“If one tires of the drudgeries and scenes of the city, and would breathe the fresh air of the sea, let him take the cars and omnibuses, or, better still, a buggy and pleasant steed, and, ere, the sea breeze sets in, glide out to the Cliff House…”  - Mark Twain, the San Francisco Daily Morning Call, June 25, 1864

Nearly 60 pieces of memorabila from the historic Cliff House, an iconic waterfront landmark in San Francisco, were purchased by a local collective last week.

Items from Cliff House restaurant, and the property's earlier uses dating back to the late 1800s, were sold at auction on March 11 and 12. The restaurant closed on Dec. 31, 2020, after the longtime operators could not settle a contract with the National Park Service which owns the over 150-year-old property.

Groups of local community historians, gallerists, and art conservators, along with hundreds of donors, raised more than $150,000 to buy some of the Cliff House's memorabilia, according to KQED. The property's rich history also includes a time as the Ocean Beach amusement park Playland-at-the-Beach, as well as the famed Sutro Baths saltwater swimming pool.

A public exhibition of the items is in the planning stages with a current fundraiser organized by Save The Cliff House Collection.