open photo gallery
 

On September 9, 1909, after sixteen months of construction, the Santa Monica Municipal Pier opened to the public. This was California Admission Day, and the thousands of people who swarmed onto the 1,600-foot-long wooden pier were in a holiday mood as they enjoyed a festive day of band concerts, swimming races and the novelty of walking above the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The Pier's continuing ability to attract large crowds impressed Charles Looff, a pioneer amusement entrepreneur who had built Coney Island's first carousel in Brooklyn, New York and then opened a carousel factory nearby. Sensing vast potential for amusement attractions on the Southern California coast, he moved his operations to Long Beach in 1910, when he began to consider building a pleasure pier of his own.

In 1916, after lengthy negotiations with the City of Santa Monica, he started construction alongside the Municipal Pier. Looff's Pier featured the landmark Hippodrome building, a California-Byzantine-Moorish-style fantasy that has housed a succession of vintage merry-go-rounds and Wurlitzer organs. In the beginning it also boasted the Blue Streak Racer wooden roller coaster and the Whip and Aeroscope thrill rides. More attractions followed and soon the Looff Pier was enlarged to its current size of 270 feet by 1080 feet.

As arts and entertainment flourished in Santa Monica, so did the Pier. In 1924, the vast and ornate La Monica Ballroom opened to become the site of some of the earliest national radio and television broadcasts. It also played host to throngs of dancers who came nightly to enjoy the big band sound, including "Western Swing."

The Pier's popularity continued to be high throughout the 1930's, but severe storms, heavy use and changing tastes began to take their toll. The Blue Streak roller coaster was torn down in 1930 and the La Monica Ballroom closed down some 33 years later.

While the Municipal Pier continued to be owned and operated by the City of Santa Monica, the Looff Pleasure Pier had a succession of owners. In 1953 it was taken over by the city, which leased it to a private operator. Twenty years later the city council ordered the demolition of both deteriorating piers.

Outraged by this move, residents fought back with a "Save Our Pier Forever" initiative, one of its objectives: establish the Pier as a Los Angeles County Historical Landmark. In 1981, the city appointed the Pier Task Force (later named the Pier Restoration Corporation or PRC) to provide management and oversee restoration, including stripping the famed Hippodrome building back to its original framework and reconstructing it piece by piece.  Although two fierce storms halted work in 1983, washing away 100,000 square feet of the ocean end of the Pier, good news would soon follow as the Hippodrome and its carousel were designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Government.

In 1988, the Santa Monica Pier Development Program was adopted by Santa Monica's City Council. As part of the Development Program, a new concrete substructure was built, adding strength and stability to a pier that could now withstand violent storms.  A variety of retail, food and entertainment outlets, as well as a police substation and a world class amusement park were constructed on the pier to enhance the overall experience for a crowd that has grown to 3 million visitors a year.

Today, the Santa Monica Pier is once again on the upswing as a recreational and entertainment venue. Each Thursday night throughout the summer, its "Twilight Dance Series" attracts over 10,000 people to concerts that feature popular performers in every musical genre. Many companies and non-profit organizations choose the Pier as a unique location for special events, and it continues to be a location favored by still photographers and film crews, who choose to use the Pier extensively as a backdrop for magazine layouts, movies, television shows, commercials and videos.

The finish line of famed Route 66, the Santa Monica Pier has a future that promises to be every bit as glowing as its past. Thanks to partnerships with corporate sponsors, seasonal public happenings and exciting plans for upgrading its facilities, the Santa Monica Pier is a must-see destination in Southern California.

The Santa Monica Public Library also has an extensive Santa Monica history index at www.smpl.org