Coit Tower Recognized as “Nationally Significant” at 85
Coit Tower is a San Francisco landmark. On October 8th, it turned 85 years old and was recently granted the title of being a “nationally significant” historic location on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a wealthy philanthropist, was known for her love of and generosity to the San Francisco Fire Department. When she passed in 1929, she left one-third of her estate to the city “to be expended in an appropriate manner for the purpose of adding to the beauty of the city which I have always loved.” The tower was built in 1933 and in 1934 the Public Works of Art Project commissioned San Francisco artists to create murals on the inside walls of the tower depicting life in the Depression.
Although the tower has been named a “nationally significant” location, many believe it deserves to be bumped up to the title of “National Historic Landmark”, which is a tier above its current ranking. For most San Franciscans, “significant”, “landmark”, these are the debates of bureaucrats. What’s not debateable is Coit Tower’s unique place on the city’s skyline, couched in below Russian Hill, removed from Downtown, alone atop Telegraph Hill, offering breathtaking views of the city and bay.
Coit Tower
1 Telegraph Hill Blvd
Open 10 am to 6 pm
Tickets are $6 for SF residents adults, $9 for non-residents
