Pioneer Park is a
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
crowning the top of
Telegraph Hill A telegraph hill is a hill or other natural elevation that is chosen as part of an optical telegraph system.
Telegraph Hill may also refer to:
England
* A high point in the Haldon Hills, Devon
* Telegraph Hill, Dorset, a hill in the Dorset Down ...
in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
. It was established in 1876 in celebration of the United States Centennial. Prior to establishment of the park, it was the site of the Marine Telegraph Station. The main feature of the park,
Coit Tower, was completed in 1933 using a $118,000 bequest left to the city by
Lillie Hitchcock Coit
Lillie (Elizabeth) Hitchcock Coit (August 23, 1843 – July 22, 1929) was a patron of San Francisco's volunteer firefighters and the benefactor for the construction of the Coit Tower in San Francisco.
Life
Born in West Point, New York, in 1843, ...
in 1929. A
bronze statue
Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as well as bronze elements t ...
of
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
was placed in the park in 1957, and removed in June, 2020.
History
After a storm destroyed the Marine Telegraph Station at the top of Telegraph Hill in 1876,
George Hearst purchased the property and donated it to the city under the stipulation that the land be dubbed "Pioneer Park." Later purchases by the city substantially added to the park's size. To engage the public, an observatory and bar was built on the property in the style of a German castle. The venture was unsuccessful and ultimately closed after a fire in the early 1900s. In 1902, the North Beach Improvement Club, California Club, and California Art League together lobbied the city to preserve the land. The city responded by adding roads increasing public access.
In 1924,
Lillie Hitchcock Coit
Lillie (Elizabeth) Hitchcock Coit (August 23, 1843 – July 22, 1929) was a patron of San Francisco's volunteer firefighters and the benefactor for the construction of the Coit Tower in San Francisco.
Life
Born in West Point, New York, in 1843, ...
passed, leaving the city with $118,000. The money was ultimately used to construct
Coit Tower, the primary feature of the park.
References
External links
*
North Beach, San Francisco
Parks in San Francisco
{{SanFrancisco-stub