About Mount Davidson Cross

Set atop the highest geographical point in San Francisco, the Mt. Davidson Cross is one of the world’s tallest crosses and among the city’s most cherished landmarks.

Today, the Council of Armenian-American Organizations of Northern California owns and maintains the cross as a memorial to the 1.5 million Armenian victims of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey between 1915 and 1923.

The cross honors not only those who perished in the Armenian Genocide, but all victims of injustice, cruelty, and genocide. It also serves as a reminder to remain vigilant against future atrocities.

For on the eve of the Holocaust, as he prepared to invade Poland, Adolph Hitler boldly declared, “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”

A Brief History

The cross was erected by resolve and the perseverance of the local Christian communities that invested decades in trying to construct a lasting icon of their faith. The following is a chronological history of the cross evolution from a simple, temporary wooden structure to the sturdy, enduring symbol it is today. In 1923, George Decatur, official of the Western Union Telegraph Co., Director of the YMCA, and resident of the Sunset District in San Francisco, organized the first sunrise service, drawing over 5,000 attendees.

Unfortunately in 1931 arsonists burned down the third cross. But in 1933, during the depression, Margaret May Morgan, the first woman to sit on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and others on the Easter Sunrise Committee, solicited $1+ contributions to build a concrete Cross. On March 25, 1934, one week before Easter, Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a golden telegraph key in Washington, D.C. to light up the cross in front of an audience of 50,000.

In 1991, several organizations, including the Americans United for Separation of Church and State, sued the City of San Francisco for owning a cross on city (public) land, and several court battles ensued. Eventually the courts forced the City to either tear down the Cross or sell it to a private entity.

On July 12, 1997, the Council of Armenian-American Organizations of Northern California (CAAONC), a coalition of over 30 Armenian-American Organizations outbid other groups, and purchased the Cross from the City of San Francisco. The sale was unanimously approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and placed on the ballot as Proposition F. On November 4, 1997, the voters of San Francisco overwhelmingly voted to approve the sale. The CAAONC thus became the legal owner of the Mt. Davidson Cross and assumed the responsibility for maintaining it.

By prior agreement with the plaintiffs, the Cross could be lit twice per year. It was decided that the Cross would be lit on Easter Day and on Armenian Martyrs' Day, April 24th.

For more information about the history of the Mount Davidson Cross, please log on to:

www.mtdavidson.org

www.mtdavidson.org/mount_davidson_cross

Maintaining the Cross

The CAAONC has put major effort into restoring and renewing the 103 foot cross, and continually monitors and maintains the cross. On the first Saturday of each month, a dedicated group of volunteers organize a clean-up of the Mt Davidson Park immediately surrounding the Mt Davidson Cross property. The Habitat Restoration Work parties are a joint activity between the Natural Areas Program and the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Sierra Club. For more info about the work parties: www.sfnap.org

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