Burnside Tiled Steps

Written By Larkin Ryder

Overview

The second phase of the Burnside project was to transform a 69-step neglected stairway to further brighten the area, attract locals and visitors. Celebrated tiled stairway duo Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher envisioned and crafted a design that harmonizes with the adjacent mural. Following their completion in 2024, the San Francisco Chronicle in 2025 named the stairway one of San Francisco’s top 25 destinations.

Artwork

It was an easy decision who to ask to do the project: the brilliant duo of Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher. Their tile/mosaic designs on San Francisco’s stairways, including the 16th Avenue and Moraga Stairs and the stairs at Hidden Garden (Kirkham and 16th Avenue), have garnered worldwide recognition.  

The design follows the blue waters of Islais Creek, turning it into a stream that runs down the form of the stairway. Along the sides of each step is the “embankment” where the tile artists created wildflowers and butterflies, and in the stream are fish and reflections of birds. The blues are darker at the bottom, representing deeper water, and turn into lighter blues as you walk up.

An orange and yellow sun, echoing the colors of the California poppies in the mural below, shines on the flight directly above the sky in the mural. 

Throughout there are handcrafted “legacy” tiles where people from the neighborhood and beyond share words of homage to loved ones.  The stairway’s stream also includes more than 300 tiles made as part of a community tile making event.

Timeline

 
Larkin Ryder
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Elk Street Mural
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Burnside Mural