Mini documentary by Juli Lopez on the biggest salt water baths in the world. Made for the enjoyment of families in San Francisco. More info: www.cliffhousep...
A monumental, and highly improbable undertaking I'll readily admit, but I've always believed Mr. Sutro's dream should fully live again, and in every last bit of all it's original Victorian splendor!
As a boy my favorite area was the diving pool. It was 14' deep and when you went off the top platform is was very scary. I just stepped off the platform because I was too chicken to dive. So sad to hear it burned down. This was a great loss to the SF Bay Area. There will probably never be another one like it.
How wonderful that someone with money cared about the common person enough to build such an amazing place that not only provided amusement and exercise but education, with things they would never have seen any other way.
@Gryphonalia : the ruins remain as a legacy to this monumental piece of San Francisco history and as a testament to this success story of Adolph Sutro. The ruins of the baths suggest much more than just a building that was once there - it has taken on a mystical personae that is usually reserved for the ruins of lost cultures. Personally, I would feel a huge loss if they restored the beach and removed these ruins.
Thanks for your comments guys, just sitting out there knowing what it was, it almost makes me hear the pool kids playing on the pools. If you have not been go check it out!!!
I recall being fascinated with the ruins of this historic bathhouse back in the '90s when I lived in San Francisco. Sutro's Ginger Bread Cliffhouse was also a source of amazement for me.
Yes it's a risk to go to public baths. In Europe much bleach was added in public swimming pools in the 60s, maybe other chemicals as well. Idk about USA practice and rules in that time for swimming pools.
Thank you so much for posting this wonderful video documenting this wonderful structure in a wonderful City.....then and now. Point Lobos is also a fantastic spot on the northwestern most part of SF. And a toast to all you people who have reached this url.
Nice documentary on the Sutro Baths. I have often admired the ruins from the Cliff House, but never knew the full background. A must-view for San Franciscans.
That is why I have so much respect for the Jewish people they are awesome. Thank you German Jew Adolph Sutro for making this happen for the San Franciscans and donating this Water Park
Buenisima pieza, me encanto, informativo, revelador, muy buena edicion... q es lo q queda del lugar? es lo del final? tal vez se tenga q ver mejor no? pero q buen film... saludos Juli.
Many old mansions and fairs with never repeated intricate architecture and art are burned down 20-30 years after supposedly being built. And built within 2 years time, highly unlikely for 1880, when it would take many decades now with our supposedly high(er) technology.
I love the Sutro ruins -- have been there many times... Just curious though -- were black people or other people of color (Mexican, Chinese etc.) allowed to go there? I didn't notice any...
metabutch my family is Mexican and they frequented the Baths all the time. Never had a problem there. But had great stories about their times there. Wished they would have rebuilt it after the fire, but I imagine in 1966 the cost would have been astronomical. Really miss those good old days!
I love the ruins... my daughters and I just went hiking there yesterday. If you spent millions of dollars you could restore a quarter mile of windy beach... or we could leave it alone and let nature eventually reclaim it all, and in the meantime we have stories we can tell as we hike the ruins...
A monumental, and highly improbable undertaking I'll readily admit, but I've always believed Mr. Sutro's dream should fully live again, and in every last bit of all it's original Victorian splendor!
As a boy my favorite area was the diving pool.
It was 14' deep and when you went off the top
platform is was very scary. I just stepped off
the platform because I was too chicken to dive.
So sad to hear it burned down. This was a
great loss to the SF Bay Area. There will
probably never be another one like it.
0l
How wonderful that someone with money cared about the common person enough to build such an amazing place that not only provided amusement and exercise but education, with things they would never have seen any other way.
@Gryphonalia : the ruins remain as a legacy to this monumental piece of San Francisco history and as a testament to this success story of Adolph Sutro. The ruins of the baths suggest much more than just a building that was once there - it has taken on a mystical personae that is usually reserved for the ruins of lost cultures. Personally, I would feel a huge loss if they restored the beach and removed these ruins.
msr48 I agree. They’ve always had a wonderful atmosphere and presence for me.
Thanks for the great info! I went there today because they filmed a scene from Harold and Maude there. Its a beautiful place!
David Grady Love that movie!!
I went shrooming here, beautiful place
Thanks for your comments guys, just sitting out there knowing what it was, it almost makes me hear the pool kids playing on the pools. If you have not been go check it out!!!
Metal, glass and stone was burning right before your eyes. Did the railroad tracks burn too?
I recall being fascinated with the ruins of this historic bathhouse back in the '90s when I lived in San Francisco. Sutro's Ginger Bread Cliffhouse was also a source of amazement for me.
That is wonderful, I wish I had been there.... Thanks for your comments and watching!!
Please listen again to minute 5:10 ... no one says 1956...
1966 it burned down as the automatic subtitle says, but maybe I hear 1956 at 5:13
Yes, the man says it at 5:13 min.
Dad wasn't allowed to swim there, for fear of TB or Infantile Paralysis.
Yes it's a risk to go to public baths. In Europe much bleach was added in public swimming pools in the 60s, maybe other chemicals as well. Idk about USA practice and rules in that time for swimming pools.
Thank you so much for posting this wonderful video documenting this wonderful structure in a wonderful City.....then and now. Point Lobos is also a fantastic spot on the northwestern most part of SF. And a toast to all you people who have reached this url.
the writer is off on the date of the mysterious fire...it was not 1956. It was 1966.
The automatic subs say 1966 yes, but I hear 1956 when he says it.
So Thomas Edison took this footage?
Sutro mean 'formula' in Bengal + strand, connection, ligament, rule, law, etc,
in Urdu it said 'strokes' or 'coups' in French
who’s here in 2023?
☔... thanKs...i remember...50's downtown s.F. kid heRe.... great place for photos when it closed down...💜
.... nevermind
Nice documentary on the Sutro Baths. I have often admired the ruins from the Cliff House, but never knew the full background. A must-view for San Franciscans.
Thank you Mr. Olliphant!!
That is why I have so much respect for the Jewish people they are awesome. Thank you German Jew Adolph Sutro for making this happen for the San Franciscans and donating this Water Park
Thankyou! Brings back memories from the first 16 years of my life. So sad when it burned-I'll never forget it...
Maybe you can make a scrapbook vid for others to see :)
Buenisima pieza, me encanto, informativo, revelador, muy buena edicion... q es lo q queda del lugar? es lo del final? tal vez se tenga q ver mejor no? pero q buen film... saludos Juli.
Never heard of this before. Burned down the year I was born. If only they could be rebuilt.
Yes, if only! That was a golden era here in SF.
Never heard of this in my life too.
Many old mansions and fairs with never repeated intricate architecture and art are burned down 20-30 years after supposedly being built. And built within 2 years time, highly unlikely for 1880, when it would take many decades now with our supposedly high(er) technology.
Sic transit gloria mundi
I wish that it would have been a successful venture so we could all still enjoy what you did. Thanks for you comment!!
Well, water does not burn. Why not have open air salt water baths and build some new pavilions for the shows?
Love the sutro ruins... miss the old cliff house as well sunset strong all day long
I remember frequenting Sutro Baths as a youth in the late 1890's. What a prodigious feat of engineering and imagination.
I love anything about San Francisco, and Sutro Bath & Cliff house are one of those enduring stories that San Franciscans should know. Rosencruz Sumera
I love the Sutro ruins -- have been there many times... Just curious though -- were black people or other people of color (Mexican, Chinese etc.) allowed to go there? I didn't notice any...
metabutch my family is Mexican and they frequented the Baths all the time. Never had a problem there. But had great stories about their times there. Wished they would have rebuilt it after the fire, but I imagine in 1966 the cost would have been astronomical. Really miss those good old days!
They came from over the world but all wear the same fashion and hats. It looks like a movie to me with props and costumes this way.
How did they make ads for this? Never saw any.
I love the ruins... my daughters and I just went hiking there yesterday. If you spent millions of dollars you could restore a quarter mile of windy beach... or we could leave it alone and let nature eventually reclaim it all, and in the meantime we have stories we can tell as we hike the ruins...
Is the water in the ruins still salty I wonder?