From Names to Numbers
Part of the Honolulu waterfront in 1925. Note the numbers painted on the sheds on Piers 12–14. (DeSoto Brown Collection)
On 6 January 1914, the Board of Harbor Commissioners unanimously accepted a special committee report that recommended that Honolulu Harbor wharves should be referred to as numbered piers. Up to that point, the wharves were designated by names, which was a source of confusion for visitors and anyone not familiar with the area.
The Board of Harbor Commissioners issued a list of the old wharf names and their corresponding new pier numbers, which was published in the local newspapers.
From “Numbering of Piers in Honolulu” (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 8 January 1914):
| Army Wharf (marine planter) | Pier 1 |
| Channel Wharf | Pier 2 |
| Inter-Island Coal Wharf | Pier 3 |
| Marine Railway Site (proposed wharf) | Pier 4 |
| Naval Wharf No. 1 | Pier 5 |
| Naval Wharf No. 2 | Pier 5A |
| Richards Street Wharf | Pier 6 |
| Alakea Street Wharf | Pier 7 |
| Fort Street Bulkhead Slip | Pier 8 |
| Fort Street Bulkhead Front | Pier 9 |
| Oceanic Wharf | Pier 10 |
| Allen & Robinson Frontage | Pier 11 |
| Brewer Wharf | Pier 12 |
| Nuuanu Street Wharf | Pier 13 |
| Mauna Kea Wharf | Pier 14 |
| Queen Street Bulkhead Wharf | Pier 15 |
| Hackfeld Wharf | Pier 16 |
| Railroad Wharf | Pier 17 |
| Railroad Wharf (mauka) | Pier 18 |
| Railroad Wharf (makai) | Pier 19 |
The commissioners ordered that the pier numbers be painted in white on both the mauka and makai ends of each pier shed. Painter Tom Sharp got the contract.
Numbering contract announcement. (Honolulu Advertiser, 14 January 1914)
Tom Sharp ad. (Evening Bulletin, 3 August 1909)
