Sutro Heights

Adolph Sutro purchased this rugged coastal promontory in 1881 after making his fortune by engineering a ventilation tunnel for the silver-rich mines of the Comstock Lode. He transformed the windswept landscape into an Italianate public garden that served as his private estate. To bring a sense of European culture to the edge of the Pacific, he imported over 200 concrete replicas of Greek and Roman statues to place among the hedge mazes and flower beds. He opened these grounds to the public in 1885, charging a fee of just one dime to wander the terraces and enjoy the sweeping ocean vistas.