Talk About Stairs! San Francisco

Neighborhood steps up

Kathleen from San Francisco

"You might notice that each brick on this staircase at San Francisco's Coit Tower has a name written on it. Here's the forgotten story behind those names."

Getting to Coit Tower on foot is no small feat. Parking on a very steep hill was a challenge in itself. That said, the views from the top are magnificent.

As I was climbing the stairs closest to Coit Tower, I noticed bricks in the stairs with names on them. I had no idea what they were for, so I asked. This took some doing on my part since the person who was in the gift shop/museum area didn’t really know what I was talking about. I was like a dog with a bone.

The history is a little eccentric, but here goes. Built in 1932/33 using Lillie Hitchcock Coit's bequest to beautify the city of San Francisco, Coit Tower stands majestically on a prominent hill for all to see and visit.

Turns out, however, that in 1995, the building that is considered one of San Francisco’s most iconic, was not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, so the pathways and stairs leading up to the Tower had to be improved or ahem…brought into compliance.

The neighborhood formed a group to raise money to help with the expense of the improvements and every single brick in the staircase, and there are many, went for $500. For that donation, the donors were given recognition for their part in the improvements with their name on a brick.

Kudos to the neighborhood for “stepping” up.

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San Francisco Spotter Kathleen

About me Born on an American Army base in Germany, I came to the states when I was six months old and my parents were stationed back home at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington, where I spent my entire childhood. Little did I know that the military lifestyle was going to become what inspired me to become an artist. I have been a photographer for most of my life. Whether I knew it or not is another story. I picked up my first camera at the age of eight and became - much to the chagrin of my strict parents - the family voyeur. Often my dad would tell me that what I was doing was ...

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1 Telegraph Hill Boulevard

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Oct 18, 2025

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