San Francisco, California story
A Tower for Beauty
Coit Tower is one of the most iconic silhouettes in the skyline, but its origin is surprisingly personal. It wasn't built by a government committee, but through a bequest from a w…
Read the story
Coit Tower is one of the most iconic silhouettes in the skyline, but its origin is surprisingly personal. It wasn't built by a government committee, but through a bequest from a woman named Lillie Hitchcock Coit, who simply wanted to beautify her city. Completed in 1933, the tower is a slender white concrete column that offers a 360-degree view of the bay.
But the real quirk is on the ground floor. While the elevator ride to the top costs a fee, the murals on the ground floor are completely free to the public. They capture a specific moment in American art and history, tucked inside a tower funded by a woman's love for San Francisco.
It's a high-altitude monument born from a very grounded desire to make the city prettier.
Updated June 2026