Coit Tower

1 Telegraph Hill Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94133, United States

Coit Tower, a slender white concrete column from Top of Telegraph Hill, has been an emblem of San Francisco 's skyline since the beginning of 1933. For both visitors and residents, this is a welcome feature. A 360-degree view of towns and bays (tickets are available in a donation shop), including Golden Gate and the Bay Bridges, can be found on its observer deck accessible from the elevator.

It is named after a wealthy firefighter and eccentric patron Lillie Hitchcock Coit. Coit died in 1929, leaving a major legacy "to add to the charm of the city I've always loved." The funds were used to build both the tower and a monument to Coit 's beloved volunteer firefighters in nearby Washington Square. The structure was designed by Arthur Brown, Jr. architect, San Francisco City Hall. Contrary to popular belief, Coit Tower was not designed to resemble a fire hose nozzle.

In 1934, the mural paintings within the base of a tower were drawn and life portrayed in California during the depression by artists employing the Public Artworks Project, a precursor to Works Progress Administration ( WPA). When violence erupted in the long-shore strike of 1934, some panels were heated by a dispute over the radical content. The tower had to be painted for several months before the frescoes were opened to the public at the end of the year in the autumn of 1934.

The name of Telegraph Hill is derived from a semaphore telegraph built at its top in 1850, warning people when the vessels arrived. The old site of the telegraph station surrounding Coit Tower was built in 1876 at the Pioneer park. You will hear the raw chat of the most famous residents in the neighborhood (and most noisy) – the parrot flock in the movie "The wild parrots of Telegraph Hill" of 2005.

After five years of construction, Coit Tower was finished on October 8, 1933. An additional $7,000 in town funding was provided to complete the design of Arthur Brown, Jr., who was also the architect of the San Francisco City Hall. The tower is a small white concrete column that rises at a height of 210 feet (64 m). from the top of Telegraph Hill. Tickets are available at the gift shopping museum when you visit the tower that offers views of the city and sea including the Sea Bridges and Golden Gate. Lombard Street, Nob Hill, Twin Peaks, Pier 39 and Financial District are other views of this area.