Santa Monica Pier

Updated on Dec 05, 2023

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Type Amusement Pier Opening date September 9, 1909 Opened 9 September 1909 Locale Santa Monica		Spans Pacific Ocean Designated August 17, 1976 Phone +1 310-458-8900

Address Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA Hours Closed now Tuesday11AM–5PMWednesdayClosedThursday11AM–5PMFriday11AM–9PMSaturday11AM–9PMSunday11AM–9PMMonday11AM–5PMSuggest an edit Similar Santa Monica State Bea, Pacific Park, Third Street Promenade, Palisades Park, Santa Monica Pier Aqua Profiles Facebook

Santa monica pier

The Santa Monica Pier is a large double-jointed pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California. With an iconic entrance, the pier is popular with residents and visitors as a landmark that is over 100 years old.

Pokemon go at santa monica pier with nadeshot

Pacific Park

The pier contains Pacific Park, a family amusement park with its one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art, solar paneled Ferris wheel. (This should not be confused with Pacific Ocean Park, a former amusement park a few miles south of Santa Monica Pier, which operated from 1958 to 1967 and is now demolished.)

Other attractions

It also has an original carousel hippodrome from the 1920s, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium operated by Heal the Bay, shops, entertainers, a video arcade, a trapeze school, pubs, and restaurants. The pier's west end is a popular location for anglers. The pier is also very popular for Pokémon Go.

During the summer months the pier is venue to weekly outdoor concerts, movies, and other family friendly activities, many that are free to the public.

History

Santa Monica has had several piers; however, the Santa Monica Pier is two adjoining piers that long had separate owners. The long, narrow Municipal Pier opened September 9, 1909, primarily to carry sewer pipes beyond the breakers, and had no amenities. The short, wide adjoining Pleasure Pier to the south, a.k.a. Newcomb Pier, was built in 1916 by Charles I. D. Looff and his son Arthur, amusement park pioneers. Attractions on the Pleasure Pier eventually included the Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome building (which now houses the current carousel and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places), the Blue Streak Racer wooden roller coaster (which was purchased from the defunct Wonderland amusement park in San Diego), the Whip, merry-go-rounds, Wurlitzer organs, and a funhouse.

The Carousel was built in 1922 on what was often referred to as a Pleasure Pier and features 44 hand-carved horses. It was rebuilt in 1990 inside the Hippodrome. A calliope provides musical accompaniment.

The La Monica Ballroom opened on July 23, 1924. Designed by T.H. Eslick with a Spanish façade and French Renaissance interior, it was the largest dance hall on the west coast, accommodating 5,000 dancers on its 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m²) hard maple floor. Country music star Spade Cooley began broadcasting his weekly television show from the ballroom in 1948, where the enormously popular program remained until 1954. In the summer of 1955, the Hollywood Autocade opened at the La Monica with one-hundred famous and unusual cars, including Jack Benny’s Maxwell and a Rumpler Drop Car. From 1958 until 1962, the ballroom served as a roller skating rink; first as Skater's Ballroom, and later as the Santa Monica Roller Rink, where the speed skating club won many state and regional championships. The La Monica Ballroom was demolished in 1963.

The Pleasure Pier thrived during the 1920s but faded during the Great Depression. During the 1930s, the pier was mainly used as a ferry landing, while most of the amusement park facilities were closed down and its attractions sold off.

The bridge and entry gate to Santa Monica Pier were built in 1938 by the federal Works Project Administration, and replaced the former grade connection.

The Newcomb Pier was privately owned until it was acquired by the city in 1974. During the 1960s and 1970s various plans were proposed that would entail removal of the pier. The strangest one called for the construction of an artificial island with a 1500-room hotel. It was approved by the City Council, but citizens formed "Save Santa Monica Bay" to preserve the pier. The outstanding order to raze the pier was revoked by the city council in 1973. Within that same year, the Carousel and Hippodrome were memorable sets featured in the film The Sting, although the story was set in Chicago.

In the 1950s, Enid Newcomb suggested to family friend Morris "Pops" Gordon that his two sons, George and Eugene, purchase and operate the Pier’s arcade. It didn’t take much persuasion, for the Gordons instantly took to the Pier and ultimately made Playland Arcade into the Pier’s longest running enterprise offering the day’s contemporary games alongside those of yesterday, providing inexpensive entertainment to a diverse crowd. George’s daughters Marlene and Joanie have kept the business within the family, and the next generation of Gordons is already in training to maintain the family tradition.

In 1983, the Santa Monica Pier experienced a significant loss. On January 27, there were reported swells of 10-feet during this winter storm. When the storm was over, the lower deck of the pier was destroyed. The City of Santa Monica began repairs on March 1, 1983, when another storm rolled in. A crane which was being used to repair the west end was dragged into the water and acted as a battering ram against the pilings. Over one-third of the Pier was completely destroyed.

The City of Santa Monica created a non-profit in response to the damage and called it Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation (SMPRC). SMPRC conducted the daily operations of the Santa Monica Pier, such as managing events, filming, promotions, tenants, and street performers. To date, SMPRC has produced the Santa Monica Pier Paddle Board Race and the Twilight Summer Concert Series. Also, in 2011, SMPRC changed the company name to the Santa Monica Pier Corporation (SMPC).

Films

Films which prominently used the Santa Monica Pier include Tillie's Punctured Romance, Quicksand, Elmer Gantry, 1941, The Opposite of Sex, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Night Tide, Bean, The Sting, "Farewell my Lovely", 1975 with Robert Mitchum, Her, A Night at the Roxbury, Miracle Beach, Titanic, Forrest Gump (there is a Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Restaurant on the pier, owned by Landry's Inc.), Not Another Teen Movie, Iron Man, Desperate Teenage Lovedolls, Dark Ride, Cellular, The Hottie and the Nottie, "Falling Down", Ruthless People, (the pier is the site of the movie's climactic final scene), Love Stinks, Hancock, the indie romantic comedy She Wants Me, and Hannah Montana: The Movie (the scene with Lilly's birthday party). During the earthquake in the movie 2012, the pier can be seen sinking beneath the waves. The 1964 Natalie Wood film Inside Daisy Clover features the pier in the beginning of the picture. The Glenn Miller Story with Jimmy Stewart has a sequence toward the beginning where he goes to the "La Monica Ballroom" for an audition.

Television

The Rockford Files Season one, episode one. In the series' opening scene, a city bus pulls up alongside the pier in the adjacent parking lot.

The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series) episode King of The Beach was filmed there.

South Park episode "Fishsticks" ends with Kanye West jumping off the Santa Monica Pier to begin a new life as a gay fish.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno commercial bumper

Three's Company, in the opening titles of the fourth and fifth seasons,

South of Nowhere, in the opening credits and in the episode "Girls Guide to Dating",

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody episodes The Suite Life Goes To Hollywood Pts. 1/2.

Life After People episode "Waves of Devastation"

Rocket Power features a pier very similar to the Santa Monica Pier.

The Amazing Race this place was the starting line for the fifth season.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, when Cromartie tries to track down John Connor on the Pier, who steals a pair of sunglasses and a cap from a Pier vendor to disguise himself

Star Trek: Voyager features an episode in which the pier is in the 20th century Los Angeles.

NCIS: Los Angeles, when the pilot begins with Agent G. Callen waking up in his small apartment overlooking the pier.

24, when Jack tracks Fayed to the pier, Gredenko gets shot and dies under the pier.

Gilmore Girls, when Jess goes to California to find his father. His father works at the pier.

Flashforward, when Olivia and Charlie are out at the pier without Mark. In the final episode, it also appears briefly in the background in one shot.

Castle, when Beckett takes down Ganz.

Chuck, when Chuck defuses a car bomb rigged by Laszlo underneath the pier (he first meets Laszlo while playing in one of the arcades on the pier).

The fourth season of Hannah Montana takes place in Santa Monica instead of the Malibu setting of previous seasons, and the pier is frequently shown as Lilly works at a game booth.

90210, where several scenes are shot at the pier throughout the series. The pier is frequently shown whenever the characters visit the pier or the Beverly Hills beach club.

Welcome to the Family, in Season 1 Episode 1, Pilot

Grey's Anatomy episodes The Other Side of Life Pts. 1/2.

Private Practice, where there has been several scenes shot at the pier throughout the series.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians, where Kris and Khloé met with the BG5 girls.

Monk, in the episode "Mr. Monk and the Birds and the Bees," where detective Adrian Monk chases a criminal throughout the park, in which he tries to get rid of evidence that could prove him guilty. Eventually, he is arrested after being caught on the pier.

Eva Luna, in the last episode

America's Next Top Model, in Cycle 17: All-Stars for episode 5.

Charlie's Angels episode "The Sandcastle Murders".

The Mod Squad, in Season 4 Episode 3, "Home is in the Streets"

Big Time Rush "Nickelodeon TV series".

Criminal Minds, in Season 8 Episode 7, "The Fallen"

The Mindy Project, where there were scenes shot only at the pier from episode 13, "LA".

Touch, where there were several scenes shot at the pier throughout the series.

Drop Dead Diva, where there were several scenes shot at the pier throughout the series.

Modern Family, in Season 1, Episode 16, "Fears"

The Great Food Truck Race, in Season 6, Episode 1, "All-American Road Trip".

Goliath, the series is shot in Santa Monica and throughout the series the pier and Pacific Park are prominently featured among other Santa Monica landmarks.