I discovered the Coit Tower Murals in San Francisco by accident… I know, sounds weird, right.

It was Christmas Day of 2014 and I’d decided to have an anti-Christmas. Instead of spending time with my family, I opted for a road trip. It’s not that I don’t love my family, I do… no really, I do. It’s just that Christmas Day 2013 was spent in hospice caring for my mother who was losing her battle with lung cancer. It was a grueling holiday for all of us. So this year I decided not to put any pressure on myself, or my sisters, and simple travel where the wind took me. It was a day with absolutely no commitments to anyone, with the exception of dropping my boyfriend off at the San Francisco Airport at 6:30 a.m.  I know it may sound selfish, but I wasn’t sure how much I could handle emotionally, and driving the empty streets of San Francisco was just what I needed. There’s so much beautiful architecture in the city, and I had a complete blast driving, discovering, and photographing what I found.

Towards the later part of the afternoon I found myself near Fisherman’s Wharf. I looked up the hill and saw the Coit Tower. How could I have not seen this  before on previous visit’s to the City?  I turned my car towards the tower, and wound my way to the top of Telegraph Hill. I easily nabbed a parking space in their very small parking lot at the base of the tower. It was a stellar cold and clear day, and the views from the grounds were breathtaking.  I followed the other tourists towards the back of the building, snapping photos as I walked.  I stepped around two tourists who’d stopped to photograph something. Then, as I looked back over my shoulder, I saw what they were looking at.  It stopped me cold in my tracks. It was the most glorious orange and brown butterfly.  You see, as my sisters were cleaning out our mom’s belongings last year, they were  constantly discovering little glittery butterflies in her craft room  cabinets and drawers. Thus, whenever they see a butterfly, they’re reminded of our mom. And here I was, standing on top of Telegraph Hill in San Francisco, with this exquisite butterfly.  Try as I may to escape the memories of my previous Christmas, I was faced with this elegant little  reminder of my mother.  I snapped a few pics and sent them to my sisters… mom was with me.

Once around the back of the building, I looked through the locked glass doors and discovered the Murals of the Coit Tower. As I researched the murals for this article, I discovered that there were several more that I wasn’t able to see… 27 in all. Each created by a different on-site artist under the auspices of the Public Works of Art Project in 1933.  The murals of the first floor (shown above) are about industry and commerce, depicting people grim with purpose  trying to make their way amid the struggle and strife of the Great Depression.

The second floor murals have been largely hidden from the public for nearly 80 years, until recently. Having undergone intensive restoration, every effort is being made to give scheduled docent tours of 4-8 people at a time. The viewing area is extremely tight due to the narrow stairway that is only as wide as the tower itself.  I hope that on my next visit to San Francisco, I can schedule one of these tours of the second floor murals. By the way, if you’re ever photographing something through a  window, press your phone or camera right up to the glass, and you’ll avoid getting the reflective glare from the glass… you’re welcome.