Hyde Street Pier

The Quickest Way Across the Bay

Hyde Street Pier is a historic ferry pier at the west end of Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. Constructed by the Golden Gate Ferries, Ltd., the pier began as a single-slip ferry landing for automobile ferry service to Sausalito.

The first ferry run departed Hyde Street Pier on May 28, 1922. As the demand for ferry service across the Bay increased, an additional ferry slip was added. In 1927, the pier was extended several hundred feet, and two more slips were constructed for ferries connecting to Berkeley. The first ferry on the Berkeley run departed on June 16, 1927. In 1928, the ferry company merged with Southern Pacific Railroad to form the Southern Pacific-Golden Gate Ferries, Ltd (SP-GG).

In 1933, the City directed the SP-GG Ferries to rip out the two original piers, which faced northwest towards Fort Mason, because of ferries’ potential impact on the planned Aquatic Park. These slips, which had served the Sausalito run, were removed in 1934 and replaced by a single new slip farther north along the pier.

The construction of bridges across the Bay eventually doomed ferry service from Hyde Street. The Bay Bridge to Oakland was completed in 1936, and the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937. Ferry ridership soon plummeted as a result. The last ferry departed Hyde Street Pier on July 25, 1938.

During World War II, the U.S. Army took control of the pier. They used the pier slips for tying up military vessels, including leased ferryboats and riverboats that transported troops to the army’s Port of Embarkation piers in Fort Mason. Following the war, the military returned the pier to the Harbor Commission.

The Historical Park Opens

During the 1950s, plans emerged for converting the pier into a site showcasing historic West Coast merchant vessels. Efforts spearheaded by the San Francisco Maritime Museum Association culminated in the creation of San Francisco Maritime State Historical Monument in September 1957. Initial funding for acquiring and restoring the ships was authorized by the State Legislature. Funds for rehabilitating Hyde Street Pier followed later.

The State received a 40-year lease from the San Francisco Port Authority for Hyde Street Pier on April 18, 1961. Extensive reconstruction of the pier took place in 1962 and 1963. The Maritime State Historical Park formally opened to the public on October 5, 1963.

Hyde Street Pier and its collection of historic ships remained a California State Park unit until September 16, 1977, when it was transferred to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. On June 27, 1988, Hyde Street Pier—along with theAquatic Park Historic District and Maritime Museum—became San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, an independent unit of the National Park Service. The park has used Hyde Street Pier to dock its collection of historic ships ever since. Today, the pier is a popular destination for visitors to San Francisco.

Hyde Street Pier is currently closed to the public for an ongoing restoration project. The ships will be moved to Mare Island during the pier reconstruction.