North Beach in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Peter Macchiarini Steps

Honoring a San Francisco Legend - the 1100 Block of Kearny

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, July 11, 2020

1. Peter Macchiarini Steps Marker

Inscription. Bordering the infamous 19th century Barbary Coast neighborhood of Sydney Town (bound by Kearny, Sansome, Green and Broadway), these steps were renamed in honor of Italian American modernist jeweler and sculptor Peter Macchiarini in 2001. Macchiarini lived on these steps in what was one of the city's very first live/work artist cooperatives, beginning an illustrious career as a sculptor before moving his studio to upper Grant Avenue in 1948, where it remnains as a legacy business to this day.

Erected 2018 by Top of Broadway Community Benefits District.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical year for this entry is 2001.

Location. 37° 47.887′ N, 122° 24.333′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in North Beach. Marker is at the intersection of Broadway and Kearny on Broadway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: San Francisco CA 94133, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Finnochio's (a few steps from this marker); Lupo’s Restaurant (within shouting distance of this marker); The Lusty Lady (within shouting distance of this marker); The Jazz Workshop (within shouting distance of this marker); The Old Broadway Jail

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Dirk Dirksen (within shouting distance of this marker); Italian American Bank (within shouting distance of this marker); Mona's 440 Club (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.

Also see . . .
1. Peter Macchiarini (Kearny St.) Steps (SF Park Alliance). (Submitted on July 18, 2020.)
2. Peter Macchiarini (Wikipedia). "Peter Macchiarini (August 27, 1909 – July 3, 2001) was an Italian-American California-based American Modernist jeweler and sculptor who was a pioneer in the field of avant-garde jewelry. He maintained an art studio and shop on Grant Avenue in San Francisco, California, for more than 50 years and was instrumental in organizing the first San Francisco outdoor art festival in 1938 as well as founding the Upper Grant Avenue Street Fair in 1953, an event that spawned similar artist-run festivals in the San Francisco Bay Area." (Submitted on July 18, 2020.)

Peter Macchiarini Steps and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, July 11, 2020

2. Peter Macchiarini Steps and Marker

The marker is not quite visible here, embedded in the sidewalk, just to the left of the bottom of the steps on the left side of the street. The SF Parks Alliance notes on their page for this feature that the steps can be briefly seen in the movie Bullitt, "in the scene where Lt. Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) walks across Broadway to Enrico's to visit an informant."

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 533 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 18, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.