A Spiffier Cliff

Renovated Seaside Restaurant Ready to Re-Open

A $17.1 million renovation and expansion of the seaside restaurant in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area will be completed this month. The extra foundation and support work added $3 million to the cost of the project, which originally had been estimated at $14 million.

By Thomas York

	Work at the Cliff House jobsite in San Francisco includes an addition on the north side of the restaurant and restoration of the masonry exterior of the original building (photo by Thomas York).

Construction crews are nearing the completion of a $17.1 million restoration for the 95-year-old Cliff House, a landmark restaurant on San Francisco's Ocean Beach.

The 26,000-sq.-ft. project involves demolishing a second story that had been added to the original restaurant in the late 1940s. New work includes construction of an addition to the north side of the restaurant and restoration of the masonry exterior of the original building.

The turn-of-the-century concrete structure is the third major makeover for the Cliff House, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The first two buildings, both made of wood, were destroyed by fire, so owners decided to construct the third generation using concrete and other fire-resistant materials to avoid another destructive inferno.

San Francisco-based C. David Robinson Architects is the designer for the project, which began in January 2003 and is scheduled for completion by Oct. 1.

San Francisco-based Nibbi Bros. self-performed most of the concrete work, including poured-in-place public viewing areas that surround the historic structure and new addition.

"There were lots of structural issues with the original building," said Axel Boren, Nibbi's project manager. "There was supposed to be a footing under the building, but there wasn't, so we had to go in and put a footing on the west side and the north and south perimeter."

The extra foundation and support work added $3 million to the cost of the project, which originally had been estimated at $14 million.

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Boren said officials from the National Park Service's Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which owns the site and the structure and leases it to a concessionaire, insisted on using replacement materials that matched the original masonry. It was a requirement that took a bit of detective work on the part of the subcontractor, the San Rafael office of Western Waterproofing.
"The National Park Service architect wanted us to maintain the same structure and the same materials," Boren said. "Our idea was to use fiberglass, but they (the Park Service) decided against that."

Boren added that Western Waterproofing took a sample of the old concrete and sent it to a lab for analysis. Once the composition had been determined, the subcontractor scoured the country for a supplier before finding Chicago-based U.S. Heritage Group, a nationwide supplier of masonry materials.

Boren said plasterers used application methods similar to what was used on the original structure. He said the cornices, molding and walls are "built up in layers."

Carrie Strahan, project manager for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which owns the property, said such attention to detail is critical as park officials pursue historic status for the 1909 structure.

"We're trying to preserve the characteristics that are the defining features of the building so that we can qualify for National Historic Register status," Strahan said.

She added that Reid Bros., an architectural firm that was active in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake, designed the original building.

Other subcontractors included the San Jose office of Cal Air Inc. (HVAC system); Egan Plumbing of San Carlos; San Francisco-based RFJ Meiswinkel Co. (interior metal-stud framing, drywall, lath and plaster); and San Francisco-based Young Electric Co.

	The location of the Cliff House's new Sutro Wing-immediately to the north of the existing historic structure-will take advantage of the sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean (photo by Thomas York).

Architect Robinson said his firm designed the new Sutro Wing-the new addition immediately to the north of the historic structure-"to take maximum advantage of the sweeping vistas." The new structure will carry the legacy of the Cliff House well into the 21st century, he said.

Visitors who come to the new Cliff House to dine will have even grander views, courtesy of the new addition's floor-to-ceiling windows.

"It's looking really good at this point, and at the end of the day, it will look spectacular," he added. "Now there are more views than ever before."

Robinson said the north addition features an exposed aluminum frame in the ceiling because aluminum better resists corrosion from the salt air.

The original Cliff House, which once served as the main dining area, will become a bar and bistro. A new kitchen replaces three separate kitchens that once served hundreds of diners each day. A lobby with glass walls will tie the old and new wings together.

Dan Hountalas, a 30-year restaurateur who holds the concession contract with the park service, said he was pleased with the progress of a construction project that has taken 10 years to advance from getting approvals from the various agencies and arranging financing to all of the challenges during the construction phase.

Hountalas said that when the restoration and renovation is complete, the spiffed-up Cliff House will become one of the largest stand-alone restaurants in the city.