St. Petersburg’s Million Dollar Pier

Public waterfront access has been a symbol of St. Petersburg for well over 100 years. Peter Demens built the first pier for his Orange Belt Railroad in 1889. However, city leaders, seeing that it would be difficult to compete with Tampa’s growing port, as well as noting the negative impact it would have visually, decided to open the coastline to parks and other amenities rather than more industrial purposes. Several commercial and recreational piers, like the Electric Pier from 1906, extended into Tampa Bay in the early 1900s. The city stepped up its game in 1926 with the opening of the Million Dollar Pier, pictured here.

In 1973, the so-called Inverted Pyramid Pier replaced the million-dollar pier and remained open for the next forty years. Today’s pier is on the same site and provides the same stunning views, but with all new amenities and incredible public art installations, befitting a city that has moved past its sleepy past and is headed toward a vibrant future.