Centennial Celebration
(1,2) Santa Monica Mayor Ken Genser cuts the ribbon during Santa Monica Pier's Centennial Celebration and grand reopening ceremony on Wednesday, September 9, 2009. (3) The Los Angeles Brass Ensemble performs during Centennial Celebration. (4) Santa Monica Council Member Robert Holdbrook drives his Model T down the Santa Monica Pier with his wife Jean Ann and fellow Santa Monica Council Member Richard Bloom as thousands of people follow. (5,6) Members of Circus Du Solei lead a procession down the Santa Monica Pier after the ribbon cutting ceremony. (7,8) Stilt Circus performers Star Child and Jimmy Galloway entertain on the hundred year-old pier. (9) Dick Dale, the "King of the Surf Guitar," performs during Santa Monica Pier's Centennial Celebration on Wednesday, September 9, 2009. (10,11) Fireworks light of the sky during the grand finale of the Centennial Celebration.
The Santa Monica Pier Turned 100 on September 9, 2009
Situated On The Pacific Ocean, The Iconic Santa Monica Pier Celebrated Its First Century Of Colorful History That Bore Witness To A Time Of Stunning Whimsical Magic And Glamour
A Magnet For Hollywood, The Pier Was The Site For The First Ever Live Musical TV Show, As Well As Numerous Academy Award Winning Films.
Back in 1909, when the Pier was first built, no one could have imagined that the Pier would survive to greet its 100th birthday. It certainly has had more than “nine” lives. The Pier has stubbornly remained a constant, weathering the ferocious power of storms unleashed by Mother Nature, ravages of change and progress and economic hardships -- but it survived. In the 1970’s a grassroots campaign to “Save Our Pier Forever” grew from a few members of the fishing community to the entire community and reversed the city council’s decision to tear down the Pier. To the delight of national and international tourists, enthusiasm for the Pleasure Pier has never abated over the years with millions of annual visitors.
Ben Franz-Knight, executive director of the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Company said, “The Pier today remains an icon – a single remnant of history on a coast that was once peppered with piers. It offers nostalgia for yesteryear, yet remains a commanding presence on the national landscape and a vibrant entertainment center that embraces the culture of today. It deserves the birthday celebration of a century.”
The Santa Monica Pier Centennial Celebration, through a series of free, public events and festivals, will engage the public in the rich history of the Santa Monica Pier by re-creating and paying homage to some of the most memorable moments from its past. Leading up to its 100th birthday, the Pier Centennial Celebration will highlight the role that the Santa Monica Pier has played, and continues to play, in the everyday life of the city.
The Pier’s history is storied. First came the Hippodrome in 1916, a mixture of Byzantine, Moorish and California architecture, fascinating onlookers with its inside carousel of a circling menagerie of wooden animals. Among the last of its kind, the Hippodrome was adopted into the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
And eight years later, in 1924, the La Monica Ballroom opened -- a vast and ornate palatial-like structure, floating magically above the sea on the Santa Monica Pier built with a footprint of more than 40 thousand square feet -- the largest ballroom in the world -- in an era when ballroom dancing had reached a fevered pitch. The ballroom was also the site of the famous Dance Marathons in the 1930s that offered cash prizes during the brutal early 1930s, a ray of hope for out of work people.
The La Monica Ballroom’s tumultuous history lasted almost four decades. Throughout its years, it attracted celebrities and television shows, among them Spade Cooley, the self-proclaimed, “King of Western Swing” who established a home in the ballroom in 1948, broadcasting his weekly TV program from the ballroom. It was the first time that a musical TV show was ever televised live. Stan Chambers, longtime news anchor got his start doing commercials on Cooley’s show during its glory days. Dick Lane of KTLA, did live car commercials from the show and created his own television notoriety, while Desi Arnaz and his orchestra performed there numerous times.
The Pier was, and is today, a magnet for Hollywood.
It has been a staple in a number of popular Hollywood pictures some of them include Funny Girl (1968), They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969), The Sting (1973), Forrest Gump (1994) and The Majestic (2001) to just name a few. Celebrity sightings run the gamut from Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus to US Congressman Kucinich and Hall of Fame basketball player Wilt Chamberlain among many.
The Pier’s Centennial Day, on September 9, 2009, started with a grand re-opening ceremony, where visitors witnessed the pomp and pageantry of the official rededication celebration, complete with musical performances and celebrity participants.
At night, the Pier glistened, as the first large-scaled fireworks spectacular in 18 years, was launched from the Bay. The fireworks illuminated the entire Bay, visible from any point along the Santa Monica Beach. The festivities began with pre-fireworks entertainment staged in several locations along the beach.
Adds Franz-Knight, “Our goal, with these celebratory centennial events, is to once again underscore how the last Great Pleasure Pier can offer “pleasure” in uncountable ways to all – local and regional communities as well as national and international tourists. In addition to diverse entertainment, the Pier offers visitors a rare and treasured treat – quiet moments of peaceful reflection amid the ocean breezes or the stunning sunrises and sunsets.”
The centennial celebration has been made possible by a Preserve America Grant, the City of Santa Monica, Cirque du Soleil, Time Warner Cable, Clear Channel, The Sempra Energy Foundation and the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau.
About the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation
The Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation (SMPRC), established in 1983, is a non-profit, public benefit corporation made up of business and community leaders who represent the full range of community interests. It was created by the Santa Monica City Council to preserve and enhance the pleasure pier experience for people of all ages and for future generations and is funded by the City of Santa Monica. For more information, visit, http://www.santamonicapier.org.
About the Santa Monica Pier Centennial Celebration
The Santa Monica Pier Centennial Celebration, through a series of free, public events and festivals, will engage the public in the rich history of the Santa Monica Pier by re-creating and paying homage to some of the most memorable moments from its past. Throughout the Centennial, the Pier will highlight the place that the Santa Monica Pier has in the everyday life of the city. The Santa Monica Pier Centennial Celebration looks back at the first 100 years as inspiration for the next 100 years, and continues to offer fun, festivities and opportunities for healthy outdoor activities. The events of the Santa Monica Pier Centennial Celebration will pay tribute to the past, enhance the visitor experience of the present, offer events geared to attract new generations as well as entice long term year round economic development.
Fabian Lewkowicz
in Santa Monica Pier
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