At their June meeting, the City of San Diego Historical Resources Board designated the Ocean Beach Pier as an historic resource.
Here is the description in the July-August newsletter of Save Our Heritage Organization:
Ocean Beach Pier, western terminus of Niagara Street, Ocean Beach, was the longest concrete pier on the West Coast when it was completed in 1966, after years of planning, fundraising, and construction.
Popular ever since with residents and tourists of all ages, the 1,971-foot-long pier attracts sea lovers for strolling, jogging, fishing, and watching the waves and surfers who pass under the expanse, not to mention taking in sunsets.
The pier represents a special element of the historical and economic development of Ocean Beach and the entire city, and retains integrity to its 1966-1977 period of significance, thus fulfilling HRB Criterion A. It also embodies and retains the distinctive characteristics of the fishing pier typology, qualifying it for designation under HRB Criterion C with a 1966-1968 period of significance.
Extending over the deep water of the Pacific Ocean, the pier is constructed of concrete with a smooth concrete walking surface supported by pillars. The designation includes the restaurant building and the 1968 lifeguard watch tower. (Photo courtesy oceanbeachsandiego.com)
So does this mean that because it has historical status the design cannot be changed? If so, this is bad news
Why is that bad news?
Also you understand the pier is ultimately going to be replaced due to structural damage that’s gradually happened over time. There are many articles about it here in the rag.
It would be bad news if, because of the historical designation, it could only be replaced with an exact replica of what currently stands. In my opinion, part of the degradation of this pier is that it’s downward slope is partly to blame for it’s ultimate demise.
San Diego has an opportunity to create a world class attraction by re-imagining what this pier can be. If it’s design is stymied by the historical designation, the pier will be guaranteed to fail in the same way this one has. We need bold ideas for redevelopment, not the same old luddite mentality that perpetually locks this city into a failed state of 1970’s urban planning.
I mean it was commissioned in 1966 so it was bound to reach the pint it has. If it ends up getting completely demolished to make way for a brand new pier, I seriously doubt it will be an exact replica, despite its historical status.
In connection with some research I’ve done on another matter I’ve learned that a designation as “historic” by the San Diego Historical Resources Board puts restrictions on changes and alterations. So, why are they doing this now when there has been so much City action on replacing the current pier?
/s/ Chris Kennedy
I watched the piers construction and loved to be on it, under it and observe from a far. The pier used to get daily maintenance. Rinsed with fresh water, railings painted, rusty bits replaced….
Yes, there have always been big waves but not of the frequency of today. I’ve noticed, over the years, that the railings have changed. It used to have 4 boards and a cap. You could stand on the bottom two to help undercast way out…back when overhead casting restrictions were enforced. The current configuration of the railings is near solid. The g force and side loading must be a contributing factor to the piers demise. Yes the pier is old now, so am I. Neglect will certainly cost much more than the history of ignoring its pain. I guess like all things, it cchanges.
I will miss the pier, like I miss Nati’s
Yep Brian, me, too. Every day that I was over from MB to visit my Granny K up on the cliff, I would walk down the cliff-face stairway and run along the rocks to go watch it go in.
And after it was built I became a Southside surfer when it was breaking. right into the mid-80s when I moved to the mountains. The last time I was back down there I got to surf it, caught it with a summer swell back in 2001. Big sigh.
But the deteriorating state the old Pier is in… how long before it becomes an eyesore? I’m guessing that all it would take is some large storm generating a huge swell this winter hitting that terribly weak section that lost that southside piling and broke half of the concrete cap it was attached to. It is a disaster waiting to happen.
A big enough hit, or series of waves overnight, and wouldn’t the northside piling snap and then the weight and torque cause the rest of the cap to crumble so that an entire section of the Pier deck drops and probably pulls more down with it?
At this point I’m thinking that the entire pier just needs dismantled and removed, piling cut off, and all the concrete taken away so that it doesn’t smash the reef below. Whether it ever gets rebuilt is anyone’s guess…but letting it sit there and rot does not seem like a real good idea, ya know?
sealintheSelkirks