What Rockport Harborfront Was

Rockport Harborfront was the bustling central commerce area of the city. The La Playa Hotel, opened in 1916 on the Rocky Point limestone ledge at the end of Wharf Street, stood as a prominent landmark. During the devastating hurricane of 1919, eleven people were trapped inside the hotel but miraculously survived. However, the building sustained severe damage and was never rebuilt, leaving its legacy as a memory of resilience and loss on Rockport's historic Harborfront. Another grand hotel, the Del Mar hotel on Water Street, had opened in 1889 and burned down in a fire in 1919, the same year as the storm. Other businesses such as RYSCO and Jackson Seafood rose after the hurricane and had thriving businesses in the first half of the 1900's. After the seafood industry began to collapse in the 80's, the Harborfront was abandoned and never revitalized.