page_title: St. Petersburg Pier
section_title: The Million Dollar Pier
hierarchical_section_title: St. Petersburg Pier / History / The Million Dollar Pier
caption_attribution_description: English: Persistent URL: www.floridamemory.com/items/show/245316 Local call number: JJS0368 Title: Spa Beach in St. Petersburg, Florida Date: May 23, 1954 Physical descrip: 1 transparency - col. - 4 x 5 in.
context_page_description: The St. Petersburg Pier, officially known as the St. Pete Pier, is a landmark pleasure pier extending into Tampa Bay from downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. Over the years several different structures have been built at the same location. The most recent structure, the third owned by the city, was a five-story inverted pyramid-shaped building, designed by St. Petersburg architect William B. Harvard, Sr.. That Inverted Pyramid Pier was closed in 2013, and the new 26-acre Pier District opened on July 6, 2020. The $92 million dollar project includes five restaurants, a playground, an environmental education center, and numerous artworks including work by Xenobia Bailey, Nathan Mabry, Nick Ervinck, and a large sculpture entitled Bending Arc by Janet Echelman. Its opening was scheduled for May 30, 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida.
context_section_description: After a year of construction, the Million Dollar Pier was opened on November 25, 1926 with 10,000 individuals in attendance. The pier extended 1,452 feet into the bay with the bridge measuring 100 feet in width. At the head of the pier stood a building named the Casino, a Mediterranean Revival architecture structure. The Casino had hosted a central atrium for vehicles, an open air ballroom and theater, and an observation deck. Along its base and approach the pier also accommodated a beach, a solarium, and a streetcar line. In July 1927, the radio station WSUN began operation on the second floor of the Casino in the Shrine Club.
  In 1952, the Railroad Pier was demolished ending the early era of public constructed piers.
  In the mid 1960s, the pier began to become neglected sparking different groups to suggest replacements for the pier, though all were shot down by the city council. Due considerable repairs and renovations that would be needed to upkeep the pier, the demolition of the Million Dollar Pier Casino structure started in July 1967 and was completed in the same year by the Cuyahoga Wrecking Company.
caption: The Million Dollar Pier picture from Spa Beach in 1954
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