Coit’s Restoration

San Francisco’s Coit Tower recently finished the $1.7 million restoration and has re-opened its doors after 6 months. The main focus of the restoration was the repair of the tower’s 25 water-damaged fresco murals. If you aren’t familiar with this icon in San Francisco atop of Telegraph Hill, it was designed by architects Arthur Brown Jr. and Henry Howard. It was named for San Francisco socialite Lillie Hitchcock Coit who wanted to the tower to be a memorial to the city’s firefighters. Now back to the restoration... The frescos were painted by 25 different artists under FDR’s Public Works of Art Project that were prominently San Francisco based artists. Over the years, as anything, harsh weather damaged the murals requiring two years of cleaning the murals with sponges. Yes, that’s two years just prepping for the restoration work. Then of course, inpainting followed which repaired the deteriorating paint. The plans for future restoration work are focused on waterproofing the flat roof and exterior while also creating a climate controlled environment inside for the murals.