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Commission backs amendment to Coit Tower nomination, says murals merit national significance
Summary
After presentations from preservation scholars, the commission unanimously adopted a resolution recommending the State approve an amended National Register nomination elevating Coit Tower’s murals to national significance and documenting artists, murals and conservation history.
The Historic Preservation Commission unanimously voted Wednesday to recommend that the State Historic Preservation Officer approve an amended National Register nomination for Coit Tower that elevates the significance of the tower’s murals to the national level.
Shannon Ferguson of department staff said the amendment expands the 2008 nomination to include detailed descriptions of each mural, artist biographies and a chronology of conservation and alterations. The dossier argues the murals—made under the Public Works of Art Project during the Depression—constitute a uniquely large federally funded mural project that informed later New Deal art programs.
Catherine Petrin, the nomination’s lead preparer, told commissioners the murals “possess exceptional value in interpreting the themes of the Depression and New Deal idealism,” and described newly discovered primary sources and research that support the national‑level finding. Robert Cherney, a historian and participant in the new research, said archival material and published work now justify revising the earlier 2008 documentation.
The department recommended sending a resolution of findings to the State office supporting the amendment; the commission voted 5–0 to adopt the resolution and forward the nomination for State review.
The amendment will next be considered by the State Historic Resources Commission for possible listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
