Ocean City’s original Pier building was completed in 1907 on the Boardwalk at Wicomico Street. In addition to shops and a dancing pavilion, it also featured a theatre and several refreshment stands. It was also the entrance to the Ocean City Fishing Pier.
The building was raised 10 feet above the beach and built on wooden pilings. Part of it actually extended over the water as the beach was very narrow in that era.
The original Pier building had its share of misfortune. In 1918, a snowstorm caused its roof to collapse and the theatre was replaced by a bowling alley. On Dec. 29, 1925, the ill-fated building burned down and was replaced by the current Pier building in 1929.
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Postcard image from Bunk Mann’s collection