Lombard Street (San Francisco)

Brief Information

The most famous stretch of Lombard Street did not appear as a pretty whim, but as an engineering concession to the hill. On Russian Hill, the natural grade reached 27 percent, too steep for most cars. So in 1922, a short serpentine road was built here: the curved line of the roadway lengthened the descent and made it gentler.

Because of its eight sharp turns, this section is called “the crookedest street in the world.” What matters is the contrast: Lombard Street as a whole runs from the Presidio to the Embarcadero, while its fame rests on a small fragment where the shape of the road directly reveals the problem the city had to solve.

What to Notice Right Away

It is worth comparing two lengths of the crooked section: 180 meters along the road and 125.7 meters in a straight line. The difference explains why the curves were needed: the route became longer, and the descent more manageable. The red brick should also be seen not as a background, but as the visible surface of the serpentine itself, emphasizing its shape.

Another key to reading the place is its traffic restrictions. The section is designed as a one-way descent, and the sign at the top recommends a speed of no more than 5 miles per hour, or 8 km/h. Near the top of the slope, on the Hyde Street block, the city’s cable car stops. Thus, three ways of coping with steep terrain appear side by side: a winding automobile road, slow speed, and cable transport.