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B l a c k M a g i c | My photostream on black
Sutro Baths
Point Lobos Ave & Merrie Way
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 561-4323
The Sutro Baths were a large privately owned swimming pool complex in San Francisco, California built in the late 19th century. The building housing the baths burned down in 1966 and was abandoned. The ruins may still be visited.
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 sleepy western side of San Francisco by wealthy entrepreneur and former mayor of San Francisco (1894-1896), Adolph Sutro. The vast glass, iron, wood, and reinforced concrete structure was mostly hidden, and filled 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 and operated by the United States National Park Service. The site was filmed in 1903 by American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, offering an extraordinary view of the Cliff House from the beach below, available from the Library of Congress online.
A visitor to the Baths not only had a choice of 7 different swimming pools—one fresh water and six salt water baths ranging in temperatures—but could visit a museum displaying Sutro's large and varied personal collection of artifacts from his travels, a concert hall, seating for 8,000, and, at one time, an ice skating rink. During high tides, water would flow directly into the pools from the nearby ocean, recycling the 2 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.
The baths were once serviced by a rail line, the Ferries and Cliff House Railroad, which 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). The line was filmed in 1902 by Thomas Edison, Inc., available from the Library of Congress online.
The baths struggled for years, mostly due to the very high operating and maintenance costs, and eventually closed. A fire destroyed the building in 1966 shortly after, while 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 Sutro Bath ruins are open to the public, but a warning sign advises strict caution, as visitors have been swept off by large waves and drowned at the site.
Currently, visitors coming to the Sutro Baths from the above parking lot are presented with a sign that describes the history of Sutro Baths starting from its construction and glamorous opening to the public in 1896. Another sign describes the later years of the site's history up until its demolition and complete destruction by fire in 1966. As one walks up out of the ruins toward the historic Cliff House, home to two full service restaurants: "Sutro’s at the Cliff House" and "The Bistro", as well as the "Terrace Room", a private Dining/reception room, one can find other pictures, paintings, and relics from the golden age of Sutro Baths’ functional operation.
Seal Rock is just offshore from the bath ruins.
a photo walk with david yu.
he is establishing himself as a cultural event photographer here in the city and quite a good one i might add!
his work and stream~
Sam is a river otter who has taken up residence at Sutro Baths. He's the first such otter to move to San Francisco in 50 years (yes, there are people who track local otters). Sutro Baths has a freshwater pond that has magically collected goldfish over the years. According to one article, he's eating them like potato chips.
I froze my butt off for about an hour and a half waiting for him to appear. I finally gave up as the sun was setting and the light had faded. About half way up the hill, I looked back and there he was! I took 30 or 40 high ISO shots and watched him catch a very large fish for dinner.
You can follow him on twitter here: @SutroSam Sadly, he has 4 times more followers than me. You can follow me: @philmcgrew
Last Wednesday there were a lot of really nice looking clouds blowing through the Bay Area and it looked real promising for an awesome sunset. By the time I got to this location there wasn't a cloud in the sky and there was a very strong cold wind blowing salt spray all over the place!
Just before I packed it up I tucked in by the cliff to get out of the wind as much as possible and took this 4 minute exposure.........
Thank you for taking a look.
© All Rights Reserved.
Canon 5D Mark ll
EF 16-35 mm L ll @ 25 mm
f/8 ISO 100
240 second exposure
An epic sunset at Sutro last Sunday evening. I was surprised by the glorious colors at this location when I took my family for a casual evening sunset trip here
© All rights reserved. A low-res, flatbed scan of a 6x7 (2 1/4 x 2 3/4 inch) transparency
This was made the other night when the family and I were out sightseeing at places like Twin Peaks in San Francisco. They say that children often emulate their parents activities later in life. Well, that might mean that someday I start hearing, "Hey, Dad. Take me night-shooting!" Haha. Well, can't be too bad an avocation to get hooked on. Oh, I guess I am preaching to the choir. Anyway, these days, they are still content to watch some of my DVDs of shows like "Taxi" and "Get Smart" (remember good TV?) with Mom until they see their camera-captivated father getting back in the minivan.
You can see the first shot from here, with the markedly-different "foggy night" look, made in 2010 below. I hope everyone is busy with their camera. Thanks for stopping by!
The Sutro Baths, located near San Francisco’s Lands End, are the hauntingly beautiful remnants of what was once the world’s largest indoor swimming pool complex. Opened in 1896 by wealthy entrepreneur Adolph Sutro, the Baths were an engineering marvel, featuring seven saltwater pools, slides, trapezes, and springboards. The pools were fed by the Pacific Ocean and could accommodate up to 10,000 visitors at once. Architecturally, the Baths were a spectacle with iron beams supporting a massive glass enclosure, allowing natural light to flood the interior.
The site also included a museum, filled with Sutro’s collection of artifacts, and a concert hall that could hold thousands of people. Unfortunately, the popularity of the Sutro Baths waned during the Great Depression, and after a series of ownership changes, the site was destroyed by fire in 1966 as it was being converted into a housing development.
Today, the ruins of the Sutro Baths are a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, offering a glimpse into San Francisco’s past. The site is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, with well-maintained trails leading to stunning ocean views and the historic Cliff House. Visitors can explore the foundations of the pools, the tunnel that once connected the Baths to the ocean, and the surrounding cliffs. The Sutro Baths remain a testament to San Francisco’s rich history and are a must-visit for anyone interested in the city’s architectural and cultural legacy.
I love this strange looking tower that is looming over SF from the fog like a giant robotic locust from a scifi movie.
San Francisco, California
photoshoot at the sutro baths in sf the other day with this bitch <3
sorry for the bad quality I edited it on my phone
This was my 5th attempt at this shot at Sutro Baths, with the two rusty poles in the foreground. During my previous attempts the sunsets all fizzled, but tonight the clouds held the color for an extended time after sunset. I took several shots, but ended up liking this particular one which had a longer exposure time of 13 seconds. I haven't done such a long exposure in a while, and I'm happy with the "dreamy" quality that resulted.
Nikon D7100
Tokina 11-16mm lens
ISO-100
f/13
13 seconds
+1.3 step exposure bias
11 mm
Lee 0.9H grad ND filter