The three monumental Edwardian buildings that dominate Liverpool’s waterfront stand as a testament to the city’s pre-eminence in global trade in the early years of the twentieth century (Fig. 1). These great buildings, occupying the former George’s Dock, were erected in turn for the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, the Royal Liver Friendly Society, and the Cunard Steamship Company. They were the result of a long cherished vision to enhance the city’s maritime gateway. Stridently individual in character, commercially driven, and self-advertising in intent, they have given Liverpool an identity that is universally recognizable. Familiar as a backdrop in 1930s travel posters, from films of 1960s ‘Merseybeat’ bands like the Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers, or in the 1970s television sit-com ‘The Liver Birds’, they have become icons of popular culture in a way that buildings rarely achieve. This paper, which has been prompted by the recent proposal to erect a further iconic building, a ‘Fourth Grace’, examines the redevelopment of the George’s Dock and reveals how the competing demands of municipal enterprise and mercantile profit were brought together to achieve a potent symbol of imperial ambition.