History

Graced with nautical porthole windows and balcony handrails, the Ocean Park was honored by the Art Deco Society in 1987 for preservation of this Streamline Moderne beauty.

"This was the first motel in San Francisco, opening 20 April 1937, in the Sunset District in time for the fiesta opening of the Golden Gate Bridge! The architect was Conrad Kett, and a nautical theme is very evident."

The Sophisticate, Magazine of the Art Deco
Society of California, by Nina Pillar

Anticipating the new motor age, Mr. C.L. "Larry" Smith located his motorcourt in the sand dunes of the city's beloved Ocean Beach, where San Franciscans frolicked at the historic Sutro Baths, Playland-at-the-Beach, and Fleischhacker Zoo.

While J. Edgar Hoover denounced motels as "dens of iniquity" and "camps of crime," honeymooners lounged in the garden courtyard with glasses of champagne, watching the occasional ship sail by on the ocean's horizon.

Now surrounded by a quiet residential neighborhood, the Ocean Park is operated by second-generation owners Marc and Vicki Duffett, who feel genuine pride and affection for this Art Deco landmark. In keeping with its romantic past, they have installed a secluded outdoor hot tub in one of the gardens, and Ocean Park is still a great spot for drinking champagne at midnight.