The Cliff House

The Cliff House is a neoclassical, steel-reinforced concrete building perched on the headland above the Pacific Ocean at the northwest edge of the San Francisco peninsula. You can identify it by its dramatic position overlooking the surf and the nearby Seal Rocks, which historically served as a basking spot for sea lions. Since eighteen sixty-three, this site has hosted a series of restaurant structures that have endured a history of fires, shipwrecks, and dramatic rebuilds.