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Overview

Erected first in 1927-1928, the San Clemente Pier was the last of five major piers built in Orange County between the 1880s and 1928. These included: Huntington Beach Pier (1914, extended 1930); Newport Pier in Newport Beach (first built in 1888, rebuilt in 1940), Balboa Pier in Newport Beach (erected initially in 1906, restored after a 1998 storm), and Seal Beach Pier in Seal Beach (1914, rebuilt after storms in 1939 and 1983 and fires in 1992, 1994 and 2016.)

Building History

Envisioned as a part of an ideal, master-planned Spanish Colonial Revival suburb, the 1,200-foot-long San Clemente Pier was seen as an important public amenity by Ole Hanson (1874-1940), the conservative politician/building developer who financially backed the project c. 1927. Hanson became a nationally-known, anti-union politician when he attempted to put down the six-day Seattle General Strike of 02/1919. Prior to this, he had gained experience in Seattle, developing upper-middle-class bedroom communiites, including the Lake Forest Park developement c. 1912.

This fishing pier, comprised of wood logs, lasted until 1939, when a strong Pacific storm damaged it, requiring its renovation. This second pier stood from 1939 until 1983, when another storm caused structural damage. It was reopened in 1985.

PCAD id: 12774