Skansie Brothers Park

Waterfront green space with community events like farmers’ markets and summer concerts.

Skansie Brothers Park, located in the heart of downtown Gig Harbor, is a 2.59-acre park. This park, which was purchased in 2002 as an addition to the Jerisich Public Dock site, is home to the Maritime Gig Festival, the Holiday Tree Lighting, a summer concert series, and many other community events throughout the year.

The Historic Skansie Brothers House, Historic Skansie Brothers Netshed, scenic views, a small grassy area, on-street parking, a covered pavilion, and a Welcome Plaza with restrooms, showers, and more are among the amenities. From 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., the restrooms are open. The park is named after the four Skansie brothers from Croatia. They were all fishermen in Gig Harbor around the turn of the century. The brothers established the Skansie Boat Building Company, which is located adjacent to the Andrew Skansie family home (1908), which is also located within the park. In 2002, the Skansie family sold the historic brick house and netshed to the City.

The Skansie net shed has undergone numerous changes and expansions over the years. It was expanded to the north with a small wood and machine shop, then built out into the harbor in four successive additions to the south and east. These additions, like the original, were covered with a gabled roof, but an end dock was left exposed for loading and unloading nets and gear. The last addition to this structure for commercial fishing purposes was made in 1947, though it was renovated in 1955 and emptied of its contents in 2008 for a preservation survey. The City of Gig Harbor paid to have the net shed painted and the roof replaced in 2004.

In 1886, Peter Skansie moved to Gig Harbor from Croatia. He established a homestead and then persuaded his family, particularly his brothers Mitchell, Joseph, and Andrew, to join him. Andrew was born in 1876 in Croatia, worked as a stone mason there, and moved to Tacoma in 1907. In 1908, he built the Skansie house, and in 1910, he built the net shed. Bertha, Andrew’s wife, arrived in Gig Harbor in 1909. The Skansie brothers collaborated to build a shipyard.

“The Skansie Shipyard was founded in the late 1880s and grew to become a major boat building facility for the Puget Sound purse seine fishing fleet…

In the spring and summer, the Skansie family would fish, and in the winter, they would build boats.”

From the late 1880s until its purchase by the City of Gig Harbor in 2002, the Skansie family owned and maintained their original property. Anton and Vince, Andrew and Bertha’s sons, looked after the property until it was sold in the 1960s. The City of Gig Harbor is currently developing the net shed and surrounding property as a historic attraction known as Skansie Brothers Park.

Directions

8 min (2.4 miles)
via Olympic Dr and Soundview Dr
Fastest route, the usual traffic

8 min (2.6 miles)
via Pioneer Way

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