potrero view

January 2012

Copra Crane Down, But Not Out

Bailey deBruynkops

The fifty-four ton, five-story-tall Copra Crane – which was removed for repairs last fall – is the last of its kind on the San Francisco waterfront.  It’s distinct from newer mechanized cargo equipment in that it’s completely hand-operated. The crane, located along Islais Creek, was used as part of the City’s copra industry, in which coconut oils were extracted to make everything from cosmetics to movie popcorn butter.  During the first half of the 20th century copra was big business in San Francisco.  In 1950, only coffee surpassed it in import value. The crane was retired in the mid-1970s, after Pier 84’s coconut trade ceased, along with much of the surrounding industrial activity.   

Nearly 20 years ago, the Copra Crane Labor Landmark Association (CCLLA) was formed by a group of crane-supporters who wanted to preserve the memory of hard manual labor, including historians, labor unions – electricians, carpenters, and painters, among others – and Friends of Islais Creek.  The group developed a plan to raise approximately $400,000 to restore the crane.

 “Without meeting ideal funds, we largely relied on volunteers.  Rex McCardell devised a Port-approved lifting and rehab plan for the crane four years ago. Rex also designed the predecessor of the Copra Crane that was, sadly, sold by SFMTA for scrap,” Friends of Islais Creek executive director Robin Chaing recounted.   “It’s quite complicated because parts have to be brought in by barge, and the Third Street draw bridge isn’t functioning due to a big electrical cable outage. It’s a slow process but we will get it back, and better than ever.”

 “We’ve received a lot of help from the Port, which is a good thing since they basically own the crane and the water it sits on top of. We don’t expect to make steadfast progress until the spring because the port is very busy right now,” said longtime CCLLA board member Pat Karinen.  Due to lack of funds and the inability to secure a dedicated project manager, the CCLLA is collaborating with San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority, which closely monitors the safety of reconstruction activities.  SFMTA is currently pursuing several Islais Creek improvement projects, including installing an oil-water separator to improve the local sewer system, erecting freeway-facing steel fences, and creating Islais Creek Shoreline Park, where informational Copra Crane signage will be displayed.  The restored crane will be gifted back to the City.

Before being removed this past fall, “Muni construction people noticed that the crane appeared to be in jeopardy of falling, so we felt that for public and environmental safety reasons it was best for the Port and MTA to remove the crane so it wouldn’t fall into the creek or become a navigational liability,” said the Port of San Francisco’s David Beaupre, who concentrates on the Mission Creek to Hunters Point waterfront.  The crane was dismantled, and is being stored on a port street directly adjacent to the platform. “We’re working with the CCLLA on rebuilding the platform, which was deteriorating, as well as restoring the crane, removing the rust, a paint job and reassembling on a newly designed platform. Hopefully once it’s back in place it will look like it used to, with the exception of some paint and lighting,” said Beaupre.

The renovated Copra Crane will have solar-powered light accents. The Port selected Bayview resident Dan Dodt, a lighting and electronics designer, to execute this element. “My role is to illuminate the crane, so I’m coming up with a plan for a lighting scheme, to be exclusively solar powered and completely self-contained on the dock.  Hopefully it will sequence for about four hours in the evening, with some light and color enhancements. I have a preliminary conceptual plan, but now that the design mode for the dock is underway, it’s time to get serious.”  According to Dodt, Islais Creek’s southern shoreline is well-suited for solar power.

The project is “…a third of the way finished. The additional two-thirds will probably take 18 months. The crane has been deconstructed into three pieces, along with the flight cone separator and conveyer,” said Dodt.

 

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