F I R S TP R E V345NEXTLAST

Sutro Tower, Twin Peaks
Eyesore or godsend? Before the construction of the Sutro Tower, San Franciscans had some of the worst radio and television reception in the country. The city's hilly terrain meant signal strength varied block to block. But in 1973 with the construction of this enormous three-pronged, 981-foot tower things, dramatically changed. Even today, with the rise of cable and satellite television, the tower is still much used, broadcasting local television and radio stations, dispatch, paging, and other wireless communications services. The tower is the city's tallest structure (the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge is second) and stands on one of the tallest spots in the city, elevating its peak to the equivalent of a 180-story building. At that dizzying height Sutro Tower is also designed to withstand earthquakes, its center of gravity is actually below ground, encased in more than 15 million pounds of concrete.
[ MAP K-9 ]