Sutro Baths, San Francisco

These ruins were once part of an extravagant public natatorium built by millionaire Adolph Sutro. The saltwater swimming pool complex was built in the mid-1890s for $1.5 million. The complex contained seven pools at varying temperatures filled with 1.7 million gallons of water. Concrete tunnels fed tidal water from the ocean to fill the pools. The massive complex offered aquatic recreation for up to 10,000 guests and gradually declined in popularity until it closed in 1965. In June 1966, the above-ground portion of the complex was destroyed by a fire of mysterious origin. Since 1973, the ruins have been part of the National Park Service's Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Walking trails lead down to the ruins from the Merrie Way parking area.

Adolph Sutro was a German immigrant who made a fortune in the 1860s and 1870s as a mining engineer at the Comstock Lode silver mines in Nevada. Sutro designed and constructed a tunnel to drain and ventilate the flooded mine shafts. He purchased 22 acres of undeveloped land at the western edge of San Francisco in 1881 and turned it into landscaped public gardens called Sutro Heights. Two years later, Sutro bought the Cliff House, an 1863 restaurant overlooking the Pacific. After the restaurant was destroyed by a fire in 1894, Sutro built the grand, eight-story Cliff House that survives.

Sutro constructed the massive bathhouse in the 1890s, just north of the Cliff House, covered by a glass enclosure designed by Colley and Lemme in Renaissance style. The ocean tides filled the pools via concrete tunnels and tanks; at high tide, the pools could be filled in an hour. Different pools were heated to different temperatures. The complex featured much more than swimming pools; Sutro Baths offered slides, trapezes, springboards, and a high dive as well as 20,000 bathing suits and 40,000 towels for rent. Sutro Baths opened on March 14, 1896. Sutro envisioned the bathhouse for the city's working class, and kept fees low, charging twenty-five cents to swim (including the bathing suit and towel rental). A rail line led to the bathhouse for only five cents roundtrip; the location of the former tracks has become a trail.

Sutro was a colorful individual with passions for art and natural history, and he incorporated those interests and his collections into the bath complex. According to the National Park Service, "The front entrance contained natural history exhibits, galleries of sculptures, paintings, tapestries, and artifacts from Mexico, China, Asia, and the Middle East, including the popular Egyptian mummies. In addition to swimming, Sutro Baths offered visitors many other attractions including band concerts, talent shows, and restaurants." Special arrangements were planned for the city's children to celebrate May Day at the baths all day on Saturday, April 30th, 1898. A platform over the tanks was made large enough to hold a throne for the newly crowned May queen, and was "covered with flowers taken from Mr. Sutro's grounds." May poles were placed at the corners of the platform, with semicircular rows of seats for children, dressed in white, rising up to the throne.

From 1895 to 1897, Sutro served as Mayor of San Francisco. After Sutro died in 1898, the baths were managed by his family. Unfortunately, due to the Great Depression, the business declined, even though patrons were allowed to wear their own swimsuits. Wind and salt spray damaged the complex, and it became expensive to maintain. In 1965, the complex was closed. At one point the old baths were changed into ice skating rinks, but they were unsuccessful, and the property was sold. There were plans to build an apartment complex there, but when a fire destroyed the complex in June 1966 (except for the ruins that are present today), those plans were terminated. The National Park Service purchased the property and has preserved the ruins for their historical significance. Since 1973, the ruins have been part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Anonymous. "The Sutro Baths." San Francisco Call (San Francisco) December 8th, 1893. 10-10.

Anonymous. "Sutro Baths' Day." San Francisco Call (San Francisco) July 3rd, 1897. 3-3.

Anonymous. "Mayday at Sutro Baths." San Francisco Call (San Francisco) April 27th, 1898. 13-13.

Atlas Obscura. Ruins of the Sutro Baths. Accessed April 16th, 2017. http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ruins-of-the-sutro-baths.

Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Sutro Historic District. May 1st, 2025. Accessed April 16th, 2017 and May 14th, 2025. http://www.parksconservancy.org/visit/park-sites/sutro-historic-district.html.

Inside Guide to San Francisco. The Sutro Baths. Fog City Secrets: Inside Guide to San Francisco. Accessed April 16th, 2017 and May 13th, 2025. http://www.inside-guide-to-san-francisco-tourism.com/sutro-baths.html.

National Park Service. Adolph Sutro, Golden Gate National Recreation Area. March 10th, 2022. Accessed May 13th, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/adolph-sutro.htm.

National Park Service. Sutro Baths History, Golden Gate National Recreation Area. February 28th, 2015. Accessed April 16th, 2017 and May 13th, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/sutro-baths.htm.

Sutro Baths. Explore the Ruins. Accessed April 16th, 2017. http://www.sutrobaths.com/.