Maritime Museum

The building housing the Maritime Museum was originally constructed in nineteen thirty-nine as a public bathhouse. Its design purposefully mimics the sleek, horizontal lines of an ocean liner, a hallmark of the Streamline Moderne architectural style popular during the Great Depression. The structure served as a sanctuary for swimmers and beachgoers, featuring bleachers that once looked out over spectators watching cross-bay races. Inside, the walls serve as a massive canvas for vibrant, surrealist murals created through the New Deal era Works Progress Administration. Artist Hilaire Hiler designed these immersive works, including a sprawling depiction of the mythical lost continents of Atlantis and Mu, which covers the entrance hall. The interior also features intricate, abstract mosaic tile work around the entrance and veranda, crafted by the noted African American modernist Sargent Johnson. For many years, the building hosted elegant parties and dinners, leading locals to refer to it as the Casino. It sits at a unique intersection of history, where the luxury of those waterfront social events could once be heard clearly by prisoners held on the nearby island of Alcatraz. The transition from a public bathhouse to a museum happened in nineteen fifty-one, driven by a group of citizens determined to preserve the region's connection to its seafaring roots. It now functions as the centerpiece of the Aquatic Park Historic District, anchoring a park that holds the largest maritime history collection in the western United States.