In response to a request from the Protect Coit Tower Committee, San Francisco Supervisor David Chiu has agreed to hold a public hearing to investigate problems at Coit Tower and threats to its already-damaged murals.  New documents have revealed that, in April 2011, the city closed Coit Tower to the public during the day in order to host a private candlelight dinner party next to the fragile and historic murals inside Coit Tower.

Read the letter sent to Supervisor Chiu requesting the public hearing here.

Read the document showing Coit Tower was closed down to the public during regular operating hours for the private dinner party here.

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012

Supervisor to call hearing on Coit Tower

Supervisor David Chiu says he will call a public hearing to assess the state of Coit Tower, the Telegraph Hill landmark whose worsening condition is the subject of a June ballot measure.

“We all care deeply about the future of Coit Tower,” said Chiu, whose district includes the tower. “I’ve asked Rec and Park and the Arts Commission to take real action now to address these issues. I’m happy to call for a hearing to review what city agencies are doing.”

The Recreation and Park Department oversees Coit Tower, while the Arts Commission is responsible for the Great Depression-era murals that line its walls. Chiu’s plan for a hearing comes in part because the art  is deteriorating and damaged in some parts.

Jon Golinger, president of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers, says the city appears to be more concerned with profiting off the tower than preserving it. As he recently noted, a private dinner party was held next to the tower’s murals last spring. His ballot measure calls for limiting such events there.

Read the full story here.