ROCKLAND — At one time, large rambling fish processing plants filled the Rockland waterfront. Inside, workers, hair tucked under nets, cut and processed cod, sardines and red fish for commercial markets. Today, that landscape has disappeared, with one of the last vestiges demolished this week. In its place will rise a new building that reflects the current economy, which includes the business of servicing recreational and commercial boats.

This week, Journey’s End Marina, a division of O’Hara Corporation, is cleaning up debris from the tear-down of the company’s former fish plant to construct a new 20,000-square-foot boat storage and utility building. Its pier is at the end of Tillson Avenue, adjacent to the U.S. Coast Guard station, with views over Rockland Harbor and beyond the Breakwater.

It is a project for a family-owned corporation intent on keeping its base in Rockland, and banking on regional opportunities.

“We have family roots here,” said Casey O’Hara, one of the three sons of Frank O’Hara Jr., and grandson of Frank O’Hara Sr., both of whom currently run the company. “My dad and grandfather wanted to invest in the area, and it seems to have paid off. The waterfront property is valuable to us.”

The O’Hara family has been in the fishing business for more than 100 years. They established its fleet of fishing boats originally in Boston as Francis J. O’Hara and Sons. They expanded from Boston to Portland, Eastport, Rockland and then to the West Coast.

Now, the company operates three catcher-processor vessels in the Bering Sea, owns interest in processing operations in China, and owns 12 scallop boats in New Bedford, Mass., and two herring boats in Rockland. It also owns a bait business and is growing the Rockland marina division.

O’Hara’s currently employs approximately 50 at its Journey’s End operation in Rockland, and another 300-350 with its fishing operations. On the West Coast, 30 to 40 Mainers might be out at any one time on the Pacific fishing for O’Hara’s.

But it is the Rockland-based market that is in focus today, with the constant demand for servicing local fishing boats, their engines or refrigeration or electrical systems, and the growing demand for storing recreational powerboats and sailboats.

“This year has been one of the better ones on the commercial side, which is helpful for us,” said Casey O’Hara. “If they need to tend to something, they will come in and fix it, and go back out.”

The rising price of lobster this year, compared to the rock-bottom prices of the last several years, has boosted the local lobster industry along Maine’s coast. Contributing factors have been an increased Asian demand for Maine hard-shell lobster and cruise industry purchases.

“Both of the businesses are doing very well this year and sales are up at the marina,” said O’Hara. “Lobster prices being so high, they are able to spend.”

On the recreational end, boat owners from other parts of New England increasingly prefer to keep their boats in Maine, where the cruising grounds are considered exceptional and service prices are lower, said O’Hara.

“They like the high-quality work and recognize it is a good area to keep their boats,” O’Hara said.

Responding to both markets, O’Hara’s has expanded its indoor capacity — itself a niche market — to store and work on the boats. Today, Journey’s End has 280,000 square feet of indoor space, O’Hara said.

The marina business is “pretty consistent and we are trying to create work all year round,” he said. “In two or three weeks we will haul out floats. We are hoping to have enough work through the winter.”

Parts of the fish processing plant building that was demolished last week were more than 100 years old. O’Hara’s had bought the building in the 1940s, using it for fish processing through the 1990s.

Then, however, that market contracted. Rockland’s processing plants shuttered and the buildings were vacated.

O’Hara Corporation saw the empty space as opportunity for a marina, and started with just a crane and boat trailer to operate a boat transport company — Journey’s End Marina. Today, it has eight trucks and trailers, as well as 50-ton and 75-ton travel lifts.

Designed by architect John Hansen, of South Thomaston, the new building is to measure 200 feet in length by 60 feet in width. It will include three work bays, 58 feet long and 38 feet wide, which will open long Tillson Ave. The maximum door height will be 37 feet.

“This will allow our 75 MT Marine Travel lift to drive inside to accommodate the large boats too big for our boat trailers,” the company said, in a fact sheet sent out about the project.

The building will be equipped with radiant floor heat and sky lights for maximum electrical efficiency, the company said, in a news release. The project includes burying power lines.

“We are committed to improving the waterfront at Journey's End Marina,” the company said. “With capability of being able to handle more boats, and customers at our facility, we are hoping this will have a positive economic impact for the rest of the business in the downtown area. We want to send these people out into town to experience all that Rockland has to offer from our hotels, shops, and restaurants.”

Editorial Director Lynda Clancy can be reached at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657