Sutro statuary

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Nice to have a site dedicated to Sutro-iana. I'll be a frequent reader!

Question: Does anyone have know what happened to the statuary from Sutro Heights? I know from photos and news articles that most of the statues and urns were then until after WW II, but then they disppeared during the 1950s.

Have any survived anywhere? (I already know about the lions, stag and Diana currently at the heights.)

-- John Martini (jamartini@earthlink.net), February 08, 2001

Answers

I spoke to someone yesterday who said that the statues were removed and sent to the dump by the city. However, some remnants survive in the hands of private collectors. (Not whole statues, just pieces of them.)

-- Christine Miller (Jadite30@aol.com), April 06, 2001.

I've been going to Sutro Heights since the 1950's and remember a few statues on the wall and more in the gardens. I'm curious if the Tom Thumb exhibit was saved and where it is now

-- Craig Smith (palmedo@aol.com), May 13, 2001.

I can answer the Tom thumb question: By 1966, Sutro's Museum was scheduled to be torn down. Some exhibits were already taken out because of that, but a fire struck before the process was completed.

Hearing of the fire on radio KYA, I ran two miles to get there from 48th Avenue. Heartbreaking! I stood across the street among the maze of fire hoses and fire engines, smoke was bellowing out, but other than that I couldn't see the internal destruction. At the time of the fire at least some of Tom Thumbs belongings disappeared.

Nothing more was heard about this until long after, when a shirtless lunatic was arrested with a shotgun in the Castro District; for when the police searched the man's home for more weapons they found at least some of Tom Thumb's belongngs.

This is one of the best web sites I have ever seen on San Francisco, and anyone interested in more of our greatest mysteries should also visit my site at: http://www.digitalcity.com/sanfrancisco/vtours/main.dci?page=statues Click Here: Digital City: San Francisco - Bay Area Attractions. And I still haven't found a way to become employed doing this full time, but I'm open

-- Hamilton Barrett (Mimereader@aol.com), August 14, 2001.


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