Although the arched gateway is long gone, the two lions still remain. This was the estate of Adolph Sutro—a Jewish-American immigrant, mining engineer and Mayor of San Francisco. After transforming the windswept sand dunes into a Victorian estate with formal gardens, groves of exotic trees and European statues, he opened the grounds to the public in 1885. After Sutro’s death in 1898, the grounds slowly declined. Trees began to die and statues toppled or were vandalized. The buildings were demolished in 1939. Today, Sutro’s vision of a park for city residents continues. Sutro Heights Park is now part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The pastoral setting of the Heights and the Pacific Coast scenery that inspired Adolph Sutro is preserved for everyone’s enjoyment. Erected 2022 by Golden Gate National Recreation Area - Marker funded by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.
