SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica Pier turned 110 years old on September 9. According to the piers’ designated history page, the attraction that took 16 months to construct was originally created to transport sewage through a pipe out into the bay for seafloor disposal.
Though the piers’ original intent was to dispose sewage, the traditional log pathway overlooking the Pacific Ocean became popular amongst fishermen and beachgoers. It was the first concrete pier in the United States, and the sewage disposal process was discontinued in 1920 due to its unanticipated popularity amongst visitors.
On the day of the piers grand opening, thousands took part in festivities that included a visit from the US Navy Cruiser USS Albany, swimming events judged by surfer George Freeth, and a ‘tableau vivant’ performance named ‘The Surrender of Rex Neptune.’ In the performance, Rex Neptune, ‘the mighty king of the sea,’ soared into the pier declaring his plans to overpower it and destroy it.
During the performance, Queen Santa Monica blocked Rex Neptune’s attempts at overpowering the pier by pronouncing that its immense structure was indestructible; even impossible for him to destroy. According to the history of the Santa Monica Pier, Rex inspected the wooden columns and admitted his defeat to its structure, before diving off of the pier into a pile of flames.
Charles Looff, US woodcarver and entrepreneur, idealized making an amusement park alongside the pier after its opening. Looff already had a reputation, as he was responsible for building Coney Island’s original merry-go-round in New York in 1876. He also built the Santa Cruz boardwalk carousel and the Pike Hippodrome in Long Beach. His plan was to construct ‘easy mobility’ for the Santa Monica Pier, and set plans to create an electric trolley line from Santa Monica to Venice Beach.
In 1919, Mayor Samuel Berkley was accompanied by a large crowd awaiting battleships USS Texas and USS Prairie at the west end of the pier when it collapsed. It only dropped two feet due to compiled rust from frequent war ship visits which resulted in no injuries or casualties.
For nearly two years, the pier closed as the city of Santa Monica replaced deteriorating materials with concrete deck and the wooden boards that still uphold the pier.
For more photos of the pier in its earliest days, visit: https://santamonicapier.org/history/