Danmann's Hayloft
Danmann's Hayloft started out as the San Pedro Cliff House, an inn built and established in 1908 by Harry Danmann. This wayside inn was cozy port for early travelers who ventured down the old dirt highway to the Coastside in the early1900s, then later was a hotel/dining room and bar. Initially, it was a "first class, family hotel", offering "good fishing and surf bathing." The location was perfect for scenic views of Pedro Bay (now Linda Mar Beach) and proximity to the Ocean Shore train station, where passengers alighting from their travels could walk the short distance to the inn. The photo above from 1920 shows an aproned Danmann standing on his porch, likely discussing the Tin Lizzy parked out front.
E.H. "HARRY" DANMANN
E.H. "Harry" Danmann was an immigrant from Helgoland, Germany. Helgoland is a small island in the North Sea, off the northwest coast of Germany. Harry spent most of his long life on Pedro Point. He came to the coastside in 1879, and became a naturalized citizen in San Francisco on Aug. 2, 1880. In 1908, Harry built his Cliff House, a small hotel/restaurant/bar where he lived and worked the rest of his life.
Harry met Grace Castillo Waters in San Pedro in the 1920s, and married her. She was the perfect complement to Harry at the San Pedro Cliff House. She not only worked the bar, she provided entertainment.
Throughout his life, Harry was civic-minded. He pitched in to serve his tiny new community. He was a deputy registrar of voters in 1908. He served regularly on the one election precinct that served the area that's now Pacifica. . For much of his life, Harry voted in and served as an election officer of the San Pedro Precinct, which served the entire north coast area which is now Pacifica. He was 5'8" tall, and listed his occupation as "Hotel Keeper" when registering to vote in 1908 (at that time, only men voted in California). Harry soon became involved the community by serving as a trustee in the Rockaway School District. He was instrumental in having the school relocated from Rockaway Beach to Pedro Point to accommodate six new students in Pedro Point. He served as Rockaway Beach School Trustee for over 52 years. That schoolhouse is still there in Pedro Point.
Harry died at the age of 98 in late June, 1954. Until his death, Harry lived in his Pedro Cliff House.
LARRY RAY
Shortly after Harry's death, Grace married (Buford) Larry Ray, who was famous for the generous drinks he poured at a renamed Danmann's Hayloft. Pedro Point's Pacific Avenue became Danmann Avenue in 1959, when the new city of Pacifica changed many street names for postal efficiency. Ray was also responsible for adding "Hayloft" to Danmann's. Larry had the building painted red and white, and "it looked sort of like a barn." Always alert to new ideas, Larry added a hay fork affair on the front, and re-dubbed it the Hayloft. Larry later regretted losing the old historic name, but Hayloft was catchier. However, Larry's business checks kept "Danmann's Place" as the official name.
The Hayloft became the most popular neighborhood bar in town. To many Pacificans and others who traveled to Pacifica, it was an institution, a home away from home - a happy place, a gathering place for characters, and an entertainment venue. City Council candidates ran successful campaigns from that bar; Grace Danmann Ray was a splendid singer who could (and would) belt out a ballad to her appreciative customers; Anthony Eden, later to become
the English Prime Minister, stayed over in 1938 while touring the Peninsula. It had color, atmosphere, charm and a "certain something" for everyone. A painting of a near-naked lady hung from over he door, and a a "Re-elect Sheriff Finn" campaign poster (circa 1908) grinned down from one corner, and a bust of Buddha on the other. Behind the bar hung a photo of a four-masted bark that once ran aground on the Coastside. Other exhibits included a five-cent paycheck from the old Ocean Shore Railroad to a long-forgotten employee, some old railroad vouchers, tickets and other memorabilia from the railroad days. It wasn't a slick, shiny, antiseptic kind of place; it was a colorful, swinging doors, darkly cozy kind of place. The informality of the Hayloft even extended to its irregular hours. Some nights, when Larry was a little tired he'd close up early: "Everybody out please, I want to go to bed!"
On April 16, 1965, Grace died of cancer. Larry Ray continued to run the business after Grace died. In 1968, he remarried Josephine F. Nutini in Carson City, NV. Josephine ("Josie") was owner of Bay Meadows' Turf Club. Widowed since 1966, Josie met Larry at the Hayloft when she went there with a friend. "We have many of the same customers..." Josie related in an interview, "...and they kept telling me that I had to meet Larry." They both continued running their separate businesses, so didn't have much time to spend together; this may have led to their divorce a few years later. But before that happened, there was the fire.
GRACE DANMANN RAY
Grace Castillo Waters Danmann Ray was part of the Hayloft longer than both of her husbands. Born Grace Castillo in Riverside, she was a 6th-generation Californian. In addition to help with running the establishment and bar tending, Grace provided entertainment. She was not a professional vocalist, but was remembered to have a beautiful voice. Friends recall how easy it was to persuade her to forsake the bar to sing "La Estralida" or "La Paloma", etc. She also enjoyed playing canasta, and would grumble when interrupted in a game to serve patrons. Grace was a soft touch for a hard-luck story. "She would help anybody, and did help many", said a longtime friend. Grace was around during Prohibition, and could recall sitting on the beach, watching rum- runners land on Pedro beach with their cargo. Men stole through the shadows in skiffs and landed the Prohibition booze, some much of which was occasionally stored in the old Inn. Grace's interest in the coastside predated her marriage; she was younger than Danmann by several years. Prior to her marriage to Harry Danmann, Grace had married Emmett Waters at age 18 (Waters was the son of Byron Waters, a Democratic vice presidential candidate around I900). Grace had a shack on San Pedro Beach, near the mouth of San Pedro Creek, where many lively parties were held. During Prohibition, Grace and a friend saw armed rum-runners arrive on shore with their cargo. She shared these memories with customers, another part of her "entertainment". Grace died of cancer on April 16, 1965.
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FIRE
On October 3, 1970, Danmann's Hayloft burnt to the ground. The actual cause of the fire was never determined. Pacifica firefighters threw their best one-two punch into battling the blaze, but It was a hopeless cause — they were beaten before they started. The ancient building was a mass of flame and smoke throughout even before the first unit arrived on the scene. Before additional help could arrive, It was a lost a cause. This was also one of those "community fires" where by-standers by the hundreds congregated, many in tears.
The fire was under investigation for two years. During that time, Ray was an arson suspect by the insurance companies. On August 14, 1972, a jury found in favor of Larry Ray, who was awarded $91,000. His ex-wife Josephine was by his side throughout the trial.
The Hayloft was never rebuilt. In 1979, Ray moved back to his home town of Carthage, Mississippi. Larry died at the age of 91 on June 17, 2002, in his home town of Carthage.