Why you should experience Pier 70 in San Francisco, California.
Pier 70 is a remarkable historic waterfront district where Dogpatch's industrial heritage, maritime innovation, architectural preservation, and enduring spirit of reinvention have transformed one of America's greatest shipbuilding complexes into a dynamic cultural destination.
Set along 20th Street near Illinois Street and just steps from Crane Cove Park, this expansive waterfront campus preserves grand machine shops, towering steel structures, historic dry docks, brick industrial buildings, and active public spaces that immerse visitors in more than a century of maritime engineering and manufacturing excellence. Restored workshops, adaptive reuse projects, waterfront promenades, and remarkable industrial architecture create an environment where San Francisco's shipbuilding legacy continues shaping one of the city's most ambitious redevelopment districts. Every building and open space reflects the extraordinary craftsmanship and engineering that once powered the Pacific Coast's maritime economy. The result is a destination defined by industrial history, architectural preservation, and visionary urban renewal.
What you should know about Pier 70.
Pier 70 is best known for preserving the Union Iron Works, founded in 1884 by Irving M. Scott, where shipbuilders constructed the USS Oregon in 1893, the United States Navy battleship whose renowned 14,000 mile voyage around Cape Horn during the Spanish American War demonstrated America's urgent need for an isthmian canal, helping build national support for what became the Panama Canal, while establishing Pier 70 as one of the nation's most historically significant industrial shipyards and leaving behind one of the largest collections of nineteenth century industrial architecture in the United States.
The shipyard evolved into one of the Pacific Coast's foremost centers of heavy industry, producing battleships, submarines, merchant vessels, and naval equipment that supported both national defense and commercial shipping for generations. Its surviving machine shops, foundries, and fabrication buildings represent an exceptionally rare concentration of historic industrial architecture, preserving the physical legacy of the workers, engineers, and craftsmen who helped define American maritime manufacturing. Today, Pier 70 continues expressing that extraordinary history through a carefully planned revitalization that celebrates its industrial past while creating new opportunities for public access, cultural programming, and waterfront life.
How to fold Pier 70 into your trip.
Pier 70 is best experienced as part of an exploration through Dogpatch's celebrated waterfront, industrial heritage, and public spaces.
Begin at Crane Cove Park, where restored shoreline landscapes and historic maritime artifacts introduce the neighborhood's remarkable shipbuilding legacy before exploring Pier 70. Continue to the Museum of Craft and Design, whose contemporary exhibitions reinforce the district's enduring tradition of innovation and craftsmanship. Conclude at Chase Center, where world class entertainment and striking modern architecture provide a memorable finale shaped by industry, culture, and waterfront transformation. The progression moves naturally from restored waterfront park to historic shipyard to acclaimed design museum and landmark arena, revealing why Pier 70 remains one of San Francisco's most extraordinary industrial heritage destinations.
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