Piers 70 and 84

Piers 70 and 84
Name	Piers 70 and 84
Location	San Francisco Waterfront, California
Built	1918 (Pier 70), 1924 (Pier 84)
Governing body	Port of San Francisco

Piers 70 and 84 are two historic waterfront structures on the northeastern waterfront of San Francisco that have played roles in shipbuilding, maritime commerce, and urban redevelopment. Located along the Embarcadero near the The Embarcadero (San Francisco), the sites have intersected with regional infrastructure projects, industrial policy, and preservation movements. Their fates link to institutions and events that shaped 20th- and 21st-century San Francisco maritime history.

History

Pier 70 and Pier 84 occupy sites tied to early 20th-century expansion of the Port of San Francisco, a period contemporaneous with the aftermath of the World War I maritime boom and the interwar reconstruction that followed the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Pier 70 was established amid shipyard consolidation that involved firms such as Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation and later engagements with United States Navy contracts during World War II. Pier 84 was completed during the 1920s expansion of the Embarcadero as trade with ports like Oakland, California and San Francisco Bay partners intensified. Throughout the 20th century both sites were affected by shifts in containerization championed by companies such as Matson, Inc. and by municipal initiatives from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Post-industrial decline paralleled waterfront redevelopment trends exemplified by projects in South Beach, San Francisco and the Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco revitalization.

Architecture and Design

The industrial vernacular of Pier 70 reflects heavy-timber construction and steel-framed industrial buildings similar to shipyard complexes influenced by engineering firms that worked with United States Maritime Commission standards. Surviving structures display features comparable to those at Brooklyn Navy Yard and historic shipyards in Richmond, California, with structural systems that reference techniques from the Industrial Revolution-era shipbuilding tradition. Pier 84’s design embodies 1920s pier engineering with reinforced concrete decking and modular slip facilities used by commercial lines like Pacific Mail Steamship Company. Architectural treatments at both locations have attracted preservationists associated with entities such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and advocacy from the San Francisco Heritage organization.

Operations and Uses

Operational histories of the piers span ship construction, repair, cargo handling, and public maritime programming. Pier 70 served as a major repair yard for naval and commercial vessels, undertaking work paralleling operations at facilities like Todd Shipyards and servicing fleets of firms including Matson Navigation Company and wartime convoys coordinated with Maritime Commission logistics. Pier 84 accommodated passenger and freight functions similar to facilities used by North Pacific Steamship Company and hosted seasonal maritime exhibits akin to displays at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. In recent decades adaptive reuse brought offices, artisan workshops, and cultural tenants comparable to conversions seen at Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square.

Environmental and Structural Issues

Both piers have faced environmental challenges linked to legacy industrial contamination and seismic vulnerability characteristic of waterfront infrastructure in fault-adjacent zones such as the San Andreas Fault and the Hayward Fault. Soil and groundwater investigations have referenced regulatory frameworks from agencies like the California Environmental Protection Agency and standards used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Structural deterioration—rot, corrosion, and pile failure—mirrors issues cataloged for waterfront sites in Port of Oakland and remediation approaches have involved techniques promoted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for seismic retrofitting. Remediation initiatives have included removal of petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals consistent with cleanup programs overseen by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.

Redevelopment and Preservation Efforts

Redevelopment proposals for the sites have engaged public agencies, private developers, and preservation groups. Planning processes involved the San Francisco Planning Department, hearings before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and conservation input from the National Register of Historic Places framework. Proposals have drawn comparisons to redevelopment at Pier 70 (San Francisco) revitalization efforts and to adaptive reuse precedents like transformations at Mission Bay, San Francisco and the Embarcadero Center. Stakeholders included corporate actors, labor unions such as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and nonprofit cultural institutions negotiating historic designation, tax credits modeled after the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program, and public access obligations tied to the California Coastal Act.

Cultural and Public Significance

The piers function as touchstones in narratives about San Francisco identity, maritime labor heritage, and urban waterfront amenity creation. Their association with shipbuilding connects them to labor histories involving organizations like the International Longshoremen's Association and to cultural productions that feature San Francisco waterfront scenes, including films set in the city and exhibitions curated by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Exploratorium. Public events, walking tours organized by groups such as San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park and commemorative programming by the California Historical Society have contributed to civic memory, while debates over redevelopment have engaged civic actors including the Mayor of San Francisco and neighborhood groups in Dogpatch, San Francisco and Potrero Hill.

Category:Piers in San Francisco Category:Historic districts in San Francisco