The World’s Most Crooked Street Zigzags with Eight Hairpin Turns Down This San Francisco Hill

Lombard Street, San Francisco

What started as a smart fix for a crazy steep hill in 1922 turned into San Francisco’s most famous street. Lombard Street’s eight curves, brick road, and pretty gardens make it more than just a way to get around town.

Here’s the story behind this iconic thoroughfare.

Philly Gave San Fran Its Famous Street Name

The name “Lombard Street” didn’t come from a local San Fran hero or landmark. City planner Jasper O’Farrell named it after a street in Philadelphia way back when he was mapping out the roads.

Local Homeowners Fixed Their Own Hill Problem

Those world-famous turns weren’t built to draw in crowds.

They were a fix for a real problem in the 1920s when the folks who lived there got tired of not being able to reach their homes by car.

The hill was so steep that early cars just couldn’t make the climb. Cars of that time had weak engines that would stall halfway up, and their brakes weren’t strong enough to stop on the way down.

Even horse-drawn carts had trouble, which made it nearly hard for people to get their goods home.

Cars Couldn’t Handle The Hill Grade

The hill was so steep (27% grade) that for every 100 feet you went forward, you’d climb up 27 feet. That’s like trying to drive up the side of a barn.

Old cars needed four times more brake power than they had to stop on such a slope. Their engines would get too hot trying to climb, and the risk of rolling backward was huge.

Even bikes and early bikes with motors couldn’t make it up. The curves cut that steepness almost in half, so cars could finally use the road.

Traffic Jams Led To Downhill-Only Rules

The curvy street wasn’t always one-way. When first built with all those turns, cars could go both up and down, which led to big traffic jams when cars met face-to-face on the tiny road.

Drivers would get stuck with nowhere to turn around. In 1939, the city made it one-way going downhill only since going up was much harder on cars anyway.

The Plant Solution

Before the plants were put in, each rain would wash tons of dirt onto the street below. The first plans just called for grass, but that wouldn’t have been enough.

The hill is so steep that normal lawn mowing would be risky. The plants need to do well in both fog and sun, which is why they were picked for this spot.

Blue And Pink Flowers Stop Dirt Slides

The street didn’t become truly pretty until parks boss Peter Bercut added all those bright flowers. He chose blue and pink hydrangeas because they help keep the hill from washing away in the rain.

The first plants were just plain shrubs with no color. Now the hydrangeas bloom ten months of the year thanks to San Fran’s mild weather.

Peter tested five types of plants before picking the best ones for year-round color. There are twelve small gardens spread along the curves of the street.

Walking Stairs Beat Zigzag Driving Paths

When city worker Clyde Healy took over after Carl Henry died, he made sure to add steps on both sides so people could walk up and down without having to follow the zigzag car path.

Red Bricks Signal Drivers To Slow Down

When they built the curvy part, they set up a 5 mph speed limit and used red bricks for the road. The sign at the top still warns drivers to keep it slow.

You can see tire marks on the walls where people have gone too fast and lost control. Many cars have left bumpers behind after hitting those tight turns.

Vermont Street Beats Lombard In Twistiness

Despite its fame, Lombard doesn’t hold the title for the most twisted street in San Fran.

That honor goes to Vermont Street in Potrero Hill, which has seven turns that are much tighter than Lombard’s eight.

Gold Rush Family Built First Lombard Home

The first house on Lombard was built way back in 1850 for the Calvin Nutting family, long before anyone thought of adding curves.

The Maisch family rebuilt it after the big 1906 quake, adding a nice yard in the back.

The Nuttings were gold rush folks who did well for themselves. Their first home was just a small wood shack, but it was one of the few that had its own well.

By 1870, four homes stood on the block. The Maisch home had the first flush toilet in the area, and their yard grew the first roses on the hill.