36 Views of Sutro Tower

In the early 1830's, a Japanese artist calling himself Hokusai (one of many names he used during his lifetime) created some of the most lasting and well-known imagery of his time and place. He created a series of 36 woodblock prints containing the sacred Mount Fuji. One of these, the Great Wave off Kangawa, is still popular today, and is recognized by most viewers. Many of Hokusai's images used Fuji as a backdrop for scenes of Japanese people going about their daily lives. His series was called, simply, Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji. So much detail was included about how common people lived and interacted, what their clothing looked like, and even what fabrics they were made from, that these prints today serve not only as lasting works of art, but also as crucial historical documents of life in the early 1800's in Japan.

>> see some of Hokusai's 36 Views
 

In the 1970's, local media interests created a new landmark to tower over San Francisco. It sits on a hill once owned by the silver mining Sutro family, adjacent to the City's more famous Twin Peaks. At 977 feet tall, this steel broadcast platform, which is shared by several television and radio stations, is San Francisco's tallest structure. It is easily seen from many parts of the city, as well as other communities for many miles around. >> more

>> or, see the 36 Views of Sutro Tower now...

 

Hmm, how many 36 Views does the world need anyway?