Sutro Baths

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File:Sutro Baths in San Francisco.jpg
The baths Template:Circa
File:Sutro Baths interior, circa 1896.jpg
Sutro Baths interior, Template:Circa
File:Sutro Baths, no. 1 (1897).webm
1897 film of the baths by Thomas Edison

The Sutro Baths was a large, privately owned public saltwater swimming pool complex in the Lands End area of the Outer Richmond District on the West Side of San Francisco, California.<ref name="nps" /><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

Built in 1894, the Sutro Baths was located north of Ocean Beach, the Cliff House, Seal Rocks, and west of Sutro Heights Park.<ref name="nps" /> The structure burned down to its concrete foundation in June 1966; its ruins are located in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Sutro Historic District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

On March 14, 1896, the Sutro Baths were opened to the public as the world's largest indoor swimming pool establishment. The baths were built on the western side of San Francisco by wealthy entrepreneur and former mayor of San Francisco (1895–1897) Adolph Sutro.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Sutro Baths became the focus of a significant civil rights battle in 1897. John Harris sued Adolph Sutro after being denied entry to the baths because of his race. Harris won the case, making it a landmark victory against racial segregation in public facilities. This case set an important precedent for future civil rights actions, underscoring the growing demand for equal treatment and access to public spaces.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The structure was situated in a small beach inlet below the Cliff House, also owned by Adolph Sutro at the time. Both the Cliff House and the former baths site are now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, operated by the United States National Park Service. The baths struggled for years, mostly due to the very high operating and maintenance costs. Eventually, the southernmost part of the baths was converted into an ice skating rink, with a wall separating it from the dilapidated swimming pools.<ref>"Sutro Baths" (Search for "Click above for a photographic tour of Sutro Baths", see slides 49, 50 and 51 Template:Webarchive) Cliff House Project</ref>

The Sutro estate sold the baths to George Whitney in 1952. Whitney moved exhibits and activities to the southern half of the building, closing the northern half of the building and shutting down the pools. To attract visitors, Whitney installed a tram that connected the observation deck at the Cliff House to an overlook on Point Lobos. The tram opened on May 2, 1955, and closed in May 1966. In 1964, the property was sold to developers for a planned high-rise apartment complex.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

A fire in 1966 destroyed the building while it was in the process of being demolished. All that remains of the site are concrete walls, blocked-off stairs and passageways, and a tunnel with a deep crevice in the middle. The cause of the fire was determined to be arson. Shortly afterwards, the developers left San Francisco and claimed insurance money.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="nps">Template:Cite web</ref>

Infrastructure and facilities

The following statistics are from a 1912 article written by J. E. Van Hoosear of Pacific Gas and Electric.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Materials used in the structure included Template:Convert of glass, 600 tons of iron, Template:Convert of lumber, and Template:Convert of concrete.

During high tides, water would flow directly into the pools from the nearby ocean, recycling the two million US gallons (7,600 m3) of water in about an hour. During low tides, a powerful turbine water pump, built inside a cave at sea level, could be switched on from a control room and could fill the tanks at a rate of 6,000 US gallons a minute (380 L/s), recycling all the water in five hours.

Facilities included:

  • Six saltwater pools and one freshwater pool. The baths were Template:Convert long and Template:Convert wide for a capacity of Template:Convert. They were equipped with seven slides, 30 swinging rings, and one springboard.
  • A museum displaying an extensive collection of stuffed and mounted animals, historic artifacts, and artwork, much of which Sutro acquired from the Woodward's Gardens estate sale in 1894<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • A 2700-seat amphitheater, and club rooms with capacity for 1100
  • 517 private dressing rooms
  • An ice skating rink

The baths were once served by two rail lines. The Ferries and Cliff House Railroad ran along the cliffs of Lands End overlooking the Golden Gate. The route ran from the baths to a terminal at California Street and Central Avenue, now Presidio Avenue.<ref>"The Ferries & Cliff House Railway" Template:Webarchive Cable Car Museum San Francisco</ref><ref name="FCRR"/> The second line was the Sutro Railroad, which ran electric trolleys to Golden Gate Park and downtown San Francisco. Both lines were later taken over by the Market Street Railway.<ref>"Sutro Railroad" Template:Webarchive Market Street Railway</ref>

  • Media stored by the Library of Congress as part of the "American Memory" collection and available for viewing online:
  • The climax of the film The Lineup was shot at the ice skating rink in 1958.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • A scene from the film Harold and Maude was shot at the ruins of the Sutro Baths.
  • Some parts of Earthquake Weather, the last piece of the Fault Lines Trilogy by Tim Powers, are set in and near the Sutro Baths.
  • Part of the 2019 fantasy novel Middlegame by Seanan McGuire is set in the Sutro Baths.
  • Key scenes from the Cory Doctorow young adult novels Little Brother and Homeland are set in the ruins of the Sutro Baths.

See also

References

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