San Francisco, California, USA
(Unknown / Library of Congress)
This is the third incarnation of the Cliff House over Ocean Beach, in west San Francisco. The shore below the house has seen the wreck of more than thirty vessels. Built by engineer Adolph Sutro, the seven-story structure survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake with minimal damage but the following year it burnt to the ground. The current Cliff House Hotel is largely the same as the version built by Sutro’s daughter, following the fire.
‘There were great crowds at the opening of the new Cliff House yesterday. It is a magnificent building, handsomely proportioned and richly furnished. The reception-rooms, parlors, billiard-rooms and dining room and observatories all overlook the sea.’
San Francisco Call, February 2, 1896
