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Coit Tower
Celebrating the spirit of art deco
in the City Of Bay is a 200 foot tower that stands proud in the
city’s renowned Pioneer Park. Nestled close to the Telegraph
hill, the tower has been named after
Lillie Hitchcock Coit who bequested it to the San Franciscans way back in the early
1930’s.
The tower has inked its name in
the history of the city as one of the most visited places by
people from all across the nation. Historically, its origin and
creation makes for a very interesting story! As mentioned above,
this tower is Lillie’s gift to a city she loved the most. The
tower, which is somewhat similar in shape with a fireman’s
water hose nozzle, bears testimony to the Miss Coit’s fondness
for the
fire department of San Francisco. The lady at various
times during her childhood had pitched in with the firefighters
to help save many a building. She shared a very special bond
with Knickerbocker Engine Co. No. 5 and also became their
mascot. She also rode the street parades on her favorite engine
and eventually became an honorary firefighter.
The Coit tower took close to five
years to construct and was the creative effort of reputed
architects Arthur Brown, Jr. and Henry Howard. Amidst lush
green trees stands this amazing structure of concrete which
boasts of murals crafted by 26 artists from California School of
Fine Arts. Few of the murals here at the tower represent the awe
striking beauty and splendor of the SF bay. Besides this, the
artwork includes classics of the likes of ‘library’, ‘city
life’, ‘Labor March’, ‘Industries of California’ lovingly
painted by artists like Victor Arnautoff, Mallette Harold Dean,
Frede Vidar , Maxine Albro, George Harris, Rinaldo Cuneo,
Clifford Wight, Edith Hamlin, Robert B. Howard, Otis Oldfield,
Ray Bertrand, Suzanne Scheuer and Hebe Daum. Most of the murals
here are done in fresco style which refers to applying paint on
plaster either on walls or ceilings. Few others are done in ‘oil
on canvas’ and one of the murals has been done in egg tempera
format! Needless to say the murals add up to the exquisiteness
element in this stupendous tower. They are just so colorful and
will definitely dazzle anyone and everyone.
The view presented by Coit tower
has to be seen to be believed. The entire city can be glanced
at, looking its tantalizing best, especially sights like the
San
Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Golden Gate Bridge,
and the Bay Bridge. The sights are unparalleled! The entire city
is at your feet and you can have great fun spotting the various
landmarks of San Francisco. Once atop the Coit, you can also
look at Russian Hill, Alcatraz, Angel Island, Treasure Island,
Lombard Street, the Financial District, Pier 39 and Nob Hill.
The Coit Tower is one of the most
renowned
landmarks of San Francisco and is as such a wonderful
place to visit. Many a films have been shot here or have the
famous Coit tower at the backdrop…no wonder it is such a visited
sight!
Coit Tower on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coit_Tower
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