In the mid-19th century, San Francisco was a boomtown flush with wealth after the Gold Rush. Real estate developers, looking to capitalize on the city’s good fortunes, built San Francisco’s Cliff House in 1863, a luxurious resort at Lands End with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean.
But, like the city of San Francisco itself, the fortunes of the Cliff House would ebb and flow over the years. Though it survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the building was destroyed by fires multiple times. The current structure, the third iteration of the Cliff House, dates from 1909.
From its humble beginnings as a one-story wood structure to the stylish concrete building of today, this is the story of San Francisco’s Cliff House.
The First San Francisco Cliff House, The Luxury Resort Built At Scenic Lands End
San Francisco’s Cliff House was built at Lands End, a scenic clifftop vista overlooking a rocky coastline, located six miles from the city proper. It was built by real estate tycoon Charles Butler, with financial support from State Senator John P. Buckley. When Cliff House opened its doors in 1863, as a restaurant and bar, it was managed by Captain Junius G. Foster…