 Pier 54 from Alaskan Way, 2009 | |
| Type | tourist pier; former shipping pier and warehouse |
|---|---|
| Locale | Seattle, Washington |
| Owner | 1900–1944:Northern Pacific Rwy., others later. |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 300 ft (91.4 m) |
| Width | 150 ft (45.7 m) |
| History | |
| Opening date | 1900 |
| Coordinates | 47°36′15″N122°20′22″W / 47.60417°N 122.33944°W /47.60417; -122.33944 |
Pier 54 is a tourist pier inSeattle, Washington. Previously an active shipping pier and warehouse, Pier 54 was originally known asPier 3 until it was renumbered during World War II. This pier was also known asGalbraith dock and theGalbraith Bacon dock. Because of the large number ofsmaller local steamships, generally built of wood, that used the pier up until the 1930s, the pier was also known as the “Mosquito Fleet dock”.
Pier 54 is located at the foot of Spring Street.[1] The current dock for the fireboats of theSeattle Fire Department is located immediately to the south of Pier 54. Pier 55 is the next pier to the north.
Pier 3 measured 300 by 150 feet (91 by 46 m), and had a cargo warehouse measuring 284 by 130 feet (87 by 40 m) with a storage capacity of 10,000 tons. There were two spur railway tracks on the pier. Depth of water at the pier was 25 to 40 feet (7.6 to 12.2 m).[1]
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Starting in 1900, Pier 3 was leased by Galbraith, Bacon & Co. The principals of this firm were James Galbraith and Cecil Bacon. They were wholesale dealers in grain, hay, plaster, concrete, and building materials.[2][3] In 1910, the pier narrowly escaped destruction in the Belltown fire, although the nearby Galbraith, Bacon warehouse was destroyed.[2]
In 1917, likePier 1 andPier 2, Seattle, Pier 3 was owned by theNorthern Pacific Railway.
Pier 3 was the terminal forIsland Transportation Co.,Merchants Transportation Co.,Puget Sound Naval Station Route,Kitsap County Transportation Company,Pollard Steamship. Co., and other Puget Sound local shipping lines.[1] TheKitsap County Transportation Company, run by James Galbraith's son Walter Galbraith, competed against thePuget Sound Navigation Company running from theColman Dock. As such it was home pier for wooden steamships such as theKitsap, theUtopia, theReliance and theHyak.[4] Other Puget Sound steamers known to have called at Pier 3 includedMagnolia,Mohawk,Florence K,Dode, andMonticello 2.[3][5] Pier 3 was within walking distance ofPike Place Market where much of the local groceries brought in by the steamers were sold. Typically this would have been done by the farmers themselves or their wives, who would ride the steamers into Pier 3 in the morning and depart in the evening. Live hens, slaughtered poultry, eggs, milk in galvanized cans, sacks of potatoes, rhubarb in bundles and fruit in crates. Dockside travel facilities offered few comforts then, but Pier 3 was one of the first to offer a small waiting room.[3]
From 1929 to the mid-1930s Pier 3 was general headquarters for Gorst Air Transport, who operated aseaplane service from there, usingKeystone-Loening planes. They also operated out of Bremerton across the Sound. Through this period, the Northern Pacific still owned the pier, but by 1944 the Washington Fish and Oyster Company (now Ocean Beauty Seafoods) had purchased the pier and was its main tenant. Engineering firm Reese and Callender Associates helped them reinforce the pier and to adapt it to its new use.[4]
In 1938Ivar Haglund rented the northeast corner of the pier shed for a one-roomaquarium, which included a small fish and chips stand, later known asIvar's Acres of Clams.[2] The aquarium closed around 1945, at which time the restaurant moved to the southeastern corner and was redesigned inStreamline Moderne style.[4][6]
During World War Two, Pier 3 was renumbered as Pier 54.[2] In June 1966 Haglund bought Pier 54 for $500,000.[7] Washington Fish and Oyster Company then became Haglund's tenant. The restaurant was repeatedly redesigned and expanded over the years, achieving more or less its present configuration before Haglund's death in 1985.[4]
Since 1988, Pier 54 has been home not only to Ivar's Acres of Clams, but also toYe Olde Curiosity Shop. Founded in 1899, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop is one of the Seattle waterfront's oldest existing businesses.[8]
