Kathleen from San Francisco
Ingleside Terraces Sundial San Francisco
Largest in the US
Built in 1912 in the Ingleside district of San Francisco, the Ingleside Terraces Sundial came in at 28 feet tall and 34 feet wide and was thought to be the largest sundial in the world. It was in the United States for sure, but not the world.
Ingleside Terraces hadn’t been built yet, so there were no houses around to obscure the view. But rather than celebrating the completion during the daylight hours to show off what the sundial could do, the celebration was held at night so more people could attend.
Today, 109 years later, the sundial is in the middle of a beautiful, quiet, and relatively affluent neighborhood called, you guessed it, Ingleside Terraces. The sundial itself was constructed using marble and concrete and is still very well maintained, making it a rather stunning sight to behold.
It has roman numerals painted around the base and still tells the time accurately to within one minute. It’s pointed to the geographical north (the north pole) and calibrated to the winter solstice. Surrounded by beautiful white classical columns and benches that face southwest, northwest, northeast, and southeast, it’s a lovely place to spend some time in solitude.
Given that it’s located in one of the foggiest areas of the city, you may or may not be able to “see” the time, but it’s still worth the trip to witness the spectacle that is the Ingleside Terraces Sundial.
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