Berkeley's original shoreline lay about where Second Street and the eastern side of Aquatic Park are today. In 1853 a private wharf was built at the foot of what is now Delaware Street, and later in the century a working waterfront of factories and piers developed along the shoreline. This pier was constructed by the Golden Gate Ferry Company under a 1926 franchise from the City and now extends from the Berkeley Marina, built on landfill, far out into the Bay beyond the original shoreline. It recalls Berkeley's earliest urban settlement and a time when goods and people were transported mainly by water. The pier served ferries that carried cars across San Francisco Bay, and after large Berkeley events such as University of California football games, hundreds of cars backed up for hours waiting to board for the return to San Francisco. After the Bay Bridge opened to automobile traffic in 1936, the pier was converted to recreational use, including fishing. About 3,000 feet of its original 3.5-mile length remain usable.
