Coit Tower murals and 1934 controversy

Coit Tower, completed in 1933 at 1 Telegraph Hill Blvd, contains a series of 1934 WPA-era fresco murals depicting California life painted by local artists. At the time of their unveiling the murals provoked controversy for leftist and pro-labor imagery; at least one panel was modified and several artists were publicly criticized, making the murals a documented political flashpoint. The murals' contentious reception and stories of hidden political messages have become part of Coit Tower’s local legend.