Manhattan Beach Pier
Manhattan Beach is one of the three Beach Cities of Los Angeles County. The pier is roughly mid LA coast, south of Santa Monica, but north of Long Beach.
In 1901 two wooden piers were built on the beach there, one had a wave motor to generate power for a lighting system, although no idea whether it actually worked, it’s presumed still buried somewhere there in the sand. It was destroyed by a major storm in 1913.
General disagreements and lawsuits, as well debates about when and where to build another pier delayed Manhattan Beach from having a new pier until 1920.
The new one was completed and dedicated on July 5, 1920. The Los Angeles Times reported on the 6th July:
Two fold was the celebration at this place today. The municipal pier, which has just been completed was officially opened and the last link of the boulevard between the southern beaches and Venice accepted.
Street dancing, a program and concerts by the Pacific Electric Band formed the amusement. Thomas Lee Woolwine was the principal speaker of the day. There was a monster crowd in attendance, making one of the biggest days this place has known.
This incarnation was built of cement with a rounded end, which was thought give it a longer life against the waves. The Octagonal building now on the end was completed in 1922. In 1928, a 200 ft wooden extension was added, although it was destroyed in a storm in 1940.
By the late 1980s the pier needed renovation and was unsafe. The renovation was completed by 1991 and the pier was restored to its 1920s appearance.
In 1995, the pier was declared a state historic landmark. It is the oldest standing concrete pier on the West Coast.
