Redondo Beach Pier

By the time Redondo Beach celebrated its centennial in 1992, the city’s coastline had seen at least seven piers, the first in 1889.

The first, as was the case with other piers along this coast, started as a wharf designed to handle the enormous lumber trade from the Pacific Northwest. Additional wharfs were added in 1895 and 1903, although these were destroyed by a storm in 1915. During its working life, traffic into the port was so busy that ships had to wait their turn for a spot at one of the piers, as the Santa Fe rail cars transported the cargo inland as fast as possible across America. The railroad connected to Wharf No 2, wharf No 1 was used by fishermen and tourists.

Wharf No 3 was built in 1903 and used by the timber industry until about 1923, after which time the timber trade was far less profitable than it had been in the past.

1916 saw the building of the concrete Endless Pleasure pier on the site of the first wharf. This consisted of two platforms connecting in a V shape. It was badly damaged by a storm in 1919 and condemned in 1928.

In 1925, the wooden Monstad Pier, named after its builder, was built for fishermen and pleasure boats. Wooden piers do not last long, especially on the Pacific coast, but a few portions of this still exist today.

The wooden Horseshoe Pier was built after demolition of the Endless Pleasure Pier. In 1988, the Horseshoe Pier was battered by two winter storms, and then destroyed by a fire. The southern Y-shaped remnant of the Horseshoe pier that survived the fire remained open until 1995.

Completed in 1995, the current seventh generation restored pier is made of reinforced concrete, incorporating design elements reminiscent of earlier structures.

In 1970, a second pier known as the Sport Fishing Pier opened south of Portofino Way and remains in use today.