696 Amador Street
off 3rd Street / Pier 90/92
Bayview/Hunters Point
These abandoned silos on Pier 90/92 formerly stored grain that was brought in by rail and then loaded from the silos onto ships for export. These operations were discontinued following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
Pier 90/92 was created in 1918 by the State Harbor Commission. In the 1920’s the grain terminal also had a mill to serve local needs. The terminal could hold 500,000 bushels, the principal grain that flowed through them was barley. In the 1970’s the terminal was used to export grains to Russia during their severe drought.
They are slated to become an art installation soon.
The Pier 92 Grain silo project is being funded through the Port’s Southern Waterfront Beautification funds, a policy established by the Port Commission.
The Port of San Francisco retained the Arts Commission to assist in the commissioning of a public artwork to be located at Pier 92, along San Francisco’s southern waterfront. Four artists/ artist teams were selected as finalists to propose a public artwork for this site that serves as an entrance to the Bayview community: Ball-Nogues Studio; Electroland; Haddad/Drugan; and Rigo 23.
The committee chose Haddad/Drugan and their “Bayview Rise” Project. It will be a long-term temporary installation, expected to be in a place for a minimum of 5 years. The artwork will be reversible in that it may be painted over or removed.
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I am not young enough, nor have the physical dexterity to climb over barbed wire fences, however, Joseph Schell does – check out his photographs of the interior of the grain silo structure.
This portion of San Francisco is covered with historic and abandoned buildings. While the city and the Port of San Francisco is dedicated to keeping the buildings intact and pushing the concept of reuse rather than destruction, only time will tell.
Oslos has already put their grain silos to re-use by putting in dormitories, check it out here.
We have silos down at the lakeshore that they have talked about making into a hotel, an art gallery, or a museum and yet they still sit there empty!
Re-use or re-purposing are great ideas. I wonder if SF could take their food waste there are anaerobically turn it into carbon neutral energy instead of sending it all the way to Vacaville to be composted where it generates significant methane (read serious GH gas) emissions. I don’t think silos are more easily converted to hotels!
Everything is possible, just look at this student housing complex in a former grain silo in Oslo:
http://inhabitat.com/oslos-grunerlokka-studenthus-is-a-student-housing-complex-located-in-a-former-grain-elevator/
[…] A while back I wrote about these grain silos, I also mentioned at the time they eventually would become an art project. You can read all about the silos here. […]
[…] can read all about the history of the Pier 50/52 silos right here. The silos are located right next to the Islais Creek Channel, which I wrote about […]
Every time I return to S F — I always drive around this area– which is changing pretty fast— but when I’m ‘here’ it’s one of places that I can recognize — and feel at home— In 1978 I ran a small place that I rented called the “Main Mast” and the shipyard was still in operation on 20th and Illnois Sts off 3rd St—