Historic Landmarks of San Francisco

Telegraph Hill, also known in former times as Loma Alta, Windmill Hill, and Signal Hill, is a 275-foot peak bounded by Broadway, Battery, Francisco, and Powell Streets. The first known settlement on the hill was Juana Brione's dairy ranch, located near the present corner of Filbert and Powell Streets. The battery for which Battery Street was named was constructed on the eastern slope of the hill by the U.S. Army in 1846. Also known as Fort Montgomery, the installation was located where Green and Battery Streets cross.

Another early landmark of the area was the pier constructed at Clark's Point, at the foot of Broadway near the present crossing of Front Street.

From 1849 a ship semaphore station was located atop the peak, leading to the name Telegraph Hill. Later, after the station became obsolete and was removed, an entrepreneur named Layman decided to construct an elaborate resort in its place. Layman's Castle, a four-story Gothic structure, was completed in 1804. That same year a cable line was built to bring customers to the resort. The line ran along Greenwich from Powell to just beyond Kearny, the crest of the hill. The enterprise was not a success, and the cable line was discontinued after only two years of operation. Telegraph Hill's eastern slope was the site of extensive quarrying during the second half of the 1800s.

The hill, apart from the western slope, was relatively untouched by the great 1906 fire. Consequently, a number of very old houses, some from the 1850s, are still to be found in the area, notably 31 Alta Street, 9 Calhoun Terrace, and 287-89 and 291 Union Street. The hill is still largely residential. The crest is now the site of Coit Tower, dedicated October 8, 1933, one of the City's most familiar landmarks and popular tourist attractions.