They Said: "It Couldn't Be Done!"
Posted by: 
brwhiz
N 37° 48.623 W 122° 24.626
10S E 551895 N 4184940
This Historical Marker is one of many mounted on building walls along the upper level of Pier 39 on the San Francisco Embarcadero.
Waymark Code: WMJF20
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 11/09/2013
Views: 5
They Said:
"It Couldn't Be Done!"
Pier 39 is the first privately financed development on San Francisco's waterfront to be approved and constructed in over 100 years.
Major companies such as U.S. Steel, Ford Motor Company, the Rockefellers and Dillingham all tried, and failed, to win approval over the years. Yet Warren Simmons, the local "little guy" developer, managed to wade Pier 39 through the 16 governmental agency approvals necessary before construction could begin. But, it wasn't easy!
Some said he slept with his slide show under his pillow and mumbled "Pier 39, Pier 39" in his sleep. There wasn't a service club, luncheon group, garden club or improvement association that he didn't spend and hour or two with.
He was told over and over, "It can't be done"--"The big boys couldn't, how do you expect to get permits?"--"Save your energy and go back to your tacos."
You're standing here now. The pessimists were wrong.