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Built c. 1935, Pier 48 and functioned as a commercial terminal between its construction and 1967; in that year, it became a terminus point for the Alaska Marine Highway System until 1989, and, subsequent to this, served as a port for a car ferry traveling to Victoria, BC, and Vancouver, BC. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) purchased Pier 48 from the Port of Seattle as a staging area for its work on the removal of the Alaska Way Viaduct. WSDOT bought the pier, submerged and mainland property for $11 million in 07/2008. After the Alaska Way Viaduct removal was completed, it was set to use the space in conjunction with its Colman Dock Ferry Terminal located next door.

The grunge band Nirvana filmed MTV's "Live and Loud," one of its last three Seattle shows, at Pier 48 on 12/13/1993. The band performed its last American show at the Seattle Center Coliseum on 01/08/1994.

Demolished; demolition of the 120,000-square-foot warehouse at Pier 48 began on 07/28/2010. R.W. Rhine, Incorporated, a prominent demolition company headquartered in Tacoma, CA, got the commission for Pier 48. Rhine was contracted to clear the 6.5-acre site for a fee of $460,000. According to the Pacific Maritime Online: "WSDOT reports that the warehouse is located on about 4 acres of pier that sit atop severely damaged wood pilings. The warehouse itself has also been described as unsafe and requiring prohibitive maintenance and repair costs. WSDOT purchased the site from the Port of Seattle in 2008 in anticipation of the viaduct replacement project now wending its way through political and legal channels. The site abuts the Port of Seattle's Pier 46 container terminal on the north which will not be affected by viaduct replacement work, according to WSDOT and other familiar with the project." (See "WSDOT Begin [sic] Demolition at Seattle's Pier 48,"Accessed 04/10/2012.)

PCAD id: 15413