Top Three Design Concepts

The Pier Selection Committee met on Thursday, April 23 for the purpose of ranking three pier design concepts. This ranking was based on several state mandated criteria, including: the design itself, public input, relevant experience, background and qualifications of the design teams and the technical review of the concepts.

Please note: once a concept is selected, the city will work with the design team on a final design. The renderings and abstracts that are depicted here are subject to change as the design evolves toward completion

Shown in ranking order


The Pier Park ASD/Rogers Partners Architects + Urban Designers/ KSLA

A Pier For Everyone

Whether you have 50 cents or 50 dollars the Pier will allow everyone to have a great experience all along the pier. At the beginning middle and end of the pier, you are only a short walk away from a new experience.

The Pier Park Principles:

  • Flexible, adaptable programming
  • A collection of destinations, not a single destination on pier
  • Pier as icon, not icon on pier
  • Multiple experiences, varied constituents
  • Honors the waterfront master plan

The Pier Doesn’t Take You To A Place. The Pier Is The Place.

Along every part of the Pier you can touch the water, relax in shade, experience breathtaking views. The pier is an opportunity to experience everything that the City has to offer.

Things to do at The Pier Park:

Elements of Pier Park

Observation Areas Multi-level observation platforms
Dining Options 7,600 SF Overlook Bar & Grill
Cycling / Jogging / Walking Yes
Transportation Tram
Fishing 17,000 SF of floating docks for fishing w/ bait shop
Transient Boat Dockage Yes. Various locations
Environmental Education Shell Space for dry environmental classroom and adjacent wet classroom amphitheater
Event Space Extensive multiple event spaces including sloping lawn for possible 4,000 person capacity
Bike / Watercraft Rental Yes
Retail / Recreation Yes
Budget Adjustments Reduced size of overwater construction by 27,000 SF
Subsidy Estimate (1 being lowest subsidy) 2
Subsidy Compared To Prior 10-Year Average Equivalent
Permitting Challenges Possible - limited to area over water
Design Approach Keep inverted pyramid core, create new park-like experiences
MBE/SBE None
Budget: Area of Cost/Constructability Concerns Maintain bridge scope and cost/SF. Determine viable area of project in order to stay within cost/SF budgeted. Maintain budget while further refining design to provide scope required and currently undefined.

The St. Petersburg Pier has been an essential icon in the city since the late 1800s. Throughout its history, it has existed in many forms – the original and highly successful Railroad Pier of 1889, the Electric Pier, the Municipal Pier, the Million-Dollar Pier, and finally the most recent iteration, known simply as “The Pier.” Each pier had its own set of programs and uses, some more ambitious than others. The ones that succeeded appealed to both visitors and residents, and were active day and night, throughout the year. To accomplish the vision for a new and revitalized pier, we must create a place that embraces the dual role of The Pier as both an icon for the city and an integral part of the vitality of downtown St. Petersburg – a place for tourists and everyday visitors alike, one that honors the piers robust, eclectic history while transforming the Pier into a 21st century public place.

The ASD/Rogers Partners/Ken Smith design does more than replace the aging icon. It extends the urban and recreational features of St. Petersburg into the bay itself through a multitude of flexible programs and experiences for both tourists and the local community – from children to seniors, nature lovers to boaters, fishermen to fine diners. It is a hub for activity, not only at the pier head, but all along its length, creating a true bay-side city experience. Our design reconnects The Pier to the daily life of the city, tying into the city’s transportation and recreation systems (bike paths, jogging trails, parking location, and public transit systems) as well as the overlay of new transport options like the Looper Trolley and a potential high-speed ferry. The Pier Park is a flexible armature of rich local and destination based programming that can adapt over time as recreation and quality of life grow and change with generations. Rather than a singular and heavily programmed destination at the pier head, our proposal is a platform for a multitude of smaller and more flexible programs and experiences for both tourists and the local community – from children to seniors, nature lovers to boaters, fishermen to fine diners. It is a hub for activity, not only at the pier head, but all along its 1,380-foot length. The Pier does not take you to a place – The Pier is the place. It is THE PIER PARK.

The nation’s great successful urban parks accommodate changes over time. The Pier Park can be successful for generations, because it can be rich in use now, in twenty years, in fifty, and in seventy five.

  • The Pier Park Principles
  • Flexible, adaptable armature for program
  • Pier is a collection of destinations, not a single destination on pier
  • Pier as icon, not icon on pier
  • Multiple experiences, varied constituents
  • Honor the master plan

Destination St. Pete Pier St. Pete Design Group

  • Destination St. Pete Pier Concept
  • Destination St. Pete Pier Concept
  • Destination St. Pete Pier Concept
  • Destination St. Pete Pier Concept
Ranked 2 by the Pier Selection Committee

The St. Pete Design Group's concept provides the perfect marriage of historic icon and modernized, functional pier; a pure, crystalline pyramid is surrounded by fun, contemporary elements and activities within multi-leveled layers of shade. Varied attractions that will keep residents and tourists coming back include a larger Spa Beach, multiple dining options, a children's zone. Come fish, play, relax and remember. Discover the New St. Pete Pier.

Video Summary - 2/12/15 - (4:07) Selection Committee Comments Original Concept Document (12/15/2014) Full Video Presentation (54:05)

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The designers of “Destination St. Pete Pier” were mindful of the desire to attract both tourists and residents and to keep them coming back.  The design successfully provides opportunities for each and every program element requested while utilizing a design form that derives its shape from the placement of these elements.  It is a true reflection of form following function.

Observant of the desire for multiple dining options, the design provides five different opportunities; from an air-conditioned restaurant atop the iconic Inverted Pyramid, to an ice cream shop at the Pier Head and an outdoor cafe at Spa Beach, there will be something for every taste. 

The design features safe, plentiful sidewalks for pedestrians and bicycles, and two lanes dedicated for public trams, emergency vehicles, service trucks and general automobile access to allow front door drop-off.  Trellises and a multi-layered deck provide necessary shade options to ensure a comfortable journey. 

Clear, unobstructed views are offered towards the Pier from downtown. Spectacular 360-degree views of the water and downtown waterfront are provided along the Pier Approach, on the Pier Head and at the Inverted Pyramid’s top level Sky Deck.

Other attractions include an enhanced Spa Beach, fishing deck and bait shop, a children's zone, and multiple indoor and outdoor spaces for large community gatherings or smaller assemblies for rest and relaxation.  There is also interior air-conditioned space available for a Marine Discovery Center, a Glass Museum or other valued tenant. 

St. Pete Design Group is comprised of only local architects.   They will listen, be flexible with their design, and create a destination that our community can enjoy for years to come.  Fish, play, dine, relax and remember.  Discover your own Destination at the New St. Pete Pier.


ALMA Alfonso Architects, inc.

  • ALMA Concept
  • ALMA Concept
  • ALMA Concept
  • ALMA Concept
  • ALMA Concept
Ranked 3 by the Pier Selection Committee

ALMA…SOUL…SPIRIT The Soul of the City. Cultural Icon. Just as the Eiffel Tower image alone can conjure up an entire cultural experience by merely representing a fragment of the City, the Pier transmutations over the years have served as the symbol and spirit of the place that is St. Petersburg. Our project will recapture the past, embrace the present, and look to the future ALMA: The Soul of St. Petersburg.

Video Summary - 2/11/15 - (4:46) Selection Committee Comments Original Concept Document (12/15/2014) Full Video Presentation (37:45)

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ALMA …The Soul of St. Petersburg.

ALMA is a strong and direct cultural response to the rich past and economic future of an exciting city in transition.  The history of the Pier is one of programmatic transitions that respond to moments in time. Some transitions were more successful than others.  The nostalgic Million Dollar Pier was considered an attraction for visitors, a symbol that spoke of engaging the water and socializing with fishing, boating, swimming, dances, games and concerts.

ALMA is organized in an east-west urban sequence distinguished by four clear zones: the Gateway, the Garden, the Pier, and the Tower.

  1. GATEWAY - Urban Frame and Gateway Park – Our first zone introduces the project with an architectonic Urban Frame that both mediates the distance to the Pier Head and formally frames the Tower icon.  The Gateway Park anchors multiple event opportunities with amenities such as a film projection wall, public restrooms, and a monumental vertical interactive water feature.
  2. GARDEN - Fine Dining and Outdoor Rooms - This area includes a 300 seat restaurant on the water’s edge with clear views of the Pier and water, located adjacent to the existing Dolphin Parking lot.  It is crowned with a rooftop bar evoked from the coquina shell. The Gardens are envisioned as a series of formal outdoor rooms with lawns, shade, sculpture, fountains, and two casual garden cafés.
  3. PIER - Pedestrian Promenade & Fishing Pier – The Pier experience is subdivided into two levels with an upper observation promenade and a lower working fishing pier.  Both respond to St. Petersburg’s affinity for cycling, walking, jogging, and biking while enhancing each activity with uncompromised views of the Bay.  At the Pier’s midpoint is a large shade covered “green bench zone” with a small café.  The green benches located here help mediate the distance between land and the Pier Head.
  4. TOWER - Pier Head – The culmination of the Pier experience captures the nostalgia of dances and social gatherings of days past in the old Million Dollar Pier. 

Ballroom - The program envisions a clear span ballroom with a band shell that can be utilized as flexible event space for large groups of up to 700 persons. 

Casual Dining - Below the Ballroom is a casual dining restaurant that engages the water directly and is at the same level as the Fishing Pier. 

Observation – The top requirement from the Pier Working Group was observation. The Tower responds with multiple observation opportunities along its vertical circulation with open air floors for flexible uses such as gatherings, sculpture, or other events.  The Tower is topped with a 3,000 s.f. air conditioned observation room / special events space boasting unequaled city views of St. Petersburg and the Bay.

 


Please note: Review the comparison chart for changes made to concepts.

Pier Working Group Required Elements Comparison Chart

(Updated: 4/23/2015)
Element Pier Park Destination St. Pete Pier ALMA
Observation Areas Multi-level observation platforms Sky-Deck on fourth level Views from 148' Tower & Plazas
Dining Options 7,600 SF Overlook Bar & Grill 3,500 SF Casual Dining at Sky Deck. 3,000 SF Grill at Spa Beach. Café and Ice Cream at pier party deck 7,500 SF Fine Dining at Upland and 2,400 SF Casual dining at Tower, Café at Gardens and pier midpoint
Cycling / Jogging / Walking Yes Yes Yes
Transportation Tram Automobile, Valet & Tram Tram
Fishing 17,000 SF of floating docks for fishing w/ bait shop 3,480 SF of dedicated fishing pier w/ bait shop 18,592 SF of dedicated fishing pier w/ bait shop
Transient Boat Dockage Yes. Various locations City Provided in Central basin City Provided in Central basin
Environmental Education Shell Space for dry environmental classroom and adjacent wet classroom amphitheater 24,000 SF of Shell Space for possible use on three levels Land set aside at uplands for future Marine Discovery Center
Event Space Extensive multiple event spaces including sloping lawn for possible 4,000 person capacity Cast-in place bleachers on Pier Approach, multiple decks at Pier end, small event lawn, pyramid interior and skydeck Large outdoor event lawn at Spa Park. Interior 8,500 SF dance hall at pier end
Bike / Watercraft Rental Yes Yes Yes
Retail / Recreation Yes Yes Yes
Budget Adjustments Reduced size of overwater construction by 27,000 SF Removed Waterfall and Glass Canopy. Deleted Fishing Pier at northside of Approach, reduced roof structure at sky deck Fishing pier adjusted. Moved one of two over water restaurants to land. Lowered height of tower to accommodate FAA concerns
Subsidy Estimate (1 being lowest subsidy) 2 2 1
Subsidy Compared To Prior 10-Year Average Equivalent Equivalent Lower
Permitting Challenges Possible - limited to area over water No Possible - limited to tower height
Design Approach Keep inverted pyramid core, create new park-like experiences Renovate inverted pyramid, maximize impact over water New Pier - Primary icon is about observations & views. Variety of landside amenities
MBE/SBE
None Phil Graham & Janicki Alfonso, Volt-air
Budget: Area of Cost/Constructability Concerns Maintain bridge scope and cost/SF. Determine viable area of project in order to stay within cost/SF budgeted. Maintain budget while further refining design to provide scope required and currently undefined. Maintain bridge scope and cost/SF. Ensure attachment of curtainwall glazing system works without further damage to structure. Lack of accurate assessment of existing structural conditions, and potential for unforseen conditions typical of complex renovations. Maintain bridge scope and cost/SF. Maintain pre-cast cost/SF in light of aesthetic desires. Mainitain quality of finishes within budget allocation.

See All 7 Shortlisted Concepts