The shifting fortunes of San Francisco's legendary Cliff House, from raucous seaside roadhouse to fanciful Victorian palace to world-renowned urban destination, are celebrated in this comprehensive illustrated history.The story of San Francisco's Cliff House begins in 1863 with a modest white clapboard building perched on a rocky promontory overlooking the Pacific. Little more than three decades later, following a devastating fire, visionary millionaire Adolph Sutro oversaw construction of an imposing Victorian edifice on the same site. His 1896 "gingerbread palace" drew everyone to its doorstep, from working-class families to the city's social elite to three U.S. presidents. That grand structure withstood the great earthquake of 1906, but burned to the ground a year later. Sutro's oldest daughter, Emma Sutro Merritt, immediately set to work on a new Cliff House, which opened in 1909.In the century since then, the Cliff House has survived a handful of destructive storms, two major earthquakes, three nearby fires, two closures, several facelifts, the swinging sixties, the not-so-swinging seventies, and the often grindingly slow decisions of government. Despite these and other challenges, today's Cliff House, now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is enjoying a renaissance following a two-year, multimillion-dollar restoration. This lavishly illustrated volume chronicles the fortunes of the legendary landmark and the people associated with it-a colorful story that parallels both the history and the irrepressible spirit of the city of San Francisco.
- ISBN:
- 9781580089951
- 9781580089951
- Category:
- Travel & holiday
- Format:
- Paperback
- Publication Date:
- 11-08-2009
- Language:
- English
- Publisher:
- Ten Speed Press
- Country of origin:
- United States
- Dimensions (mm):
- 254x254x17mm
- Weight:
- 1.01kg
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