Which Coit Tower Murals Should You Look For in the Lobby?

Give the walls at the base of Coit Tower some time before you head for the view. Upstairs, you can pick out pieces of San Francisco from above. Downstairs, artists painted the city and the people who kept it running, from a passerby on the street to workers gathering the news.

Which mural should I start with at Coit Tower?

Look for City Life by Victor Arnautoff. Its busy street makes a good introduction to the artists’ scale of observation. First take in the whole scene from a few steps back. Then choose one person and trace what is happening around them. It’s easier to take in this crowded composition if you give your eye a single starting point.

Who painted the murals, and why are so many people working?

A group of artists painted the tower murals in 1934 under the federal Public Works of Art Project. Their subject was California during the Depression. That helps explain why a newspaper office belongs in the same building as a farm scene. For a pair to compare, look for the agricultural workers painted by Maxine Albro and Newsgathering by Suzanne Scheuer. See what tools identify each person’s job.

Why were the Coit Tower murals controversial?

The paintings were taking shape during a bitter year for labor in San Francisco. As the 1934 waterfront strike turned violent, political details in some panels became subjects of public argument. Parts were painted over, and the tower remained closed for months before the public saw the frescoes that fall. Go back to City Life with that history in mind and take another look at the newspapers in the scene.

What else can I see around the tower?

Look for the dedication to Lillie Hitchcock Coit, whose bequest helped pay for the tower. Finish outside in Pioneer Park, the hillside gardens that surround it. Pause there for a moment and listen. Telegraph Hill’s parrots can announce themselves well before you spot one among the branches.