The Union Iron Works Machine Shop, completed in 1886, is the oldest building at Pier 70, and the most historically significant. Designed by Civil Engineer Dr. D. E. Melliss, it was the first structure built when Union Iron Works moved here, a key part of a shipyard designed to follow the most advanced and efficient industrial practices of the day. (See Pier 70 Brief History.)
As shown in the lithograph below, the machine shop was originally two separate buildings. The eastern building was used as a blacksmith shop, and the western was the machine shop for the shipyard.
The two brick buildings were connected around 1914 with a concrete structure.
It was in the machine shop that the iron and steel equipment needed for large ships was fabricated. Everything from small parts to complete engines was within the capability of the skilled workers who were employed here. Building 113 was in active use as a machine shop for 119 years, until early 2004, when the building was closed due to seismic safety issues.
Building 113 is an unreinforced masonry building. Its 450 foot long structure has a gable roof, projecting piers, arched windows and simple corbeled cornices. Largely undecorated, the building is characterized as a long horizontal mass with a steep gabled roof.
Building 113 was damaged in the 1906 earthquake, with bricks falling from both ends of the building. The building was repaired with corrugated steel panels.
Today, Building 113 stands empty, awaiting rehabilitation.