The Ferry Building and Palace of Fine Arts are hardly the only notable monuments San Francisco, California. Experiences enabled alongside the Golden Gate bridge as well as efforts to adapt a larger legacy have ensured that both residents and visitors can engage with the city in notable ways, but there are countless other landmarks that have made an impact on audiences of all types.
While most of the money left to the city of San Francisco by Lillie Hitchcock Coit were used to create Coit Tower, they also funded the establishment of the Fireman’s Memorial in Washington Square in 1933. It commemorates the Volunteer Fire Department of San Francisco that was in operation from 1849-1866.
Washington Square also contains the Benjamin Franklin Memorial, which depicts a bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin on top of a large base. Originally a temperance fountain donated in 1879, it contained a time capsule that was opened in 1979. A new time capsule was resealed in the same space and is scheduled to be opened in 2079.
The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake destroyed much of the city, including a statue of Abraham Lincoln by Pietro Mezzara. Two decades later, a new bronze statue of Lincoln was commissioned that currently sits outside of the Civic Center. The inscription on the piece reads: “Erected by public subscription under the auspices of the Lincoln Monument League representing the Grand Army of the Republic & the Lincoln Grammar School Association of San Francisco.”
The Pioneer Monument is topped by the Greek goddess of wisdom and war and features numerous bronze figures and bas-reliefs. The reliefs depict important events and happenings in the history of California along with images of significant people in California’s past, including Sir Francis Drake, John Sutter and James Lick, whose foundation funded the creation of the monument.
These are just a few of the obscure and outstanding monuments located throughout San Francisco, California. The city is full of many other landmarks, all of which are just part of the reason both residents and visitors of all eras have been able to have so many notable experiences across the city.
