San Francisco, CA - Today, Mayor London N. Breed announced that California Street Cable Car 53 has been dedicated to the multi-Grammy and Emmy award winner singer Tony Bennett, who passed away last summer at the age of 96. The Mayor joined the musician's wife, Susan Benedetto, City leaders, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and Market Street Railway for a celebration at the historic Fairmont San Francisco Hotel, where Bennett performed “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” for the first time in 1961.
Spanning seven decades, Tony Bennett musical career included winning awards and achievements, including 20 Grammys and a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1969, “I Left my Heart in San Francisco” became the official song of San Francisco after reaching tremendous success, helping Bennett gain even more prominence across the City and country. Later in the 1980’s he helped promote the rebuilding of the Cable Car system and stood by the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, then San Francisco’s Mayor, when the system reopened in 1984.
Since Bennett’s initial performance, he had been called on to perform it on several occasions for major sporting and cultural events, including the 2012 Giants’ World Series victory parade, San Francisco 49ers games, and the Golden Gate Bridge’s 50th Anniversary in 1987.
“The story of San Francisco will forever be linked with the legendary Tony Bennett,” said Mayor Breed. “Today we not only honor his legacy, but also celebrate his contributions to San Francisco’s vibrancy and progress.”
“When ‘I left my heart in San Francisco’ became such a hit, it really made Tony a citizen of the world, known to an ever-growing audience of fans. It became not only San Francisco’s anthem, but Tony’s, too,” said Susan Benedetto, Tony Bennett’s wife. “He never tired of singing the song, and audiences never tired of hearing it. Thanks to the Fairmont’s statue, and now this special cable car, fans from all over the world will forever have a place to visit and feel close to Tony. Nothing would have thrilled my husband more. He lived for the music, and for his fans.”
Prior to today’s celebration, hosted by the Fairmont San Francisco in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, the SFMTA, and Market Street Railway - a non-profit that celebrates and preserves historic transit infrastructure in San Francisco - Mayor Breed rode Cable Car 53 from California and Market streets to the hotel in Nob Hill. She was accompanied by Ms. Benedetto, City leaders, business leaders, and philanthropists.
This California Street cable car features the traditional “ribbons” on its ends, but instead of listing the streets on the route, the ribbons say, “Halfway to the Stars, Since 1873,” referring to the famous lyrics of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” and the year cable cars were invented in the City.
“We’re honored to carry the legacy of Tony Bennett on the very cars he helped immortalize in ‘I Left my Heart in San Francisco,’” said SFMTA Director of Transportation Jeffrey Tumlin. “Dedicating cable car number 53 in his name is only fitting for our historic fleet that keeps eager riders climbing halfway to the stars.”
"With one phrase in one song, Tony Bennett made our cable cars world famous. He reminded us of how special our city is,” said Rick Laubscher, President and CEO of Street Market Railway. “Our nonprofit transit preservation group is proud to help organize this permanent tribute to him.”
The Fairmont San Francisco Hotel’s history is intertwined with the musical career and legacy of Tony Bennett. It was at its Venetian Room that the singer performed the now iconic song over 60 years ago. Additionally, the Hotel’s front lawn is home to the jazz singer’s statue, which was dedicated by the late Mayor Ed Lee in celebration of Bennett’s 90th birthday in 2016. During that event, Mayor Lee declared August 19, 2016 as Tony Bennett Day in San Francisco.
In 2018, the City renamed the 900 block of Mason Street in front of the Fairmont Tony Bennett Way.
In addition to the many recognitions for his music, which included National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Tony Bennett, received the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' Humanitarian Award, among others.
Tony Bennett was also an accomplished painter throughout his life and, as part of his philanthropic efforts in the City, he painted a heart in 2004 in benefit of the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation’s The Hearts in San Francisco project. The artwork sits permanently on display in the Fairmont Hotel’s lobby.
“The legendary crooner who left his heart in San Francisco has forever left his mark atop Nob Hill. Mr. Bennett has been one of the City’s greatest and most celebrated ambassadors, endearing him to generations of San Franciscans and fans around the world; The Fairmont San Francisco has had the honor of welcoming Mr. Bennett and his family to the hotel for decades,” said Markus Treppenhauer Fairmont San Francisco, General Manager. “The often-photographed sculpture of Mr. Bennett depicts him with outstretched arms, in full song, symbolically embracing the City. Our hotel also touts a special Tony Bennett suite that pays homage to his career and features several pieces of his artwork. He may have left his heart in San Francisco, but he won all our hearts.”
San Francisco's Cable Cars are the oldest cars still in operation within the United States and the last manually operated cars in the world. The iconic cars attract millions of tourists annually and are critical to San Francisco’s transportation system, tourism industry, and economic recovery. Just this last year in 2023, San Francisco celebrated the 150-year anniversary of the Cable Cars System.
Car 53, which enters regular service today, will feature an additional plaque paying tribute to composers George Cory and Douglass Cross, reading as follows: “In 1953, a Brooklyn couple who had moved from San Francisco were nostalgic for their former town. They wrote ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco”, a song that got little attention until another New Yorker, Tony Bennett, made it world famous in the next decade. The words and music of Cross and Cory and Bennett’s Grammy-winning performance took millions of listeners ‘halfway to the stars.”
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