Cultural Landscape Report: Sutro Historic District

Land and Community Associates; EDAW, Inc.

The preparation of the Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) for the Adolph Sutro Historic District in San Francisco is part of a growing body of work related to the documentation, evaluation, planning, and management of historic landscapes and ruins. Both the National Park Service (NPS) and the local community have shared concerns for preserving the history of the Cliff House, Sutro Heights, and Sutro Baths. In 1979, NPS staff prepared a preliminary National Register nomination for this area. A lack of national and regional standards, however, resulted in a nomination that was not listed in to the National Register at that time. Throughout the 1980s, there was a concern for documenting and protecting the resources in this vicinity. Emphasis was directed toward surviving structures, especially the Cliff House, as well as the designed landscape of Sutro Heights. Throughout this time period, the bath ruins, the heights and even the remnant rail lines continued to attract considerable attention from local residents and visitors. In many ways, the combination of national standards with more localized recognition of historic landscape resources has resulted in an awareness that landscapes are multi-faceted. Throughout the preparation of the CLR there has been a conscious effort to consider the interrelationship of natural and cultural features, and the ways in which they have, over time, produced this landscape. While the focus has been on cultural landscape features, considerable attention also has been directed to soils, vegetation, and climate. Finally, the results of the CLR have been used directly in the preparation of the comprehensive design plan for the district.

Cultural Landscape Report: Sutro Historic District

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