The Inverted Pyramid Pier served as St. Petersburg’s landmark
from 1973 until 2013.
CITY OF ST. PETERSBURG
JULY/AUGUST 2019 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 141
A 1,500-foot-long pier, reaching a
water depth of 7 feet, was built by
Dillon Brantley in 1896, where the
current pier construction is underway
at the east end of Second Avenue North.
In addition to a bathing pavilion, the
Brantley Pier provided a horse-drawn
flatcar to ferry guests between the shore
and vessels. In 1901, Edwin Tomlinson
built the Fountain of Youth Pier with its
supposedly curative waters south of the
Railroad Pier on Fourth Avenue South.
The Brantley Pier was demolished
in 1904 to be replaced by the Electric
Pier two years later, which was 16 feet
wide, 3,000 feet long and illuminated
with hundreds of light bulbs. It also
provided an electric trolley to transport
cargo and passengers. The Electric Pier
was demolished in 1912, one year before
the voters of St. Petersburg authorized a
$40,000 bond to build the first official city
pier, the Municipal Recreation Pier, in
order to help boost tourism and enhance
the city’s parks.
In 1921, a hurricane destroyed all of St.
Petersburg’s piers and damaged much
of its downtown waterfront. Even after
the Municipal Pier was repaired, it was
obvious that it needed to be replaced.
In 1925, voters endorsed a $1 million
bond for a new pier that became known
as the Million Dollar Pier because it
cost $998,729.18 to build. Its opening
on November 25, 1926, was attended
by thousands of people. The new pier,
which extended 1,452 feet into the bay,
had an exotic two-story Mediterranean
Revival structure called the Casino at the
end with a central atrium for vehicles,
an open air ballroom, theater, plus an
observation deck. Patrons arrived
by electric trolley, personal vehicles
and other public vehicles, or by foot
for exercise classes, dances and water
ski demonstrations, and to hear the
live broadcasts of the area’s first radio
station WSUN. By the 1960s, the Million
Dollar Pier had begun to deteriorate
and compete with other entertainment
options. It was demolished in 1967 to be
replaced by the Inverted Pyramid Pier.
The Inverted Pyramid Pier was
designed to minimize the blockage
of Tampa Bay’s views. This new
modernized pier opened with restaurants
and shops in 1973 at a cost of nearly twice
its projected $2 million. In 1986, it closed
for a two-year restoration. By 2004, the
city decided the deteriorating pier had
to be replaced and began planning its
financing. In 2009, an official pier task
force was formed. The Inverted Pyramid
Pier was closed on May 31, 2013, and
demolished between August and
November, 2015. The pier portion of the
demolition took until late 2016.
The construction you see today is for
the City of St. Petersburg’s latest in its
long line of piers. The new Pier District
will connect St. Petersburg’s waterfront
park areas in order to provide interactive
experiences along its 3,065-foot length.
The $87 million project that is currently under
construction is expected to
be completed in spring of
2020. The new pier layout
encompasses 26 acres and
will rise four stories above
its 1,350-foot-long pier
supported by 427 pilings
to house restaurants, shops
and spectacular works of
art, including a large-scale,
soft outdoor sculpture by
Tampa’s internationally
renowned Janet Echelman.
Groundbreaking for the new
facility’s Pier Park began in
June, 2017, and construction
for its centerpiece structure
began in November, 2018. 9
St. Petersburg’s 1926 Mediterranean-style Million Dollar Pier was a central entertainment draw
for residents and tourists.
GRAM