A new life for the storied ferry Klamath 

Larry Clinton/Sausalito Historical Society

A recent visit to the restored ferry Klamath at Pier 9 in San Francisco brought to mind the many incarnations she has been through over the past 99 years.

Today the Klamath is headquarters for the Bay Area Council, a think tank of business leaders working to ensure the Bay Area is the most innovative, sustainable, inclusive and globally competitive place in the world. Parts of the ship are open to drop-ins, and visitors are offered a printed timeline that traces the old vessel’s various lives.

The 246 ft. long vessel was launched on Dec. 27, 1924, as one of three new ferries produced for the Southern Pacific Railroad by the Bethlehem Ship Building Yard.

Dozens of massive ferryboats served as the transportation workhorses of the region during much of the first half of the 20th century. By the early 1930s ferries were transporting millions of passengers and thousands of cars annually. In the first three decades of the last century there was an average of 60 million passenger crossings each year. Rides then would be considered very slow compared to now, so passengers had time to patronize onboard restaurants. During her early years, the Klamath transported as many as 1,000 passengers and 100 cars per trip between San Francisco and Oakland and later between San Francisco and Marin.

During WWII, the Klamath made news when she rammed into a Navy submarine on her Richmond-San Rafael route in 1944. Luckily, the crash resulted in minimal damage and no injuries.

But by then the opening of the Bay Bridge in 1936, the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937 and subsequent bridges across the region was straining the ability of ferry lines to woo passengers. The Klamath was retired on September 1, 1956 — the day the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge opened.

By 1960, it looked like the Klamath had reached the end of the line. That was until the visionary brand designer Walter Landor spotted the ferry and thought it would make a great home for his growing company, Landor Associates. The ship’s transformation into Landor’s vision would be complete in 1964.

In its Landor days the Klamath was a state-of-the-art office space with a mid-century modem feel. Teams based on the Klamath brought the world many iconic trademarks including Coca-Cola, Levi’s, Del Monte, and Bank of America. One of those team members was Wayne Bonnett, a Sausalito graphic designer who went on to publish Jack Tracy’s Sausalito history book Moments in Time.  

The Klamath rapidly became a key destination for visiting celebrities, dignitaries and Landor clients. Author Tom Wolfe once called the Klamath ‘the flagship of design’. Famous for its parties, the Klamath attracted the likes of Marshall McLuhan, George C Scott, Andy Warhol, the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead during its heyday. 

Landor opened the Klamath for symposia, parties, and social fundraisers. In 1965, he hosted a “gathering of communicators” that featured Marshall McLuhan, Tom Wolfe, Herb Caen, Justin Herman, Dr. Gerald Fagan, and S.I. Hawakawa. Some parties brought aboard the crew from the television show “The Streets of San Francisco,” including its leading actors Karl Malden and Michael Douglas. Another activity on board the Klamath was the annual visit by Harvard Business School as part of an executive marketing program. Landor opened his doors (gangplank) for the executives to take a glimpse at his products and services. Even I got to go aboard as a young Mad Man in the 70s advertising world.

After Walter Landor’s retirement in 1989, the Klamath changed ownership again and eventually landed in a small cove in Stockton in 1992 where it became the headquarters for Duraflame until it was put up for sale in 2020.

That was when the Bay Area Council purchased the Klamath and began remaking the ferry for its new headquarters. The project was finished, and doors opened in September 2022.

The public is invited to come aboard to see the main entry, observation deck and roof deck and museum on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at no charge. Free public tours are offered the first Wednesday of each month, with one at 10 a.m. and another at 3 p.m., guided by Bay Area Council staff members. No advance booking is necessary — just enter the boat through the front entrance and check in with the guide a few minutes in advance of the tour.