The Redondo Beach pier is located in

Redondo Beach, California Redondo Beach (Spanish for ) is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent Beach Cities, beach c ...

, and stretches into the Pacific Ocean. The

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

has been rebuilt and altered by storms and redevelopments. Its official name is "Municipal Pier," and it has also been called the "Endless Pier". The pier started out as a disjointed group of wharves near the end of the 19th century but evolved into an interconnected structure after a series of storms and demolitions throughout the 20th century. The pier area used to be heavily crowded with tourists and locals during the 1970s, but began to decline after the nearby Seaport Village project failed and went into

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

in 1982. In 1988, the pier was severely battered by two winter storms, and on May 27 it burned to the waterline due to an electrical short circuit (the

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

was so large that a SigAlert was announced for the San Diego Freeway several miles away). The pier's modern

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...

version was completed in 1995 and has brought back the appeal to Redondo Beach's business district ever since.

History

1800s

* 1889–1915, iron and wood "Wharf No. 1" built approximately where the current pier stands near Emerald Street to facilitate timber delivery from ships to trains; destroyed by a storm * 1895–1920, Y-shaped wooden pier called "Wharf No. 2" with railroad tracks on one prong, the other for fishermen and tourists; built south of Wharf #1 near Ainsworth Court in front of the Hotel Redondo; severely damaged by a storm in 1919, subsequently open only to fishermen, but demolished for safety reasons

Early 1900s

* 1903–1926, wooden "Wharf No. 3" built south of Wharf #2 near Sapphire and Topaz Streets; actively used by lumber industry until 1923 when Pacific Electric's lease expired, which was not renewed, and the pier was manually demolished after a few years as the lumber industry phased out * 1916–1928, reinforced concrete "Endless/Pleasure Pier" built by George W. Harding; its long northern leg stood in the spot previously occupied by Wharf #1, with a 160x200-foot platform at its western terminus, with another southern leg returning to the shore to form an overall V-shape; damaged by a 1919 storm; condemned for safety reasons in 1928 * 1925–today, wooden "Monstad Pier" built by Captain Hans C. Monstad for fishing/pleasure boat landings; originally long, extended to in 1937, and wide in 1938 * 1929–1988, wooden "Horseshoe Pier" built after demolition of the Endless/Pleasure Pier; destroyed by a fire

Late 1900s

In 1983, the western end of the Monstad Pier was connected to the central platform of the Horseshoe Pier. From 1988–1995, the southern Y-shaped remnant of the Horseshoe pier that survived the fire remained open to the public. A smaller portion of the northern end remained closed to the public for safety reasons, and was eventually removed completely when the new, concrete version was built. The City of Redondo Beach hosted a formal ''"Launching"'' ceremony to announce the pier's reconstruction on July 29, 1993. The 1993 plans initially allowed for a carousel, wax museum,

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

, and at least three new restaurants; however, only one new restaurant was added to the deck, and the rest has remained open to pedestrian traffic. A formal City of Redondo Beach ceremony opened the new-restored Redondo Beach Pier, on February 11, 1995. Dogs are not allowed on the pier.

1995 description

The following "Pier Facts" were listed in the February 11, 1995, souvenir brochures distributed at the Redondo Beach ceremony opened the new-restored Redondo Beach Pier: * The Redondo Beach Pier is in size * Sits above the water * Has over of 6,000 P.S.I. concrete decking * Has 202 concrete piles, the longest being in length * Required 5 years to commence construction and 18 months to complete * Required over 150,000 man-hours of labor * Is the largest "endless" pier on the California Coast * Is the seventh Municipal Pier to be constructed on the shores of Redondo Beach

Filming location

The Redondo Beach Pier was used as a primary filming location for the popular TV series, '' The O.C.''.The O.C. Filming Locations
/ref> The Redondo Beach Pier was also used as a filming location for the popular TV series, '' Riptide'' from 1984–1986. The Redondo Beach Pier was also used as a filming location in '' Big Momma's House 2''. The Redondo Beach Pier was also used as a filming location in the remake of the show ''90210'' with Trevor Donovan.

References

* "Redondo Beach: A Centennial Tribute, 1892-1992" edited by John F. Elliot, 1993 * "Redondo Pier Rebuild Finally Under Way" by Daniel Blackburn, Easy Reader, 29 July 1993 p. 14 * "Pier Pressure" by Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Reader, 3 September 1993, pp. 8–11 * "Redondo Pier Transformation" by Rick Becker, Redondo Beach Historical Society Newsletter vol. VI #1, pp. 1, 3-4 {{DEFAULTSORT:Redondo Beach Pier Piers in Los Angeles County, California History of Los Angeles County, California Redondo Beach, California