Mechanics Memorial

Here you stand, on the small plaza at the corner in front of the famous Market Street. This is one of the city's main streets. If you follow it, you'll go through the entire downtown area, past the Civic Center, the Castro district and end your journey at the base of the Twin Peaks hills. It's a gathering place for demonstrations, whether joyous celebrations or protests. It's often compared to 5th Avenue in New York or the Champs Élysées in Paris. The striking sculpture beside you is the work of sculptor Douglas Tilden, who was commissioned to create three decorative monuments as part of the Market Street embellishment project in 1900. It was financed by the Donahue family, who in 1850 created the city's first forge, then the first gas company for street lighting and finally the first tramway line. San Francisco owes a lot to them, and the sculptor wanted to pay tribute to all those who had toiled and given their strength to the Donahue companies. Thus were born these 5 muscular, sweat-soaked men, struggling to keep this giant press running. Unveiled in 1901, the statue caused quite a stir, and there were even plans to make trousers for them!