Nearly 80 years old and rising 210 feet above San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill, Coit Tower is in the news. SInce its dedication in 1933, this unpainted concrete art deco tower has been a feature of San Francisco’s skyline, attracting up to 200,000 visitors per year for its stunning 360-degree views as well as for the murals painted on the interior walls. Calling the artworks “priceless”, Judy Woodruff of PBS NewsHour aired with a report on January 18, 2012, “Coit Tower mural controversy”, which attributed much of the murals’ damage to fog and neglect. A further hour-long report was aired on January 20, 2012 by National Public Radio’s “Forum” on KQED, San Francisco.
History of Coit Tower
The monument, now on the U.S. National Registry of Historic Places, was built over a period of five years with funds bequeathed by Lillie Hitchcock-Coit. She was a wealthy, eccentric volunteer firefighter and San Francisco notable, known as “Firebell Lil”, who wished to use part of her estate to add to the beauty of her beloved adopted city.
The historic murals
25 contributing artists, prominent in their era, including apprentices from the studio of Diego Rivera, were funded by the government’s WPA project. They painted the Coit Tower interior walls with a series of 27 murals depicting life in the 1930s illustrating city dwellers, farm workers of the nearby fields, groves and orchards, families struggling through the depression. Anne Grawemeyer of San Francisco City Guides was quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle (October 21, 2011) indicating that this concept of joint project work by a group of artists was something new at the time.
Condition of the murals today
In the PBS report, Allison Cummings, an historian with the San Francisco Arts Commission explains that today the frescoes are exhibiting signs of damage from moisture penetrating the tower walls, leaving behind salt crystals which are affecting the artwork. There is water dripping from the ceiling, paint is peeling and chipped, artwork is partially obscured, the second floor is currently mainly closed to the public, there is no security enforcement to prevent the murals from being touched or marked. Indeed, vandals caused such extensive damage in 1960 that the tower was closed for 17 years. The last renovation took place in 1987-1990.
Raising the alarm
The Telegraph Hill Dwellers Association are among those looking for a long-term solution to preserve the murals. Since funds are generated – over $900,000 last year – from the $7 fee to ride the elevator to the top of the tower and by onsite concessions, the Telegraph Hill Dwellers association, established 1954, wishes to see these funds used for preservation. Volunteers are looking to collect 9,700 signatures on a petition with a February 6, 2012 deadline for presenting the initiative on the June ballot. The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department is being asked to assist in preserving Coit Tower and its treasures.
Sources:
The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco
PBS NewsHour
San Francisco Chronicle
SF Appeal
ProtectCoitTower.org
Telegraph Hill Dwellers
San Francisco Recreation and Parks