Jennifer S.
Yelp
How many staircases do you know of that are so cool that they have their own website?
The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps are 163 beautifully decorated stairs located in between 15th and 16th streets in Golden Gate Heights. This is a quiet, residential neighborhood with fantastic views, but very limited parking.
What's special about this staircase is that every single step is unique. There is no uniform or repeating pattern. The overall theme of the staircase is, "From Sea to Stars." Standing at the bottom of the staircase is meant to be like looking up towards the sun from the bottom of the ocean.
Mosaic fish, starfish, snails, octopuses, and sea creatures decorate the lowest steps. Partway up the staircase, mushrooms, flowers, and birds begin to take their place. Nearing the top, the stairs are made up of tiny stars falling from the moon. Finally, the top set of stairs represent the sun, comprised of white, silver, yellow, and orange mosaics.
Both sides of the stairs are lined by stunning succulent gardens, interspersed with California native plants. Many of these plants were chosen to support butterfly habitat restoration, particularly for the endangered green hairstreak butterfly (which I've personally never seen yet).
According to the website, the two artists who were chosen to head the project spent over two and a half years designing, creating, and placing all of the mosaic tiles, with the help of over 300 local volunteers. The names of many of the sponsors are visible on the mosaic fragments, as well as on plaques in the surrounding gardens.
Just by luck, I happened to visit the steps near sunset. I don't think I could have picked a more perfect time. The views down the steps towards the ocean were incredible.