Coit Tower New Deal murals and controversy

Coit Tower's interior walls were decorated in 1934 with fresco murals created by a group of artists employed under a New Deal public arts program. The murals depict Social Realist scenes of California life, including labor and industrial themes, and drew criticism at the time for perceived left-leaning imagery. The building and its murals are documented as part of San Francisco's 20th-century public art history and are open to visitors at the tower site.