Sutro Heights Park - San Francisco, CA
Posted by: 
DougK
N 37° 46.780 W 122° 30.595
10S E 543156 N 4181482
Sutro Heights Park was terraformed by Adolph Sutro, former mayor of San Francisco, from dunes into a Victorian estate with gardens, a conservatory, and hundreds of European statues.
Waymark Code: WM8JG1
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/10/2010
Views: 8
Sutro Heights was the estate of Adolph Sutro, millionaire, mining engineer, and mayor of San Francisco. Sutro purchased a small cottage on this site in 1881, part of an initial 1.65 acres of land here on Sutro Heights. He remodeled the cottage into his ornate, yet modest, residence by glassing the the porch and adding a rear terrace overlooking
Ocean Beach. He built a raised promontory encircled by an elaborate stone wall as a viewing platform. Taking advantage of its height, he built a water tower, observation tower and photograph gallery on the parapet. He displayed replicas of classical urns and staues to provide visitors with examples of European culture.
Throughout the 1880's he transformed the windswept sand dunes into a victorian estate with formal gardens, groves of exotic trees, and hundreds of European statues. He opened the grounds to the public in 1885.
After Sutro's death in 1898, the grounds slowly declined. Trees began to dies and statues toppled or vandalized. The buildings were finally demolished in 1939.
Today, Sutro's Vision of a park for sity residents continues. Sutro Heights Park is now part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the pastoral setting of the Heights and the Pacific Ocean scenery that inspired Adolph Sutro is preserved for the enjoyment of many.
Excerpted from the SF Examiner website:
This park that sits "hidden" across the road from, and above, the Cliff House is one of San Francisco's nicest small green areas. Adolph Sutro built a large Victorian here and landscaped the gardens with exotic plants. He also built a conservatory. The grounds have numerous pieces of sculpture and you can still see the lions that guard the gate. He opened the grounds to the public even while he lived there. Sutro's heirs gave the grounds to San Francisco in 1920. The grounds had fallen into disrepair, and eventually the house was demolished. The grounds are now landscaped in a more simple fashion. The park is often enshrouded in fog, giving it a distinctly mysterious air. On a clear day the views down Ocean Beach and out onto the ocean are beautiful.
Posted coordinates are for a walk-in entrance from the sidewalk. A nice parking lot adjacent to the park can be found at N37 46.723 W122 30.698. A small hike uphill will lead you into the park.