Pier 70, San Francisco

Pier 70 in San Francisco, California, is a historic pier in San Francisco's Potrero Point neighborhood, home to the Union Iron Works and later to Bethlehem Shipbuilding. It was one of the largest industrial sites in San Francisco during the two World Wars. Today, it is regarded as the best preserved 19th century industrial complex west of the Mississippi.Physical plantThe pier is 65acre in size.HistoryThe area around Pier 70 has been used for shipbuilding since the Gold Rush. Since becoming home to the Union Iron Works in 1883, Pier 70 has been occupied by a variety of industrial concerns, including the Pacific Rolling Mills, Risdon Iron & Locomotive, Kneass Boat Works, Union Iron Works, Bethlehem Shipbuilding, and BAE Systems.After Bethlehem acquired Union Iron Works in 1905, the pier also housed Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation's administrative offices in Building 101.Bethlehem Steel sold their holdings in the area to the Port of SF in 1980.Current state and developmentMost of the pier's buildings have been unoccupied since the decline of shipbuilding in the area. However, some of the pier's historic buildings are currently occupied by BAE Systems Ship Repair and by a number of artist studios. Two dry docks are operated by BAE Systems San Francisco Ship Repair, employing approximately 200 people.The Port of San Francisco currently plans to redevelop the pier for mixed commercial and residential use in partnership with Orton Development, Inc. and Forest City Development. The redevelopment was expected to include roughly a thousand housing units and two million square feet of office space. In 2013, plans included a "Crane Cove Park" that would feature the historic cranes in the northern part of the pier complex.