San Pedro Municipal Ferry Building
Encyclopedia
San Pedro Municipal Ferry Building is a former ferry terminal building located in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
which houses the Los Angeles Maritime Museum
. It was built in 1941 as a Works Project Administration project. Designed by B. Irvine in the Streamline Moderne
style, the building was a working ferry terminal from 1941 to 1963. During those years, ferries transported thousands of passengers and vehicles to and from the canneries and military bases on Terminal Island
. In 1963, the Vincent Thomas Bridge
was completed connecting the mainland to Terminal Island, and there was no longer a need for ferry service. Accordingly, the ferry service was terminated. The terminal building on the Terminal Island side was demolished, but the building on the San Pedro side was used for many years as an office building by the Los Angeles Harbor Department. As the ferry building began to deteriorate, citizens of San Pedro sought to have it restored. They succeeded in having the building designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument (no. 146) in 1975, and starting in 1976 the building was renovated and converted into the Los Angeles Maritime Museum
. The museum opened in 1979. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
in 1996.
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
which houses the Los Angeles Maritime Museum
Los Angeles Maritime Museum
The Los Angeles Maritime Museum is a non-profit museum.-The Museum:The Los Angeles Maritime Museum is located on the main channel in Los Angeles Harbor, San Pedro, California, in the former Municipal Ferry Terminal building. The ferry ceased after the Vincent Thomas Bridge was opened to traffic in...
. It was built in 1941 as a Works Project Administration project. Designed by B. Irvine in the Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
style, the building was a working ferry terminal from 1941 to 1963. During those years, ferries transported thousands of passengers and vehicles to and from the canneries and military bases on Terminal Island
Terminal Island
Terminal Island is an island located in Los Angeles County, California between Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor. Originally a mudflat known to the Spanish as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, and later called Rattlesnake Island, it has officially been Terminal Island since 1918...
. In 1963, the Vincent Thomas Bridge
Vincent Thomas Bridge
The Vincent Thomas Bridge is a long suspension bridge, opened in 1963, crossing the Los Angeles Harbor in the U.S. state of California, linking San Pedro, Los Angeles, with Terminal Island. The bridge is signed as part of State Route 47. It is named for California Assemblyman Vincent Thomas of San...
was completed connecting the mainland to Terminal Island, and there was no longer a need for ferry service. Accordingly, the ferry service was terminated. The terminal building on the Terminal Island side was demolished, but the building on the San Pedro side was used for many years as an office building by the Los Angeles Harbor Department. As the ferry building began to deteriorate, citizens of San Pedro sought to have it restored. They succeeded in having the building designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument (no. 146) in 1975, and starting in 1976 the building was renovated and converted into the Los Angeles Maritime Museum
Los Angeles Maritime Museum
The Los Angeles Maritime Museum is a non-profit museum.-The Museum:The Los Angeles Maritime Museum is located on the main channel in Los Angeles Harbor, San Pedro, California, in the former Municipal Ferry Terminal building. The ferry ceased after the Vincent Thomas Bridge was opened to traffic in...
. The museum opened in 1979. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1996.
See also
- Los Angeles Maritime MuseumLos Angeles Maritime MuseumThe Los Angeles Maritime Museum is a non-profit museum.-The Museum:The Los Angeles Maritime Museum is located on the main channel in Los Angeles Harbor, San Pedro, California, in the former Municipal Ferry Terminal building. The ferry ceased after the Vincent Thomas Bridge was opened to traffic in...
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles
- List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in the Harbor area