The Pier in danger after decades of memories and pictures
The Pier, as it is called by St Petersburg residents, or the St Petersburg Pier, as it is known nationally and even internationally, is one of the major landmarks of the city and a seminal tourist attraction and has been visited by tens of millions of people during the course of its existence, but it may soon be demolished and replaced, which has courted the anger of many residents.
The Pier was built in 1973, extending more than 3000 feet out into the bay and glittering radiantly at night like a carnival. The Pier may only be several decades old, but St Petersburg has had a pier in the same place for the greater part of the last century.
In fact, the first pier to be built in the city was completed in 1889, The Pier is therefore part of the ground rock of St Petersburg as a city, as it has been with us since the very beginning when St Petersburg was incorporated as a city in 1892.
This history and the nostalgia it evokes has been employed by advocates for The Pier’s demolition and those fighting for its preservation. The first pier in the city, the Railroad Pier, was replaced in 1906 with the Electric Pier, a marvel of technology in its time. This pier was replaced in 1914 with the Municipal Pier, which was later replaced by the Million Dollar Pier in 1921 (opened in 1926) and demolished in 1967, to be replaced in 1973 by the current landmark.
City officials point to this record as testament to the fact that aging structures must be replaced with new ones and that, in any event, it makes more sense to move the pier closer to the shore, making it more accessible to residents of the city.
The Pier is tired. It looks tired to the naked eye while beneath the water and under the deck, far more serious deterioration has occurred, which will render the structure unsafe in years to come if action is not taken. Like a ship’s hull, a pier standing in open salt water, exposed to the corrosive power of the water, as well as the elements, needs constant attention and maintenance and eventually must be scrapped or have major renovations undertaken.
St Petersburg news media reported earlier in 2010 that the city had brought in an engineering firm to assess The Pier and give the city a quote. They estimated that it would cost US$80 million at the very least to save The Pier itself and the famous inverted pyramid at its head.
The cost was deemed too great and the City Council recently voted 7-1 in favour of demolishing and replacing The Pier. Tom Lambdon, who has been a strong supporter of The Pier’s preservation, has told St Petersburg news providers that it should be the public, not eight representatives of the public, who decide what to do about The Pier.
“I just believe, ultimately at the end of the day, no matter which way a vote would go, the people need, the taxpayers, the registered voters, need to make the final call,” he told 10 News, adding that he already had plans in place to collect the 16,000 signatures needed to put The Pier’s future on the ballot . Meetings that have been held thus far seem to signal a significant degree of support for keeping The Pier.
Business owners on The Pier have also expressed their support for its preservation. Richard Gonzmart, the owner of the Columbia Restaurant on The Pier, reportedly met with Mayor Bill Foster recently to advocate the structure’s restoration rather than demolition, after his own investigations found that The Pier might be saved at a cost of just US$20 million rather than the US$80 million initially thought.
If this were possible, it would leave tens of millions of dollars over to use on restoring the above-water parts of The Pier, such as the iconic five-storey inverted pyramid, which is home to several cafes and restaurants, gift shops and an aquarium.
Preservation plans for The Pier include the establishment of more affordable, family-oriented free-standing attractions to fully utilise the potential of The Pier.
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The Pier in danger after decades of memories and pictures
Advocates for The Pier want it to be renovated and restored in its current form, kept as the tourist attraction it is, while city officials feel it would be more economical and feasible to tear it down and replace it with a new structure. The advocates for The Pier want us to decide.
The Pier, as it is called by St Petersburg residents, or the St Petersburg Pier, as it is known nationally and even internationally, is one of the major landmarks of the city and a seminal tourist attraction and has been visited by tens of millions of people during the course of its existence, but it may soon be demolished and replaced, which has courted the anger of many residents. Read more
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