Walk A Crooked Mile - Pier 36
[Dear readers: For the foreseeable future CitySleuth is compelled to use Google Street images for most of his ‘Now’ photos. Here’s looking forward to the end of the scourge. And Kudos to Google!].
From their stakeout on the corner of Clay and Mason the G-Men observe the suspect carefully crating his painting then handing it over to an Express Company truck.
Then … They follow the truck through town; in this shot it’s passing a well-known Nob Hill hotel.
… and Now, it’s the Mark Hopkins on the corner of California and Mason (map).
Then … the camera pans down California, tracking the truck as it goes by an oncoming cable car.
… and Now, in today’s view a distant Bay Bridge tower is barely visible between the proliferation of Financial District high-rises. But in the foreground the Fairmont hotel was then, and still is, on the left. On the right is the Stanford Court hotel which opened in 1972 in the former Stanford Court Apartments, built in 1912 on the site of railroad baron Leland Stanford’s estate after it was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. Note the resident’s balconies in the movie view, since removed.
Then … the truck heads to the Embarcadero and turns into its destination. The elevated freeway leading to the Bay Bridge spans the background.
… and Now, here’s the same span today. The view looks north towards the bridge.
Then … The truck’s Embarcadero destination is Pier 36 in South Beach. The ocean liner berthed at the time was Matson Lines’ S.S. Matsonia. Shortly after being built in 1926 as the S.S. Malolo, it collided with another ship, suffering damage comparable to that of the ill-fated R.M.S Titanic . But it survived, despite taking on massive water, thanks to an improved multi-hull influenced by the Titanic’s failed design. Renamed the Matsonia, it was used as a troop ship during WWII but had reverted back to its West Coast-to-Hawaii luxury cruises by the time this was filmed.
… Pier 36 in 2011 … the pier is pictured here shortly before it was pulled down to clear the area for a new public park space, the Brannan Street Wharf (map). This utilitarian pier lacked the grand bulkhead seen on many of the other piers along the Embarcadero. The sunlit fence corresponds to that seen above.
… and Now, today’s matching view looks across the south edge of the long, narrow park (rather a grand name for what is just really a stretch of grassy and seating areas). Pier 36 may be gone but Pier 38 on the right, also visible above, is still there.
O’Hara and Grayson take note of the package’s destination - London, England - but let it go through to so as not to alert the spy ring to the tightening noose.
