Coit Tower is a 210-foot tower in the Telegraph Hill
neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The tower was built in
1933 at the request of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the city
of San Francisco; Coit bequeathed one-third of her estate to the
city "to be expended in an appropriate manner for the purpose of
adding to the beauty of the city which I have always loved".
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The art deco tower, made of unpainted reinforced concrete, was
designed by architects Arthur Brown, Jr. and Henry Howard, with
fresco murals by 27 different on-site artists and their numerous
assistants, plus two additional paintings installed after creation
off-site. The tower was not designed to resemble a fire hose
nozzle, despite Coit's affinity with the San Francisco firefighters
of the day, in particular with Knickerbocker Engine Company Number
5. Mrs. Lillie Hitchcock Coit Honorary Member Knickerbocker Engine
No. 5, Veteran Volunteer Firemen of California, March 1912
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City Life, one of the largest murals at Coit Tower was painted
by Victor Mikhail Arnautoff who had worked as an assistant to Diego
Rivera in Mexico and taught at the California School of Fine Arts
(CSFA).Victor Mikhail Arnautoff The controversial mural includes a
traffic accident, armed robbery and leftist newspapers. In addition
a fire engine (Knickerbocker Engine Company No.5a tribute to Lilly
Hitchcock- Coit) and the San Francisco Stock Exchange (with
sculptures by fellow muralist Ralph Stackpole) are depicted.