Cliff House Project
A Program of Western Neighborhoods Project

Chambers ] CC Butler Purchase ] Samuel Tetlow ] 1863 ] Mark Twain ] Wreck of the Ann Parry ] James Cook ] Wreck of the Elizabeth Owens ] Jack Lee ] Rosa Celeste ] 1868 ] Brignardello Wreck ] George Francis Train ] Ralph Waldo Emerson ] Josephine Wilcutt Wreck ] King Kalakaua ] General Sherman ] King Philip Wreck ] Grant ] Ben Butler ] Hayes ] Sutro Visits Lands End ] Sutro Purchase ] Ocean & Park RR ] Foster Leaves ] Adelina Patti ] Bridge Collapse ] OB Pavilion ] Sutro Heights Opens ] Baldwin Tightrope ] Boyton ] Atlantic Wreck ] Baldwin ] Parallel Wreck ] Aquarium ] Ferries and Cliff House RR ] Davison Bros ] Capt Jack Williams ] John Williams ] balloon ] Bullet hits Cliff House ] Harrison ] Boxers ] Millie Lavelle ] Sutro Baths Opening ] Andrew Carnegie ] Storm 1892 ] Leland Stanford ] Balloon Crash ] Sutro fights with Southern Pacific ] Burglary 1894 ] Sutro Elected Mayor ] Xmas fire ] 1895 ] Caroline Miskell ] 1896 ] Storm 1896 ] Sutro Railroad ] Vanderbilt ] Olcott ] Airship ] Mayor Phelan ] William Jennings Bryan ] High Dive ] Sutro Illness ] John Harris ] Sutro Death ] Post Office Branch ] Rockefeller ] Train wreck ] Dive Cancelled ] Wireless ] CSAA ] Storm 1900 ] Storm 1901 ] Shriners Visit 1901 ] McKinley ] Henri Turot ] Moonlight Run ] Reporter Wreck ] Shriners Visit 1902 ] Buffalo Bill ] Political Banners 1902 ] Pacific Cable ] Roosevelt ] Union Strike ] Coast to Coast ] Debt ] Storm 1904 ] Storm 1904 Sept ] Storm 1905 ] Knights of Columbus ] Reopens ] Cliff Line ] Radio ] Storm 1905 Dec ] Storm 1906 Jan ] Earthquake ] Minor Fire ] Storm 1906 ] Remodel ] [ Fire ] Atlantic Fleet ] 1908 ] 1909 ] Fannie Brice ] Taft ] Telegraph Tower ] Landslide 1916 ] War Takeover Threat ] Rudolph Valentino ] Sarah Bernhardt ] Closes 1918 ] Reopens 1920 ] Remodel 1922 ] DPW Roadwork ] Shriners 1922 ] Prohibition Bust 1923 ] Prohibition Bust, 1925 ] Landslide ] Faux Rock ] Coffee Shop Opens ] Closes 1925 ] Storm 1926 ] Ohioan Wreck ] Charles Sutro Death ] Whitney Purchase ] 1949 Remodel ] Sutro Baths Sold ] Skytram ] Sold 1964 ] Baths Fire ] Blue Cliff House ] 2003 Remodel ] Closed 2021 ]

 

Fire!

On September 7th, 1907 the Cliff House caught fire while being remodeled and burned completely to the foundation...

 

 


(WNPCHP)

 


(WNPCHP WNP136.11)

 

postcard, postmarked Oct 2, 1907
(WNPCHP WNP136.12)

Reverse: "The powers that be seem determined to clean out the old town and give us a greater and better one."

 


W.E. Worden

 


San Francisco Chronicle - Sep 8 1907  (pdf)
(full page below on page)

 

 


(WNPCHP)

 



(WNPCHP)


An alternate crop from the same negative, courtesy of Dennis O'Rorke   (reverse)
 



(WNPCHP)


An alternate crop from the same negative, courtesy of Dennis O'Rorke
 

 


San Francisco Public Library Collection

 


San Francisco Public Library Collection

 

Aftermath...

 

(The below is a close-up of the above image - hover mouse to see dimensions of building)

 

 


San Francisco Public Library Collection

 


Scanned from 4.5" x 6" copy film negative, purchased from Marilyn Blaisdell collection
"Photographer: T.E. Hecht (1875-1937)
Provenance: Image derives from the Wyland Stanley Collection of historical memorabilia which included thousands of photographs and antique negatives.
The entire collection was purchased by Marilyn Blaisdell in the late 1970s."

 


 

 


(WNPCHP)

 


(WNPCHP)


 


Image courtesy of Dennis O'Rorke

 


"RUINS OF THE CLIFF HOUSE - BURNED SEP.7,1907"
"TURRILL & MILLER, PHOTO, S.F."
Marilyn Blaisdell collection, copy negative

 


Courtesy of Mary Hountalas


 


Zoom in on this for great detail of the rubble
Courtesy of the Jim Dickson Collection


 



Image courtesy of John Martini

The metal beams in the foreground are the support structure that covered the driveway under building, supporting the floors above.


Rendering by John Hall,  4/21/2020
 

 


Courtesy of the Jim Dickson Collection

 


 


(WNPCHP)

 


Image courtesy of Dennis O'Rorke



Image courtesy of Dennis O'Rorke

 

 


view from one year later


reverse
 

 

 

 

All that remains...


The above charred stump is all that remains of the 1896 Cliff House.
Taken 10-19-06 by John Martini
 


The red arrow indicates the location of the stump.
 


The red dot indicates the approximate location of the support.

 

 

 

- Newspaper Clippings -

 

 


The San Francisco Examiner - Sep 8 1907 p1


San Francisco Examiner - 8 Sept 1907 p30
 



 


   
The San Francisco Call - Sept 8, 1907
 

 


San Francisco Chronicle - Sep 8 1907  (pdf)

 

 

San Francisco Chronicle - Sep 8 1907

 



Oakland Tribune - Sept 8, 1907  p1
(pdf:  page 1page 18)

 


The Oregon Daily Journal - Sep 8, 1907

 


San Francisco Call - Sept 9, 1907  (pdf)

 


Los Angeles Herald - 9 Sept 1907

 


San Francisco Examiner - Sept 9 1907

 


San Francisco Chronicle - Sep 9 1907

 


Oakland Tribune - Sep 9 1907

 


Santa Cruz Sentinel - Sep 10, 1907

 


The San Francisco Examiner - Sep 11 1907
Union reimburses carpenters

 


The Sacramento Star - Sep 13 1907

 


THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL - SEPTEMBER 14, 1907

 


The San Francisco Examiner - Sep 14 1907 p1

 

Engineer H. J. Temple added to "Book of Meritorius Conduct"
 


San Francisco Call - 14 Sept 1907


The San Francisco Examiner - Sep 14 1907

 


The San Francisco Call - Sep 16 1907


 


San Francisco Call - 18 October 1907

 

 

Interesting story from two years earlier...


San Francisco Chronicle - 06 May 1905