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Coit Tower stands at the summit of Telegraph hill and at the centre of the Telegraph Hill district. Constructed in 1933 it owes its existence - and its rather unusual design - to a donation made by a wealthy and eccentric San Franciscan - Elizabeth 'Lillie' Hitchcock Coit - who died in 1929. Lillie Coit was a great fan of the efforts made by the San Francisco Fire Department during the great Earthquake of 1906 and as part of her will she left 1/3rd of her estate to the city 'to be expended in an appropriate manner'.
It took her executors 4 years to decide on a suitable memorial to her, and also to her beloved fire-fighters. Coit Tower was therefore designed, in the art deco style that was prevalent at the time (witness the Golden Gate Bridge as another art deco construction from the same era) with its top configured to look like the nozzle of a fireman's hose!<
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Coit Tower is visible from pretty much anywhere in the city (the shot above was taken from the Embarcedero Center in the Financial District), which of course means that the view from the tower - either from its base or from the viewing gallery at the top - is stunning. To the West is a clear view of Lombard Street - well the crooked bit of it anyway! Slightly further round you get on a clear day a great shot of the Golden Gate Bridge with the Fishermans Wharf area in the foreground. Looking almost to the North you get a great view directly over to Alcatraz Island and the northern side of the Bay, and looking East and South you can see the Financial District, and the Oakland Bay Bridge. You can see some of the views by clicking on the thumb-nail photos at the bottom of the page!
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The base of Coit Tower is particularly interesting, featuring a beautiful display of murals that depict San Francisco during the depression era of the tower's construction. Telegraph Hill was named in 1850 after the Semaphore station and later electric telegraph that stood at its summit. This was used to signify the arrival of a trading vessel to the city's merchants. Nowadays the Semaphore is obviously gone, although the name remains, and the area is one of the more expensive parts of the city.
More information on Coit Tower and Lillie Hitchcock Coit can be found on the San Francisco Museum website.
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Other Images of Coit Tower & Telegraph Hill....
(Just click on the image for a full-size version) |
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