Coit Tower
'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 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.
Murals
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 decorated room) 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.
The view
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.
Telegraph Hill
Main articles: Telegraph Hill, San Francisco
Parking
Due to the extreme topography, the parking lot at the top of the hill is only accessible by one road, Telegraph Hill Boulevard. Because Coit Tower is such a popular tourist attraction, at peak times, the street can be backed up a third or more of the way down the hill, and the wait to get to the top can reach 40 minutes or more. This prompts many drivers to make illegal U-turns, block resident access, and delay the 39-Coit bus. For these reasons, the
San Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic is considering eliminating public parking at the top of the hill and promoting public transportation alternatives from more accessible locations, though no changes have yet been made.
A system of wooden and concrete stairs and footpaths, called the
Filbert Steps, 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.
Media
★ In the book triliogy ''Nine Lives Of Chloe King'' by Celia Thomson, the protagonist Chloe King falls from Coit Tower and dies only to return to life due to her nine lives of belonging to a race of humans who have the characteristics of cats, also known as Mai.
★ In the book ''
On the road'' by
Jack Kerouac, the Coit Tower is one of the symbols of San Francisco : "That was Frisco; and beautiful women standing in white doorways, waiting for their men; Coit Tower and the
Embarcadero, and
Market Street, and the eleven teeming hills."
★ In the
Dirty Harry movie ''The Enforcer'', Kate Moore calls the tower "
coitus interruptus", claiming it looked "vaguely phallic".
★ In
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore, the phallic appearance of the tower as well as its origins are mentioned.
★ In 2005, political commentator
Bill O'Reilly advocated the destruction of Coit Tower by
Al Qaeda, stating: "And if Al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you, except San Francisco. You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead."
[1]
Photo gallery
Tower and related sites
The mural
Views from the Coit Tower
See also
★
List of towers
★
History of San Francisco
★
49-Mile Scenic Drive
External links
★
★
Photography of Telegraph Hill by Bennett Hall
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
