Debate over The Pier in St. Petersburg isn't new

A beloved city institution is deemed beyond repair, a demolition date is set, longtime city residents are upset and designers bring forth fanciful ideas for a future landmark. Then, as deadlines loom and funds run out, the chosen idea get scaled back. If this sounds like the current situation with St. Petersburg's iconic Pier, you're right. Only the inverted pyramid structure WAS the fanciful idea chosen from among several others after the Million Dollar Pier was torn down in 1967 without a replacement idea in place.

As St. Petersburg prepares to replace its current structure with the new Lens design, it's worth taking a spin through these historical photographs to see the parallels that exist in the two situations. Dwindling attendance, eroding infrastructure and lack of a clear consensus among the city and government have led us to what seems like the eternal question in St. Petersburg: What should we do about the Pier?

• Special report on the Pier proposals
• Photo gallery of The Lens
• A whimsical plan for The Pier
• Buy Tampa Bay Times photos

• More special reports