An image of the famous Sutro Heights area of San Francisco in the mid-1930s, with the third rendition of the Cliff House perched on the cliffs at right. Interestingly, the structure on the left side of the image, appearing like a be-flagged arena set above the Cliff House across Highway 1, is in fact an accidental historical record of the once-famous Sutro Parapet Observatory and its Grecian statues.
The Parapet Observatory was built by Adolph Sutro, who served as the mayor of San Francisco in the 1890s. Rumors suggest that he cheated investors out of millions during the goldrush by secretly selling his shares of his failing business venture, the building of a mining tunnel beneath the depleted Comstock Lode, before the construction was finished. With his dubious fortune he built himself an estate on the San Francisco coastline, the Sutro Heights. It included the famous Baths, a zoo, gardens, museums, and more.
Time and disaster would soon claim the majority of the famous estate, and the Parapet would be the last structure remaining in its original state. Now gone, its disappearance is shrouded in mystery. Photographs show the Observatory and its statues in photographs and postcards from the late 1890s through Depression. However, as the country became entangled in World War II, photographs suddenly no longer included the statues - but no one can say precisely how or why. One theory suggests they had to be removed so as not to attract fire from enemy submarines; some think they were stolen. Either way, no one knows exactly where they went. The mystery continues.