The public art installation, Welcome Tower was designed by Artist Sean Orlando in 2019 and placed near Pier 14 on the Embarcadero. This 30-foot tall art was built to reinterpret San Francisco’s iconic Coit Tower. All doors are selected from San Francisco’s houses in order to address San Francisco’s culture and local history and most of its parts are made from reclaimed wooden. While each door has fish eye peepholes for visitors to look into and find more art, it’s also addressing the housing crisis that people are facing. According to Mayor London N. Breed “This collaborative work of art serves as a reminder of the importance of working together to build more affordable housing and ensuring that every San Franciscan has a safe place to call home.”
Unison, the real estate agency in San Francisco, commissioned the Welcome Tower as a gift to the city and people of San Francisco ”to serve as a symbol of innovation and creativity coming together in order to pioneer new solutions for those who want to make this City home,” said Thomas Sponholtz, Unison CEO. ” Housing affordability is getting more expensive day by day in SF, having this art piece installed in Pier 14, is giving an opportunity to SF community to work on this matter together with the power of art. Mayor Breed has set a goal of creating and rehabilitating more than 10,000 units of affordable housing in San Francisco by the end of 2020.
For the last century, San Francisco has been a base for art and freedom expression. The city welcomed many creators and inventors for many years and transformed the city into a tech world. Artist Sean Orlando said, “So many artists are being forced to leave San Francisco — a creative class that has been a cultural foundation for many generations. With the installation of The Welcome Tower, SF is looking for new creative ways to overcome the housing crisis to continue its culture with a collaborative perspective.
If you are living or visiting San Francisco, it’s a must to see.