Coit Tower

Visible from much of San Francisco and the Bay Area, Coit Tower stands atop Telegraph Hill and gives an excellent view of the bay and the rest of the city. The tower was built by the Federal Works Projects Administration in 1933 with money bequeathed by eccentric San Franciscan Lillie Coit. Coit was said to have chased after firefighters as a young girl, and as an older woman sponsored her favorite fire company. A fan of the volunteer city firefighters, and local legend has it that the shape of the tower is supposed to simulate the end of a fire hose — although the architects denied this claim. The first and second floors house beautiful examples of New Deal-era idealist murals, and the top floor (reached by elevator) has featured paintings or other art. Artists put in their own signatures and messages in the murals, which interpretive plaques point out.

• Limited wheelchair access
• Built 1933

• history
• viewpoint
• family

Address

1 Telegraph Hill Blvd

Getting there

limited parking; or take #39 Muni bus from Washington Square

Hours

May–Oct: 10AM-6PM daily; Nov–Apr: 10AM-5PM daily

Price

$8 for elevator to top floor ($5 seniors/teens, $2 children 5-11, children under 5 free); the rest is free

Phone

+14152490995

Website

sfrecpark.org (opens in a new tab)