Sitting atop Telegraph Hill in Pioneer Park, Coit Tower provides visitors with a remarkable view of San Francisco along with numerous experiences inside and around a one-of-a-kind monument. Funded as the result of a bequest to the city, the tower has become an icon of the San Francisco skyline. It exemplifies what it can mean for individuals to make a positive impact on an entire region that is felt by both residents and visitors.
“For the Purpose of Adding Beauty”
Lillie Hitchcock Coit was a wealthy eccentric and patron of the city’s first firefighters that were active in the mid-1800s. She was fascinated by firefighters at a very young age, reportedly witnessing a fire near Telegraph Hill in 1858. Her constant presence allowed her to become regarded as the mascot of the old Volunteer Fire Department. She would continue to support firefighters in a variety of ways until her death in 1929.
In her will, Coit bequeathed a portion of her estate to the city of San Francisco “for the purpose of adding beauty to the city which I have always loved”. These funds were used to build Coit Tower and a nearby monument to the Volunteer Fire Department of San Francisco. The tower was designed by the firm of Arthur Brown Jr., who was also the architect of San Francisco’s City Hall.
The tower rises 210-feet in the air and features an observation deck that provides 360-degree views of the city and bay. Murals inside the tower’s base depict life in 1930s San Francisco. These pieces were created by 27 different on-site artists and many assistants. They cover more than 3,000 square feet of wall space inside the tower
In 1984, Coit Tower was named a San Francisco Designated Landmark, but that’s just one of the ways the monument has impacted the city while also spurring experiences and opportunities for visitors and stakeholders.
An Icon of San Francisco
The panoramic views over San Francisco that can be seen from atop of Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower are incredible, providing viewers with views of the Golden Gate and Bay bridges along with many other notable landmarks. There is a fee to access the elevator to the top of Coit Tower, while Docent-led tours are available to visitors with a complete tour of the tower including the murals.
Just a few steps away from Coit Tower is the Coit Tower Cafe. The cafe menu includes a variety of hot and cold drinks, pastries, paninis, pizza by the slice and frozen yogurt. Additionally, a rotunda at the base houses display space and a gift shop where numerous items that incorporate Coit Tower into them are sold.
This popularity highlights why Coit Tower has become an icon of San Francisco and that impact can be seen all across the city. Numerous businesses and organizations utilize the image of the tower in their logos, providing these establishments with a means to identify with residents and to visitors.
Lillie Hitchcock Coit has become recognized as the patron saint of the San Francisco firefighters, but Coit Tower represents a legacy that is about so much more. Her gift to the city has become an icon that highlights what it can mean when generosity is turned into a monument.
The Legacy of a Gift to the City
Legends that claim Lillie Hitchcock Coit wanted the tower to look a fire hose nozzle are not true since she never dictated what form her gift to the city should take. That flexibility allowed stakeholders to create an icon that is featured in countless logos as well as maps and guides to the city. Her generosity redefined the skyline of the city and continues to, directly and indirectly, influence how residents and visitors interact with the city.
