Stairway to Heaven
The Moraga Street Steps are an inspired example of site-specific art that “elevates” its surroundings into something magical, yet intensely local at the same time. Part of this chemistry comes from the view of the Pacific Ocean that glitters in the distance, and then seems to start crawling up the flight of 116 steps. A tile mosaic begins at the base of the stairs with scenes deep under the ocean, progresses upward to the water’s surface, climbs onto land, into the air, and just as one nears the top of the steps and the actual sky appears, the scene changes to outer space and finally the sun. It’s a powerful commingling of form and content. Climbing the stairs, one ascends from submarine to the heavenly heights, as the overall design is revealed step by step. Along the way the polished colors of the tiles vibrate with life in the bright western light. Beautiful gardens along the slope add to the riot of living forms.
The mosaic was created by local artists Aileen Barr and Colette Crucher, who collaborated on both its design and fabrication. Unique in this mosaic are 2,000 handmade tiles in the shape of fish, animals, flowers, birds, and stars, many inscribed with the names of neighborhood sponsors and volunteers. Each of these brilliantly hued tiles is an artwork in itself. And every one of the 163 panels on the vertical step risers is intricate enough to stand on its own.
Info
Address 1700 16th Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94122, www.tiledsteps.org | Public Transport Bus: 66 (16th Ave & Moraga St stop) | Tip At the top of the steps, turn right onto 15th Avenue and you’ll find a smaller wooden staircase that will take you up to a hilltop park, aptly named Grandview. The panoramic vista of the Outer Sunset avenues marching to the beach, with the great green rectangle of Golden Gate Park along the edge, is particularly nice at dusk.
The stairs, which ascend from 16th Avenue to 15th Avenue, have been in place since the 1920s but originally had no decoration. The mosaic was completed in 2005 with the city’s blessing and the help of more than 300 area volunteers, including a local tile company that provided the final installation.
The creators were inspired in part by the Escaderia Selarón in Rio de Janeiro, and have now brought their work to several other public stairway projects in the city.
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