Washington Street Boat Landing

As part of the City of Seattle’s Elliott Bay Seawall Project, the deteriorating pier beneath the 1920 Washington Street Boat Landing Pergola required full replacement. A rare surviving example of early 20th-century maritime infrastructure, the iron and steel shelter is supported by 16 decorated columns, with a small office located in the two northernmost bays. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the shelter had served several uses since its construction, including as a landing for ferries and ocean-going ships, headquarters for the Seattle Harbor Patrol, and the U.S. Navy’s official shore-leave landing and departure point. The Pergola is significant as the last remaining structure representing Seattle’s historic maritime activity, serving as a symbolic gateway to the city from the Puget Sound.

In 2012, at the start of the Seawall project, Ron was an integral force with various agency stakeholders, as well as the preservation community, to ensure the structure was returned to the waterfront to endure as a symbol of Seattle’s historic connection with maritime activities. Preservation efforts then began in 2013, when the structure was meticulously dismantled, braced, and moved approximately two miles to a temporary location, where it was sheltered in a custom enclosure for three years while seawall construction progressed. The wood roof was removed and discarded due to complete deterioration. The exterior office walls were also removed in five sections, stabilized, and stored.

In 2017, the Pergola returned to its home piece by piece. Guided by original drawings and archival photographs, Ron directed the restoration and partnered with specialty metal fabricators to stabilize the corroded column bases. The repair strategy honored the original steel bridge construction methodology, focusing on enhancing the exposed composite elements to celebrate the authenticity of the structure, while improving the long-term durability of the structure.

The completed project, with the new retail tenant, has become a main anchor element of the recently completed Seattle Waterfront Project, which holds international significance as a model for visionary urban development, climate resistance, and equitable economic development, setting a global benchmark for cities worldwide to follow. What had become a neglected urban area is now a vibrant destination for visitors from around the world, with the historic Boat Landing Pergola providing the symbolic connection between the nearby urban community and the city’s maritime past.

Because the wood pier support structure for the Pergola had to be replaced as part of the Seawall Replacement Project, the 80,000 lb. structure was lifted intact from the pier and transferred to a temporary location located two miles south. Ron was responsible for the coordination of the transfer of the structure, the care of the structure during the three-year interim storage period, and the full restoration of the structure back in its original location.