5.7.07

F I R S TP R E V582NEXTLAST

Coit Tower at Night
Today we view Telegraph Hill atop Coit Tower as a scenic landmark of San Francisco, but it wasn't always seen that way. Prior to motorized transportation Telegraph Hill was thought of as a slummy neighborhood for those who couldn't afford to live on the lower, more easily-accessible lands near the water. Even after the arrival of automobiles and cable cars the area did not have much appeal. When Coit Tower was built in 1933 many considered it an eyesore and a blight on the cityscape, much the same reaction that the Transamerica Pyramid would evoke 40 years later. But over the years the Tower has become a beloved symbol of the city.

One of the unsung heroes of San Francisco was Telegraph Hill resident, Grace Marchant who, in 1949, single-handedly began to clean up the trash piles that had gathered on its slopes over the preceding 100 years since the Gold Rush. Marchant spent 33 years tranforming the slopes from garbage dumps into lush gardens and then raising thousands of dollars for the ongoing care of those flowering gardens. Marchant died in 1986 but not before hand-picking a neighbor to continue the care of the now famous floral gardens on the slopes of Telegraph Hill.
[ MAP E-15 ]


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