16th Avenue Tiled Steps

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16th Avenue Tiled Steps
Staircase
Nickname(s): Moraga Steps
Inner Sunset, San Francisco, CA, USA - panoramio.jpg
A view of the stairs from the bottom
Design
  • Aileen Barr
  • Colette Crutcher
ConstructionJuly – August 2005 [1]
Opening dateAugust 27, 2005 [2]
Steps163 [2]
Surface Mosaic
LocationMoraga St. between 15th & 16th Ave., San Francisco, California, United States
Location map San Francisco County.png
Red pog.svg
16th Avenue Tiled Steps
USA California location map.svg
Red pog.svg
16th Avenue Tiled Steps
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
16th Avenue Tiled Steps
Coordinates: 37°45′22.6″N122°28′23.5″W / 37.756278°N 122.473194°W / 37.756278; -122.473194

The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, colloquially known as the Moraga Steps, is a stairway in the Golden Gate Heights neighborhood in San Francisco, California. Fodor's calls it "possibly the world's largest mosaic staircase", [3] and it leads up to Grandview Park. The flight contains 163 steps stretching 90 feet (27 m) high. These steps are also covered in over 2,000 unique tiles from over 75,000 glass fragments. [4]

Contents

History

A closer look at the stairs The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps Project, a neighborhood effort to create a mosaic running up the risers of the 163 steps located at 16th and Moraga. San Francisco, California LCCN2013630022.tif
A closer look at the stairs

Inspired by the Escadaria Selarón in Brazil, the project was first pitched by two residents of the neighborhood, Jessie Audette and Alice Yee Xavier in 2003. [5] The duo tried to find a way to link all their neighbors together in an effort to enrich the area. Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher, who also designed the nearby Hidden Garden Steps six years later, [6] were chosen by residents to plan the panels of the mosaics. The project was funded by over 220 sponsored/named tiles which were also placed on the staircase. Community members all pitched in to create panels together, and three workshops were held. [2] [7] The Mayor's Neighborhood Beautification Fund also donated to the construction effort. [8]

The opening ceremony was held on August 27, 2005, featuring lion dancers. Francesco Pignataro, the then-mayor of Caltagirone, Italy, also attended, as the steps' sister, Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte, was located there. [1] Acting Mayor and member of the Board of Supervisors Sean Elsbernd declared August 27 as 16th Avenue Tiled Steps Day. [2]

Areas nearby the steps rose in crime during 2016, as car robbers took advantage of the tourists viewing the steps to break in. [9]

Features

Both sides of the stairs contain a garden containing native California plants (which support the endangered green hairstreak) and succulents, [10] with the south side being donated by the Xavier family, while the north side was developed in 2006, after a grant was obtained from San Francisco Beautiful. The San Francisco Succulent Society dontated succulents in 2010, and Nature in the City helped with a restoration of the butterfly habitats in 2014. One Brick assists in organizing volunteering days, which occur on Earth Day weekend and fall. [2]

The stairs themselves have a design focused on the sky and sea, with sea creatures containing names of sponsors dotted within. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 Todd, Gail (February 14, 2008). "Grandview Park and the Mosaic Stairway". SFGATE. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Official website". 16th Avenue Tiled Steps. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  3. ↑ Carter, Wibke (November 13, 2017). "The 20 Most Incredible Staircases in the World". Fodor's . Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  4. ↑ Crutcher, Colette. "Moraga Steps". Colette Crutcher. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Davis, Chelsea (June 21, 2023). "This SF park may be the Sunset District's best-kept secret". SFGATE. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  6. ↑ Albanese, Ellen (May 11, 2017). "The Tip: San Francisco's mosaic steps - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe . Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  7. ↑ Kearns, Lauren. "Collaborative INSTALLATIONS". Ceramics Monthly. pp. 50–53. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  8. ↑ Daigneau, Elizabeth (November 21, 2016). "Walking on Art Is Usually Frowned Upon. Not Here". Governing . Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ Harrington, Elissa (March 2, 2016). "Crime rises near San Francisco's popular tourist attraction 16th Avenue Tiled Steps". ABC 7 . Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  10. ↑ Browne, Maeve. "The Best Things To Do In San Francisco That Are Completely Free - Narcity". Narcity Media . Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
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