Adolph Sutro - Revision history

Lisaruth: brought source to byline

2025-05-12T07:13:25Z

brought source to byline

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:13, 12 May 2025
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	'''<font face = Papyrus> <font color = maroon> <font size = 4>Historical Essay</font></font> </font>'''		'''<font face = Papyrus> <font color = maroon> <font size = 4>Historical Essay</font></font> </font>'''

	''by Annalee Newitz, January 13, 1999''		''by Annalee Newitz, excerpted from "In Search of Adolph Sutro" in the'' San Francisco Bay Guardian, ''January 13, 1999''

	[[Image:Sutro-in-front-of-bldg-at-Sutro-Heights BANC-PIC-1985.jpg]]		[[Image:Sutro-in-front-of-bldg-at-Sutro-Heights BANC-PIC-1985.jpg]]
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	As if he were running a present-day multimedia startup, Sutro spent years fighting to make his crazy ideas come to fruition, motivated his employees with stock options, and sold his company as soon as it went public in 1879. We might say that the tale of Sutro Tunnel Company vs. the Southern Pacific Railway resembles the current battle between Netscape and Microsoft. Like the Sutro Tunnel Company, Netscape is the independent alternative to Microsoft's corporate octopus; and like Sutro, the head honchos at Netscape are going to the U.S. government to protest Microsoft's monopolistic business practices. Also like the Sutro Tunnel Company, Netscape is hardly poor or oppressed. It is simply smaller and less politically powerful than Microsoft.		As if he were running a present-day multimedia startup, Sutro spent years fighting to make his crazy ideas come to fruition, motivated his employees with stock options, and sold his company as soon as it went public in 1879. We might say that the tale of Sutro Tunnel Company vs. the Southern Pacific Railway resembles the current battle between Netscape and Microsoft. Like the Sutro Tunnel Company, Netscape is the independent alternative to Microsoft's corporate octopus; and like Sutro, the head honchos at Netscape are going to the U.S. government to protest Microsoft's monopolistic business practices. Also like the Sutro Tunnel Company, Netscape is hardly poor or oppressed. It is simply smaller and less politically powerful than Microsoft.

	Mirroring the experiences that the heads of many computer corporations have today, Sutro gained power -- and lost it -- during a period of dramatic economic transformation in the United States. His civic monuments fell to pieces not because his City scorned him, nor because later mayors wanted to trash the memory of a great Progressive who gave out over ten thousand free Salvation Army tickets (the equivalent of food stamps) during the economic panic of 1893. Put simply, San Francisco has forgotten Sutro because his money ran out. When he died one hundred years ago in 1898, his property immediately fell into disrepair. Without Sutro at the helm, his real estate empire fell apart; and with the advent of another depression in the 1930s, the very last of his family's inheritance was lost. Tellingly, it was during the 1930s that most of his property and public works were finally destroyed (although his great library, once said to be the largest individual library in the world, was mostly consumed in the 1906 fire). In the end, San Francisco forgot Sutro because no one was willing to pay to preserve his memory. And so his legacy has eroded into a name for various locations in the City landscape, divorced from its political context.		Mirroring the experiences that the heads of many computer corporations have today, Sutro gained power -- and lost it -- during a period of dramatic economic transformation in the United States. His civic monuments fell to pieces not because his City scorned him, nor because later mayors wanted to trash the memory of a great Progressive who gave out over ten thousand free Salvation Army tickets (the equivalent of food stamps) during the economic panic of 1893. Put simply, San Francisco has forgotten Sutro because his money ran out. When he died one hundred years ago in 1898, his property immediately fell into disrepair. Without Sutro at the helm, his real estate empire fell apart; and with the advent of another depression in the 1930s, the very last of his family's inheritance was lost. Tellingly, it was during the 1930s that most of his property and public works were finally destroyed (although his great library, once said to be the largest individual library in the world, was mostly consumed in the 1906 fire). In the end, San Francisco forgot Sutro because no one was willing to pay to preserve his memory. And so his legacy has eroded into a name for various locations in the City landscape, divorced from its political context.

	~~''--excerpted from "In Search of Adolph Sutro" in the'' San Francisco Bay Guardian~~

	[[Mayors 1850-1897\|Prev. document]] [[Mayor James Phelan \| Next document]]		[[Mayors 1850-1897\|Prev. document]] [[Mayor James Phelan \| Next document]]

Ccarlsson: upgraded photos

2016-09-06T05:54:08Z

upgraded photos

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:54, 5 September 2016
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	''by Annalee Newitz, January 13, 1999''		''by Annalee Newitz, January 13, 1999''

	[[Image:~~Rulclas1%24sutro~~-at-~~his~~-~~mansion~~.jpg]]		[[Image:Sutro-in-front-of-bldg-at-Sutro-Heights BANC-PIC-1985.jpg]]

	'''Adolph Sutro in front of his mansion on the [[Sutro Heights\|Heights]], c. 1890'~~'' ''Photo: Private Collection, San Francisco~~''		'''Adolph Sutro in front of his mansion on the [[Sutro Heights\|Heights]], c. 1890'''

			''Photo: Private Collection, San Francisco''

	~~[[Image:Rulclas1%24adolph-sutro-w-statues.jpg]]~~

			[[Image:Sutro-in-his-library BANC-PIC-1985.jpg]]

			'''Adolph Sutro in his library.'''

			''Photo: Bancroft Library''

	Fittingly, Adolph Sutro's memory was demolished in the same way that it was made: on the free market. His life story is in fact a kind of individual blueprint for the fortunes of an entire generation coming of age during the post-Gold Rush years of Big Mining and Big Industry. Like many young people in 1850s California, Sutro arrived in San Francisco as an immigrant. Born in Prussia to Jewish parents, he was an engineer by trade who seems to have wanted nothing more than to be a visionary entrepreneur. He ended up becoming a well-known madman whose attempts to build Nevada's Sutro Tunnel in the Comstock Lode (a heavily-mined mountain range near Virginia City) made him one of the late nineteenth century's most infamous anti-monopoly agitators in the worlds of government and finance.		Fittingly, Adolph Sutro's memory was demolished in the same way that it was made: on the free market. His life story is in fact a kind of individual blueprint for the fortunes of an entire generation coming of age during the post-Gold Rush years of Big Mining and Big Industry. Like many young people in 1850s California, Sutro arrived in San Francisco as an immigrant. Born in Prussia to Jewish parents, he was an engineer by trade who seems to have wanted nothing more than to be a visionary entrepreneur. He ended up becoming a well-known madman whose attempts to build Nevada's Sutro Tunnel in the Comstock Lode (a heavily-mined mountain range near Virginia City) made him one of the late nineteenth century's most infamous anti-monopoly agitators in the worlds of government and finance.

Lisaruth: changed category from Richmond to Richmond District

2014-08-26T18:25:53Z

changed category from Richmond to Richmond District

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:25, 26 August 2014
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	'''<font face = Papyrus> <font color = maroon> <font size = 4>Historical Essay</font></font> </font>'''		'''<font face = Papyrus> <font color = maroon> <font size = 4>Historical Essay</font></font> </font>'''

	''by Annalee Newitz''		''by Annalee Newitz, January 13, 1999''

	[[Image:Rulclas1%24sutro-at-his-mansion.jpg]]		[[Image:Rulclas1%24sutro-at-his-mansion.jpg]]
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	Mirroring the experiences that the heads of many computer corporations have today, Sutro gained power -- and lost it -- during a period of dramatic economic transformation in the United States. His civic monuments fell to pieces not because his City scorned him, nor because later mayors wanted to trash the memory of a great Progressive who gave out over ten thousand free Salvation Army tickets (the equivalent of food stamps) during the economic panic of 1893. Put simply, San Francisco has forgotten Sutro because his money ran out. When he died one hundred years ago in 1898, his property immediately fell into disrepair. Without Sutro at the helm, his real estate empire fell apart; and with the advent of another depression in the 1930s, the very last of his family's inheritance was lost. Tellingly, it was during the 1930s that most of his property and public works were finally destroyed (although his great library, once said to be the largest individual library in the world, was mostly consumed in the 1906 fire). In the end, San Francisco forgot Sutro because no one was willing to pay to preserve his memory. And so his legacy has eroded into a name for various locations in the City landscape, divorced from its political context.		Mirroring the experiences that the heads of many computer corporations have today, Sutro gained power -- and lost it -- during a period of dramatic economic transformation in the United States. His civic monuments fell to pieces not because his City scorned him, nor because later mayors wanted to trash the memory of a great Progressive who gave out over ten thousand free Salvation Army tickets (the equivalent of food stamps) during the economic panic of 1893. Put simply, San Francisco has forgotten Sutro because his money ran out. When he died one hundred years ago in 1898, his property immediately fell into disrepair. Without Sutro at the helm, his real estate empire fell apart; and with the advent of another depression in the 1930s, the very last of his family's inheritance was lost. Tellingly, it was during the 1930s that most of his property and public works were finally destroyed (although his great library, once said to be the largest individual library in the world, was mostly consumed in the 1906 fire). In the end, San Francisco forgot Sutro because no one was willing to pay to preserve his memory. And so his legacy has eroded into a name for various locations in the City landscape, divorced from its political context.

	''-- ~~by Annalee Newitz,''~~ excerpted from "In Search of Adolph Sutro" in the ''San Francisco Bay Guardian~~'', January 13, 1999~~		''--excerpted from "In Search of Adolph Sutro" in the'' San Francisco Bay Guardian

	[[Mayors 1850-1897\|Prev. document]] [[Mayor James Phelan \| Next document]]		[[Mayors 1850-1897\|Prev. document]] [[Mayor James Phelan \| Next document]]

	[[category:Power and Money]][[category:famous characters]][[category:Richmond]] [[category:1850s]]		[[category:Power and Money]][[category:famous characters]][[category:Richmond District]] [[category:1850s]]
	[[category:1860s]] [[category:1870s]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]][[category:1900s]]		[[category:1860s]] [[category:1870s]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]][[category:1900s]]

Aiobrec13: Changed credits from Greg Garr to Private Collection

2014-06-17T22:03:06Z

Changed credits from Greg Garr to Private Collection

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:03, 17 June 2014
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	[[Image:Rulclas1%24sutro-at-his-mansion.jpg]]		[[Image:Rulclas1%24sutro-at-his-mansion.jpg]]

	'''Adolph Sutro in front of his mansion on the [[Sutro Heights\|Heights]], c. 1890''' ''Photo: ~~Greg Gaar~~ Collection, San Francisco''		'''Adolph Sutro in front of his mansion on the [[Sutro Heights\|Heights]], c. 1890''' ''Photo: Private Collection, San Francisco''

Ccarlsson: Protected "Adolph Sutro": finished essay [edit=sysop:move=sysop]

2009-01-17T08:08:07Z

Protected "Adolph Sutro": finished essay [edit=sysop:move=sysop]

← Older revision	Revision as of 01:08, 17 January 2009
(No difference)

Ccarlsson: PC and protected

2009-01-17T08:07:55Z

PC and protected

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:07, 17 January 2009
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			'''<font face = Papyrus> <font color = maroon> <font size = 4>Historical Essay</font></font> </font>'''

			''by Annalee Newitz''

	[[Image:Rulclas1%24sutro-at-his-mansion.jpg]]		[[Image:Rulclas1%24sutro-at-his-mansion.jpg]]

Ccarlsson at 03:27, 28 October 2008

2008-10-28T03:27:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:27, 27 October 2008
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	''-- by Annalee Newitz,'' excerpted from "In Search of Adolph Sutro" in the ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'', January 13, 1999		''-- by Annalee Newitz,'' excerpted from "In Search of Adolph Sutro" in the ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'', January 13, 1999

	[[SF Mayors 1850-1897\|Prev. document]] [[Mayor James Phelan \| Next document]]		[[Mayors 1850-1897\|Prev. document]] [[Mayor James Phelan \| Next document]]

	[[category:Power and Money]][[category:famous characters]][[category:Richmond]] [[category:1850s]]		[[category:Power and Money]][[category:famous characters]][[category:Richmond]] [[category:1850s]]
	[[category:1860s]] [[category:1870s]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]][[category:1900s]]		[[category:1860s]] [[category:1870s]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]][[category:1900s]]

Ccarlsson at 06:53, 5 August 2008

2008-08-05T06:53:25Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:53, 4 August 2008
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	''-- by Annalee Newitz,'' excerpted from "In Search of Adolph Sutro" in the ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'', January 13, 1999		''-- by Annalee Newitz,'' excerpted from "In Search of Adolph Sutro" in the ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'', January 13, 1999

	[[SF Mayors 1850-1897\|Prev. document]] [[~~Law and Order Committee~~ \| Next document]]		[[SF Mayors 1850-1897\|Prev. document]] [[Mayor James Phelan \| Next document]]

	[[category:Power and Money]][[category:famous characters]][[category:Richmond]] [[category:1850s]]		[[category:Power and Money]][[category:famous characters]][[category:Richmond]] [[category:1850s]]
	[[category:1860s]] [[category:1870s]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]][[category:1900s]]		[[category:1860s]] [[category:1870s]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]][[category:1900s]]

Ccarlsson at 06:59, 4 August 2008

2008-08-04T06:59:37Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:59, 3 August 2008
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	''-- by Annalee Newitz,'' excerpted from "In Search of Adolph Sutro" in the ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'', January 13, 1999		''-- by Annalee Newitz,'' excerpted from "In Search of Adolph Sutro" in the ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'', January 13, 1999

	[[~~INSIDE_THE_INTERNATIONAL_INDUSTRIALIST_CONFERENCE%2C_1969~~\|Prev. document]] [[Law and Order Committee \| Next document]]		[[SF Mayors 1850-1897\|Prev. document]] [[Law and Order Committee \| Next document]]

	[[category:Power and Money]][[category:famous characters]][[category:Richmond]] [[category:1850s]]		[[category:Power and Money]][[category:famous characters]][[category:Richmond]] [[category:1850s]]
	[[category:1860s]] [[category:1870s]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]][[category:1900s]]		[[category:1860s]] [[category:1870s]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]][[category:1900s]]

Ccarlsson: categories and links

2008-07-14T23:09:00Z

categories and links

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:09, 14 July 2008
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	''-- by Annalee Newitz,'' excerpted from "In Search of Adolph Sutro" in the ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'', January 13, 1999		''-- by Annalee Newitz,'' excerpted from "In Search of Adolph Sutro" in the ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'', January 13, 1999

	[[category:Power and Money]][[category:famous characters]][[category:Richmond]]		[[INSIDE_THE_INTERNATIONAL_INDUSTRIALIST_CONFERENCE%2C_1969\|Prev. document]] [[Law and Order Committee \| Next document]]

			[[category:Power and Money]][[category:famous characters]][[category:Richmond]] [[category:1850s]]
			[[category:1860s]] [[category:1870s]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]][[category:1900s]]