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Cliff House the Third, Ocean Beach
In the 1800s San Franciscans wanting a weekend getaway would climb board wagons and take the seven-mile trip through sand dunes to Ocean Beach. Once there the folks would enjoy a drink, an elegant dinner, or maybe a night's rest at the Cliff House. In 1868 the popular seaside destination was tripled in size to accommodate the growing business. But that renovation attracted a new clientele - gamblers, prostitutes, politicians, and lobbyists.

In 1881 self-made millionaire Adolf Sutro bought the building and immediately went about transforming it by removing the beds, kicking out the gamblers, and encouraging families to return the Cliff House. His efforts were successful for a while but fate had other plans. In 1887 a black powder-filled schooner, the Parallel blew up on the rocks underneath the building and severely damaged it. Seven years later on Christmas day a fire destroyed the entire building.

Unfazed, Sutro rebuilt the Cliff House as a spectacular eight-story chateaulike 'gingerbread palace' featuring spires, observation decks, and 16-foot wide verandas. The new Cliff House made history in 1899 when it received the first ship-to-shore wireless transmission. But in 1907 the Cliff House once again burned to the ground.

The third and current Cliff House was built in the neo-classical style by Sutro's daughter, Dr. Emma Merritt in 1908 and it has survived without incident despite being closed for a while during WWI due to its proximity to Fort Miley. National Park Service acquired the Cliff House in 1977 and an extensive renovation in 2004 has returned the Cliff House to its former role as an oceanside family destination.
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