Sutro Tower

Sutro Tower
Sutro Tower viewed from Grandview Park in San Francisco
Location within San Francisco
Location within San Francisco
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeRadio mast
LocationSan Francisco, California
Address1 La Avanzada Street
Clarendon Heights
Coordinates37°45′19″N 122°27′10″W / 37.75523°N 122.45284°W / 37.75523; -122.45284
Elevation254.2 m (834 ft)
CompletedJuly 4, 1973 (July 4, 1973)
OwnerSutro Tower, Inc.
Height
Antenna spire297.8 m (977 ft)[1]
Observatoryon Level 6, 228.8 m (751 ft) above base
Dimensions
Other dimensions
  • base triangle legs spaced 45.7 m (150 ft) on a side
  • waist triangle legs spaced 18.3 m (60 ft) on a side
  • antenna triangle spaced 30.5 m (100 ft) on a side
Technical details
Structural systemTruss tower
Design and construction
Architect(s)Furman L. Anderson Jr.[2]
Architecture firm
  • Kline Iron & Steel
  • Albert C. Martin and Associates
Renovating team
EngineerSimpson Gumpertz & Heger
Website
sutrotower.com
References
[3][4][5]

Sutro Tower is a unique three-legged 297.8 m (977 ft) tall TV and radio lattice tower located in San Francisco, California. Rising from a hill between Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro near Clarendon Heights, it is a prominent feature of the city skyline and a landmark for city residents and visitors. The tower was the tallest structure in San Francisco from the time of its completion in 1973 until it was surpassed by the Salesforce Tower in 2018.

The tower is named after Mount Sutro.[6] Adolph Gilbert Sutro, grandson of former mayor Adolph Sutro, built a mansion, La Avanzada, on the family property in the highest peaks of San Francisco. In 1948, the mansion and property was sold to the American Broadcasting Company, where it became the original home of their San Francisco operation as KGO Television. KGO then formed a consortium with KTVU, KRON, and KPIX, the three other major San Francisco television broadcasters at the time, to build and maintain the tower. It stands 297.8 m (977 ft) above ground and 552 m (1,811 ft) above sea level. It is the second tallest structure in the city by ground-to-tip height, though its mountain location overlooks the city's downtown skyscrapers.

  1. ^ Sutro Environmental Impact Report (Report). Federal Communications Commission. July 6, 1997. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  2. ^ "Furman L. Anderson, Jr., 87, member of North Trenholm Baptist Church who helped design the tallest tower in history in the 1960s". Cola Daily. June 5, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  3. ^ "Emporis building ID 118751". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "Sutro Tower". SkyscraperPage.
  5. ^ Sutro Tower at Structurae
  6. ^ "Sutro Tower History". Sutro Tower. Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.