Jewett, Masha Zakheim, 1931-

Masha Zakheim Jewett was encouraged to research the history of Coit Tower by her father, Bernard Baruch Zakheim, who created one of the murals within. Jewett compiled a survey of the murals and used them in her San Franciso Arts class at San Francisco City College, later conducted tours of the murals, and in 1983 published her research in "Coit Tower San Francisco: Its History and Art."

Coit Tower was built in 1932-1933 at the summit of Telegraph Hill in San Francisco, CA, funded by money bequeathed to the city by Lillie Hitchcock Coit. The fresco murals inside the tower were painted by several prominent artists during 1934, funded by the Depression-era Public Works of Art Project. While these works are sometimes credited to controversial Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, none were actually executed by him although most show his influence.