Sutro Baths

Sutro Baths is a swimming pool ruin in Lands End, a coastal section northwest of San Francisco in the United States. The concrete foundations of six saltwater pools and one freshwater pool lie along the rocky shoreline north of Ocean Beach.

Entrepreneur Adolph Sutro built this swimming complex in 1894, creating the largest indoor pool facility in the world at that time. A fire in 1966 destroyed the main buildings, and the ruins remain as testimony to this ambitious vision.

The complex set a civil rights precedent in 1897 when John Harris successfully sued against racial discrimination at public facilities. This legal victory opened access to recreational spaces across the region for all communities.

Visitors reach the ruins by taking the 38 bus line along Geary Boulevard or by car using the parking lot near the Cliff House. The short descent through stairways and tunnel remnants leads down to the shoreline, where the concrete structures are best viewed at low tide.

The pools filled naturally during high tide, and an underground turbine pump system refreshed 1.8 million gallons (6.8 million liters) of water every five hours. Glass windows in the roof above the pools let in natural light and created a bright environment even on foggy days.