Sign Hill

South San Francisco Historic Site

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, July 5, 2021

1. Sign Hill Marker

The Chamber of Commerce's white washed letters, each 60 feet high and 10 feet wide, were replaced by cement ones in 1929 at a cost of $5,000.

 
Erected by South San Francisco Historical Society, South San Francisco Historical Preservation Commission.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Landmarks. A significant historical year for this entry is 1923.
 
Location. 37° 39.749′ N, 122° 25.185′ W. Marker is in South San Francisco, California, in San Mateo County. It is at the intersection of Poplar Avenue and Rocca Avenue, on the right on Poplar Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: South San Francisco CA 94080, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Click or scan to see
this page online

"In 1923, the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce published articles in the town’s newspaper, the Enterprise, promoting the community and its businesses. One of the slogans was: “Think well of your town, speak well of it, remember you live here. Buy here. Keep your tax dollars at home." As a temporary publicity gimmick, the Chamber painted the words “South San Francisco, The Industrial City” in powdered lime on Sign Hill. In 1928, a $5,000 bond measure was approved to put the 60 foot letters in cement."

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, July 5, 2021

2. Sign Hill Marker - wide view

The marker is mounted to a utility pole, visible here on the right.

3. Sign Hill - inscription from up close

Although one can't really tell from this angle, this is a "D". (See next photo for full inscription)

John Wong, SSF Recreation Service (courtesy of the South San Francisco Public Library), 2008

4. Sign Hill, South San Francisco

In April 1929 the Cement Gun Construction Company of South San Francisco made the letters permanent at a cost of $4,845 after the voters approved (by a margin of 3 to 1) a 7 cents city tax for this purpose. The Chamber felt the sign was the best advertising the city could have and in 1996, through the efforts of Edna Harks, town historian and archivist, Sign Hill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of the Office of Historic Preservation. - City of South San Francisco