Built in 1933, Coit Tower is located in Pioneer Park on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco, California. Philanthropist Lillie Hitchcock Coit donated the money used to create the landmark. The Works Progress Administration commissioned artists to decorate the walls of the tower with murals that conveyed California’s industry and history.

Bernard Zakheim, a Polish Jewish muralist, and Ralph Stackpole spearheaded the organization of the project. The artists completed their murals from 1933 to 1934. The themes featured renditions of the Great Depression, social outings, labor, and scenery. Diego Rivera’s fresco technique inspired most of the artists. Rivera was a San Francisco artist who developed a unique style for his paintings.

Twenty-six Bay Area artists worked on the murals to inspire public morale. However, some artists felt that it was necessary to depict the more acrid realities of the time. The United States struggled with a variety of opposing ideologies. The artists were politically radicalized and protested after workmen destroyed one of Rivera’s murals because of his depiction of Lenin.

Some of the murals feature disgruntled laborers, radical newspapers, and socialists themes. In one of the scenes created by Clifford Wight, a hammer and sickle was removed from his work before the project opened to the public. The controversial nature of these frescos delayed their unveiling.

Coit Tower is still open to the public and visitors can view the WPA murals on the first floor free of charge. The murals on the second floor are less controversial because their creators were less radical. They are only accessible to the public via weekly tours due to their susceptibility to damage.