Building History

In 1863, a syndicate formed by the attorney Alfred Andrew Cohen (1829-1876) pooled money to build this 3,750-foot-long wharf into San Francisco Bay at Alameda Point in Alameda, CA. Cohen resided in Alameda, but required regular ferry service to reach his law office in Rooms #77 and 78 of the Montgomery Block. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1864, p. 108.) Cohen's wharf received passenger ferries from San Francisco's Davis Street Wharf between 1864 and 1873.

Born in London, England, Cohen lived in both Canada and Jamaica before settling in San Francisco, CA. He worked initially as a merchant, but became a lawyer by 1864 (at least) and later became a financier. He wed Emilie Gibbons on 07/17/1854 in San Francisco. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Sacramento County, California, Pioneer Index File (1906-1934), A-Z; California History Room: MICROFILM 734; Roll Number: 42, accessed 02/11/2022.)

Thereafter, the Pacific Coast Oil Company utilized the wharf as a way of transporting oil from its new refinery located next to the pier. Production at the Pacifc Coast Oil Company facility began in 1880. Additionally, the E.M. Derby Lumber Company utlized the wharf as a means of loading and unloading supplies to its Alameda sawmill.

PCAD id: 24297