Blog
A Celebration of Notable Women
Lillie Hitchcock Coit, Elizabeth Snyder Glide, Maya Angelou, and Alice Waters – these four women are responsible for some of the most distinctive contributions to our city, and as March is Women’s History Month, and International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8; we are proud to have the opportunity to honor them.
Lillie Hitchcock Coit
Known as “Firebelle Lil,” Coit had a soft spot for firefighters. An honorary member of Knickerbocker Engine Company No. 5, Coit left funds for the building of a monument to volunteer firefighters in Washington Square in addition to Coit Tower.
Elizabeth Snyder Glide
A philanthropic activist, Lizzie Glide established the Glide Foundation, the Glide Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Mary Elizabeth Inn which provides services and support for disadvantaged women. Glide was also the owner of The Hotel Californian, San Francisco’s sole temperance hotel from 1935 to 1978 until it was purchased again to become the Serrano Hotel. The hotel was renovated and rebranded in 2018 and thrives as our own Hotel Spero.
Maya Angelou
One of the City’s first black female streetcar conductors, Angelou, while not a native San Franciscan, rose to become a poet and writer extraordinaire, and remains a national treasure. Selections of her work can be seen at City Lights Bookstore.
Alice Waters
The founder and owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, California, Waters has long been a supporter of the local organic and sustainable food/clean eating movement and was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama in 2015.