Coit Tower
From Includipedia, the inclusionist encyclopedia
Coit Tower was built atop Telegraph Hill in 1933 at the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the City of San Francisco.[citation needed] 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."[citation needed]
Contrary to popular opinion, the tower was not designed to resemble a fire hose nozzle.[citation needed] 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,[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
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[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Telegraph Hill
[edit] 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.
[edit] Media
- In the book trilogy 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.
- Coit Tower is also featured in the game Destroy All Humans 2.
- Coit Tower makes an appearance as an Alliance-controlled structure in the Sierra game Manhunter 2: San Francisco.
[edit] Photo gallery
[edit] Tower and related sites
Coittower sf view.JPG
View of Coit Tower, Alcatraz, and Marin County from Downtown. |
Filbert-street-steps-16jul2004.jpg
The intersection of Filbert Street and Napier Lane on Telegraph Hill. |
CoitTowerLookingFromGreenwichAndTelegraphHillBlvd.jpg
A closer photograph of Coit Tower from the parking lot. |
[edit] The murals
Coit Mural Agriculture.jpg
Industry both in the city and out in the fields was an important theme in the murals. |
Coit Mural.jpg
Notice the robbery on the bottom right, and the car accident in the center |
Coit Mural News.jpg
Some of the headlines in the newspapers discuss the creating of the murals |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Coit Tower is at coordinates Template:Coord
Template:San Francisco Attractionsbg:Кула Койт de:Coit Tower fr:Coit Tower sv:Coit Tower
Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since April 2007 | Articles with invalid date parameter in template | Art Deco buildings in the United States | Landmarks in San Francisco | Buildings and structures in San Francisco | Towers in California | 1933 architecture
