The Cliff House and Sutro Heights

Mark Twain

The historic Cliff House stands perched on a headland atop the cliffs on the northwestern edge of San Francisco, California. Originally built in 1863, it is now a key part of the Sutro Historic District. That district, now a park, included the lavish gardens and structures of Sutro Heights and the home of Adolph Sutro, entrepreneur, real estate developer, and populist mayor of San Francisco. The ruins just north of the Cliff House housed the world-class swimming pool and museum complex called Sutro Baths. A major amusement park, San Francisco's Playland at the Beach, once spilled over more than five city blocks south, across from Ocean Beach. The Cliff House has been rebuilt and remodeled many times through its century-and-a-half of operation. This full-length documentary film tells the story of the Cliff House, Sutro Heights, and the attractions surrounding them, both a nostalgic...