Coit Tower
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Coit Tower was built atop Telegraph Hill in 1933 at the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the City of San Francisco. Lillie bequeathed one-third of her estate to the City of San Francisco "to be expended in an appropriate manner for the purpose of adding to the beauty of the city which I have always loved."
Contrary to popular opinion, the tower was not designed to resemble a fire hose nozzle. This myth persists in part because of Lillie Hitchcock Coit's famous affinity with the San Francisco fire fighters of the day, in particular with Knickerbocker Engine Company Number 5. Although the architects claimed to have no design precedent in mind, during this time Europe saw the construction of aesthetically designed power stations that could be claimed as prototypes (e.g.: Battersea Power Station).
The art deco tower, 210 feet (64 meters) of unpainted reinforced concrete, was designed by architects Arthur Brown Jr. and Henry Howard with murals by 26 different artists and numerous assistants.
Two of the murals are of San Francisco Bay scenes painted by Spanish artist José Moya del Piño, who by then was a fulltime resident in the Bay Area.. Most murals are done in fresco; the exceptions are one mural done in egg tempera (upstairs in the last room decorated) and the works done in the elevator foyer, which are oil on canvas. While most of the murals have been restored, a small segment (the spiral stairway exit to the observation platform) was not restored but durably painted over with epoxy surfacing. These murals in particular contained very "leftist" political and social themes related to the Great Depression and socialist political movements. Most of the murals are open for public viewing without charge during open hours, although there are ongoing negotiations by the Recreation and Parks Department of San Francisco to begin charging visitors a fee to enter the mural rotunda. The murals in the spiral stairway, normally closed to the public, are open for viewing on Saturday mornings at 11:00 am with a free San Francisco City Guides tour. San Francisco City Guides provide a variety of free walking tours throughout San Francisco. See the bottom of this article for a link.
The tower, which stands atop Telegraph Hill in San Francisco's Pioneer Park, offers fantastic views of San Francisco including the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park ("Aquatic Park"), Alcatraz, Pier 39, Angel Island, Treasure Island, the Bay Bridge, Russian Hill, the Financial District, Lombard Street, and Nob Hill.
A system of wooden and concrete stairs and footpaths lead to the top of the hill from various directions, making a steep but direct climb possible.
Telegraph Hill Boulevard connects with Lombard Street, another popular tourist attraction.
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