your 19th century drink on, I recommend the Comstock Saloon in North Beach.
posted by feckless at 7:36 PM on December 9, 2012 [1 favorite]