Lombard Street

Introduction

The crooked block of Lombard Street runs about 600 feet between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets on Russian Hill and is known for its eight hairpin turns and a grade approaching 27 percent, which is steeper than a standard garage ramp. It was not built for looks: property owner Carl Henry proposed switchbacks to lengthen the route and reduce the grade, city engineer Clyde Healy designed it, and the eight turns were completed in 1922. The red brick paving came later, for grip and local character. The block is one-way downhill from Hyde to Leavenworth with a 5 mph limit, and pedestrians must use the concrete stairs beside the roadway rather than the carriageway. The hydrangea beds are not a city project: a resident named Peter Bercut planted them in the 1950s and neighbours have maintained them ever since. The street draws roughly two million visitors a year, about 6,000 a day in summer, which fuels two common misconceptions. First, it is not the crookedest street in San Francisco: Vermont Street between 20th and 22nd in Potrero Hill has seven tighter turns on concrete and is both steeper and far less visited. Second, driving down is still free - a 2019 proposal to charge USD 5 on weekdays and USD 10 at weekends was vetoed by Governor Newsom on social equity grounds, and work then shifted to a no-fee reservation design.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info