222. Ark Row

Tiburon’s Ark Row along Main Street is a unique collection of houseboats from the 1800’s made permanent housing structures in the early 1900’s and eventually evolving into commercial uses, such as the shops, restaurants and offices that they are today. Pictured above is the Fleming Rooming House, which started life in the mid-1880’s and was put on permanent pilings in 1918. There are six other “arks” as they are known in the area, and two are actually “double arks”, where two are stacked on top of each other to form a two-story building.

You wouldn’t recognize this stretch of Main Street if you were visiting from the late 1800’s. The area behind Ark Row was part of the Tiburon Lagoon, and the houseboats were floating there and were docked along Main Street. It was a very Bohemian and nautical scene, with a great mix of artists, sea farers and workers from the Tiburon railyards just a few blocks away.

Today this is a very picturesque spot for eating outdoors, shopping or taking visitors for a walk to enjoy our beautiful weather and charming downtown. Ark Row also has historic cottages and other building types, including the oldest building, an old ranch shed built in the 1870’s and moved here from a Tiburon peninsula ranch.

Where: 72 – 122 Main Street, Tiburon, CA 94920 (map)

Walking Tour of Historic Tiburon