Sutro Tower

About

Sutro Tower is a unique three-legged 297.8 m (977 ft) tall TV and radio lattice tower located on the West Side of 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. 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 were 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.