China Cabin

We almost booked China Cabin for our wedding venue. Our wedding list grew and it seems too small and also the fact that older guests could not make it up the hill to easily attend church service at Old St. Hilary, so we didn’t end up booking it. We did consider the possibilities. When we first visited, the docent that was there was very nice and gave us a photo album to look through to get ideas. If you have a smaller wedding list, and you enjoy being by the water, this maybe a great venue for you.

A $ 5 suggested donation seems a little pricey to me. The building has an interesting history as a final remnant of a historic steamship and the story of its transformation into part of someone’s home and then its restoration are interesting, but there’s not much to see.
It is beautiful, and I could see why this would be a big draw for a small wedding, reception, or social party.
The woman who was manning the door of the venue during our visit was super friendly and knew a lot about the building and its restoration. Her knowledge plus the fact that the space can be rented bumped up its rating for me.

China Cabin is a beautiful and unique piece of architecture found on the Tiburon Marina area. It should be open more often, similar to St. Hillary’. It’s part of the local area history but possibly less significant than Old St. Hillary’s church and what is now the railroad museum. It is still worth a visit but may not recommend making a day around it. It is very small and there isn’t much to see. I mainly like it because of the added character it adds to the local area. If you do want to see it, I would check the times that it is open first.

Don’t crucify me for the two stars; let me explain.
We had visited the train depot and Old St. Hilary’s Church and were soooo impressed! At the church, the docent suggested we come to China Cabin. We hadn’t heard of it, but she swore we had to see it. Since it was our last Sunday in Tiburon, and since these places are only open on Sunday afternoons from 1 – 4 pm, we booked it to Downtown Tiburon. After a longer trek than it appeared to be on the map, we stumbled upon China Cabin. While I find the story and the pictures of the China Boat intriguing, and while I understand the importance of preserving history such as China Cabin, there was just no «wow» feeling as I stood in it. In fact, after I read all the information about how deconstructed/​reconstructed it was for $¾ million, I was even more disappointed to realize that the room I was standing in was very little «original» China Cabin. I liked the historical text provided with pictures, and I liked the pictures of the China Cabin when it served as someone’s living room for 40 years, but that is as far as it goes.
It’s a white room with gold paint on the trim.

Spectacular venue on the water with an interior that is breathtaking. It only fits 40 inside but those 40 people will have an amazing time!

This little gem of a «building» can be rented for your WEDDING or other SPECIAL EVENT or MEETING.
The CHINA CABIN was originally the first class SOCIAL SALOON from the top deck of the SS China, a SIDEWHEEL STEAMER that traveled from San Francisco to the Far East for about twenty years in the late 1800s.
In 1886, when the wooden hulled steamer was no longer operational, the SOCIAL SALOON was salvaged before the steamer was burned for scrap metal.
It was placed on pilings between the Tiburon Peninsula and Belvedere Island and named the China Cabin. For a number of years it was a weekend private residence. In 1978 it was designated as a NATIONAL MARITIME TREASURE and restored to its former splendor as a Victorian drawing room.
Today it is owned and managed by the Belvedere-​Tiburon Landmarks Society. It is rented out for special events and is especially popular for wedding receptions and small dinner parties.
The interior of the China Cabin was restored to its former elegance with a curved ceiling, chandeliers, small etched glass windows and carved woodwork that is painted white and highlighted in gold leaf. A beautiful wooden dance floor makes it a perfect place for a small wedding reception. It has decks on three sides with glorious views of the SAN FRANCISCO SKYLINE and nearby yacht moorings.
I attended a small Cast & Crew Party here recently. It was like stepping into another century — a past time of victorian elegence.
It easily accommodated 30 – 40 guests for this little wine and cheese affair. I believe it would hold at least 50+ guests without feeling too crowded. Check the website for capacity limits.
The China Cabin is open to visitors from April to October on Sundays and Wednesdays from 1 — 4 PM. Appointments to view the China Cabin to rent it for Special Events can be made by contacting the Landmarks office at 415−435−1853 or at their website:
This little SOCIAL SALOON is one of the GEMS of the San Francisco Bay area. Everyone who lives here should see this historic «building» at least once. Don’t come to the Belvedere-​Tiburon communities without checking it out. It is right on Beach Road, about a block from downtown Main Street — — easy walking distance from the ferry.