Coit Memorial Tower

Coit Memorial Tower. Pioneer Park. , This marker is composed of three panels; a center panel, a left panel and a right panel., (Center Panel:) , San Francisco’s legendary Lillie Hitchcock Coit died in 1929, bequeathing one-third of her estate “for the purchase of adding beauty to the city I have always loved.” A committee comprised of Herbert Fleishhacker, John McClaren, William H. Crocker, James McSheehy, and C.E. Crunsky recommended that Arthur Brown Jr. be retained to develop plans for a memorial on Telegraph Hill. Coit Tower was built during the Great Depression and dedicated in 1933. The tower’s famous murals were completed the following year., (Left Panel:) , In 1876, a group of San Francisco citizens purchased four lots at the crest of Telegraph Hill and gave the land to the city as a public park in memory of California’s pioneers. We are the beneficiaries of their foresight and generosity: James R. Bolton, Alexander Boyd, John William Brown, William Burling, William S. Chapman, William T. Coleman, James Z. Davis, Edward E. Eyre, John Gashwiler, Mathais Gray, George Hearst, Milton S. Latham, James M. McDonald, Marion Jasper McDonald, Mark L. McDonald, Darius Ogden Mills, Henry M. Newhall, David Porter, Francis S. Redfield, Christian Reis, Henry Robinson, John Skae, and Louis Sloss. In the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s. the California Club, the North Beach Improvement Club, the California Outdoor Art League, and other volunteers worked to protect and improve Pioneer Park. , (Right Panel): , In 1995, citizens organized once again to protect and improve Pioneer Park. Over 700 volunteers and donors contributed to the addition of the new stairs, paths, and terraces which were completed in 2001 by the City and County of San Francisco. Major donors included Coit Services, Inc., Jack Early, Janice and Maurice Holloway, Bruce and Carol Mitchell, the Bothin Foundation, the Mary A. Crocker Trust Bank, Bank of America, Maggie Baylis, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, Maud Hallin, Anne Halsted and Wells Whitney, David Davies and Jack Welden, San Francisco Beautiful, the Wells Fargo Foundation, Janet Crane and Rod Freebairn-Smith, the Evelyn and Walter Hass, Jr. Fund, and the Koret Foundation. We extend our affections and gratitude to those who will in the coming years, cherish and nurture this place.