Santa Monica Pier
The long, narrow Santa Monica Municipal Pier was built in 1909 to support a sewage conduit ending out in the bay. It became a popular place to walk and fish. A shorter, wider “pleasure pier” was built on its southern side in 1916 by amusement entrepreneur Charles Looff featuring a carousel in the Looff Hippodrome. The La Monica Ballroom as added in 1924. In 1940, the WPA built the bridge over PCH to the pier. In the same year, pier businessmen tried to drum up interest by erecting the arched sign that still stands at the foot of Colorado Avenue. The Venice Pier carousel, built in 1922, was moved in 1954 to replace the Looff carousel. The pier is a City of Santa Monica Landmark and the Hippodrome is a National Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.
Santa Monica, Los Angeles County
Images by Andrew Schmidt