Pier 54, Seattle facts for kids
Pier 54 from Alaskan Way, 2009
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| Type | tourist pier; former shipping pier and warehouse |
|---|---|
| Locale | Seattle, Washington |
| Owner | 1900–1944: Northern Pacific Rwy., others later. |
| Total length | 300 ft (91.4 m) |
| Width | 150 ft (45.7 m) |
| Opening date | 1900 |
Pier 54 is a popular spot for tourists in Seattle, Washington. It used to be a very busy place where ships loaded and unloaded goods. This pier was first called Pier 3. It got its new name, Pier 54, during World War II. People also knew it as the Galbraith dock or Galbraith Bacon dock. Many smaller wooden steamships, part of what was called the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet, used this pier until the 1930s. Because of these many small ships, it was also known as the “Mosquito Fleet dock.”
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Where is Pier 54 Located?
Pier 54 is found at the end of Spring Street in Seattle. Right next to it, to the south, is where the Seattle Fire Department keeps its fireboats. The next pier to the north is called Pier 55.
How Pier 54 Was Built
The pier, when it was Pier 3, was about 300 feet (91 m) long and 150 feet (46 m) wide. It had a large warehouse for storing cargo, which was about 284 feet (87 m) long and 130 feet (40 m) wide. This warehouse could hold a huge amount of goods, up to 10,000 tons! There were also two railway tracks on the pier. These tracks helped move goods directly from the ships to trains. The water around the pier was deep, ranging from 25 ft (7.6 m) to 40 ft (12.2 m) deep.
A Look Back: Pier 54's History
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Starting in 1900, a company called Galbraith, Bacon & Co. rented Pier 3. The main people in this company were James Galbraith and Cecil Bacon. They sold things like grain, hay, plaster, and building materials. In 1910, a big fire in Belltown almost destroyed the pier. Luckily, the pier was saved, but the nearby Galbraith, Bacon warehouse was burned down.
By 1917, the Northern Pacific Railway owned Pier 3, just like they owned Pier 1 and Pier 2.
Pier 3 was a busy hub for many local shipping companies. These included the Island Transportation Co., Merchants Transportation Co., and Kitsap County Transportation Co.. The Kitsap County Transportation Company, run by James Galbraith's son Walter, even competed with another big shipping company, the Puget Sound Navigation Company.
This pier was home to many wooden steamships, such as the Kitsap, the Utopia, the Reliance, and the Hyak. Other ships that often stopped at Pier 3 included the Magnolia and the Mohawk.
Pier 3 was very close to Pike Place Market. Farmers and their families would often ride these steamships to the pier in the morning. They would bring fresh goods like eggs, milk, potatoes, and fruits to sell at the market. Then, they would take the ships back home in the evening. At first, waiting areas at the docks were not very comfortable. But Pier 3 was one of the first to offer a small waiting room for passengers.
From 1929 to the mid-1930s, Pier 3 was the main base for Gorst Air Transport. This company offered seaplane flights using special planes called Keystone-Loening. They also flew from Bremerton, which is across the Sound. The Northern Pacific Railway still owned the pier during this time. But by 1944, the Washington Fish and Oyster Company (now Ocean Beauty Seafoods) bought the pier. They became the main business there.
In 1938, a man named Ivar Haglund rented a small part of the pier shed. He opened a one-room aquarium there. It also had a small stand that sold fish and chips. This stand later became famous as Ivar's Acres of Clams. The aquarium closed around 1945. After that, the restaurant moved to a different corner of the pier and was redesigned in a cool, modern style called Streamline Moderne.
During World War II, Pier 3 was officially renamed Pier 54. In June 1966, Ivar Haglund bought Pier 54 for $500,000. The Washington Fish and Oyster Company then became his tenant, meaning they rented space from him. The Ivar's restaurant was changed and made bigger many times over the years. It looked pretty much like it does today before Ivar Haglund passed away in 1985.
Pier 54 Today
Since 1988, Pier 54 has been home to two well-known businesses. One is Ivar's Acres of Clams, the famous seafood restaurant. The other is Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. This shop first opened in 1899, making it one of the oldest businesses on the Seattle waterfront that is still open today!
