Cliff House

I randomly came across this image, below, of Adolph Sutro's now-lost Cliff House, perched on the rocks outside San Francisco. It stood for eleven years, from 1896-1907, before being destroyed by fire.

[Image: The Sutro Cliff House, San Francisco].

This gallery of images is extraordinary; the house is so badly situated on its site that it appears simply to be hovering over the rocks on an artificial ground plane. It's like a continental afterthought, the dream of western architecture pushed beyond its ability to retain anchorage. But it's a cinematic sight, to say the least.

For more about Adolph Sutro, meanwhile, don't miss the wave motors of California.