History
of the Huntington Beach Pier. Huntington
Beach Pier is one of Huntington Beach's
focal points. The first pier, a 1,000
foot. long timber structure, was built
in 1904, five years before the City of
Huntington Beach was incorporated. In
1912, winter storms nearly destroyed the
pier, and a $70,000 bond issue was
approved by the voters to build a new
pier. The 1,350 ft. pier was the
longest, highest, and only solid
concrete pleasure pier in the United
States at that time.
In 1930, the pier was lengthened by 500
ft. with a café at the end. In 1939, a
storm destroyed the end of the pier and
the cafe. After reconstruction, it was
re-opened in 1940. In 1941, the Navy
commandeered the pier for submarine
watch during World War II.
In March of 1983, storms severely
damaged the end of the pier and the End
of the Pier cafe, necessitating
demolition and closure of the end of the
pier. In September 1985, the
rehabilitated pier reopened with a new
two story End Cafe, only to be washed
away again on January 17, 1988. The pier
was declared unsafe and closed on July
12, 1988. In July 1990, the construction
bid for the new pier was given to Reidel
International. The new pier replicated
the historic architectural style of the
original 1914 concrete pier, complete
with arched bents. The pier was built to
withstand not only wave impact and
uplift, but also earthquakes.
