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Sally Stanford Water Fountain (Drinking Fountain) at the Sausalito Ferry Pier
Sausalito Ferry Pier, Anchor St. at Humboldt St., Sausalito CA 94965
(Located where the Ferry Pier meets the sidewalk, next to the parking lot)
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The Sausalito Ferry pier in the heart of Downtown Sausalito is home to a unique tribute to a unique figure in Sausalito history, famous madame and former Sausalito Mayor Sally Stanford. It’s a water fountain, perfectly placed at the entrance to the waiting lines for the Sausalito Ferry, with the (appropriate) inscription, “Have a drink on Sally.”
To the left of the main fountain, below a plaque honoring Stanford, is a dog fountain inscribed “Have a drink on Leland,” in honor of her dog. In the photo below Miss T., the Editor of OurSausalito.com, reads the inscription before taking a sip of water from the bowl. The fountain shown above is just to the right of the plaque in the image below.
The joke is one that Stanford herself would have appreciated. In the late 1940’s she left the brothel business and “went legit,” moving from San Francisco (where she was the most famous Madame in modern City history) to Sausalito. Popular columnist Herb Caen had joked that United Nations was announced at the San Francisco Opera House but organized in Stanford’s brothel.
She bought The Valhalla Restaurant, placed her name on it, and she ran the bar and dining establishment here successfully for 35 years. Many patrons of the Valhalla have come to the fountain to have another drink on Sally!
After six unsuccessful runs for City Council she finally won a seat in 1972, and later became Mayor. She died in 1982 and the fountain was built in her honor by the Sausalito Foundation (which also funded the preservation of the Sea Lion Statue) in 1985.
