By Gene Williams and Ann K. Williams
April 9 -- One old landmark on Santa Monica beach is turning 100, while another is being reborn up the coast, and both the birthday bash for the Pier and the opening of the Annenberg Community Beach Club at 415 PCH promise to bring glad tidings for local businesses for years to come.
It’s seen fire and it’s seen rain, and it was slated for demolition at least once. For those who are old enough to remember, it’s a wonder the Santa Monica Pier is still standing.
To celebrate the Pier’s centennial this year, the Pier Restoration Corporation (PRC) – which has overseen the wooden structure since a storm almost destroyed it in 1983 – has kicked off a series of free events that are set to continue through September 2009.
Watch for Sideshow at the Pier – a day of eclectic performances by jugglers, fire eaters, clowns, magicians, acrobats and more – set to take place on Saturday, May 16, 2009.
Later, on June 20, 2009, the pier will host a special School’s Out celebration for kids, promising “top-notch children’s entertainment,” including arts and crafts, storytelling, aquarium activities, dancers, fashion shows and lots of fun at Pacific Park.
Then get your dancing shoes ready for July 23, 2009. That’s when the spirit of the pier’s once-hopping dance scene – La Monica Ballroom, Redux – will be recreated on the pier deck parking lot in the form of a dance party featuring big bands from swing to salsa.
Once the largest ballroom on the West Coast, the La Monica was a staple venue for big-name bands from the 30s through the 50s. It would have turned 85 on this day if it had not been torn down in 1962 after a fire.
The fun culminates in a Centennial Day Grand Re-Opening, September 9, 2009, when three barges will light up the bay with the first large-scale fireworks display off the pier in 18 years. Local dignitaries, celebrities and a few centenarians will cut a 100-foot long birthday cake. The scheduled entertainment includes a concert featuring special musical guests.
The celebration of the Santa Monica Pier’s centennial is made possible by a Preserve America Grant and the support of the City of Santa Monica. For more information, visit www.santamonicapier.org.
After the centennial events end in September, Cirque du Soleil will return to the beach from October 16, 2009, through December 20, 2009.
While the pier turns 100, another old wooden structure is getting a new lease on life when the City opens to the public this month its much-anticipated Annenberg Community Beach House at 415 Pacific Coast Highway.
And like the pier, the beach house should prove a boon for Downtown businesses, according to City officials.
“Downtown hotels and other businesses will have an opportunity to partner with beach house staff on marketing the site’s incredible event spaces to their clients,” said Barbara Stinchfield, the City’s director of community and cultural services, who has shepherded the project from dream to reality.
“On a sunny weekend, people visit the Promenade, the Pier, Palisades Park and the beach.” Stinchfield said. “The Annenberg Community Beach House will join these venues as yet another option for visitors to enjoy the best that Santa Monica has to offer.”
The City promises “a day of discovery and a day of celebration” when the beach house doors open after a more than $30 million renovation, thanks to a grant from the Annenberg Foundation. On April 24th, the public will be welcome to tour the site, and on April 25, it’ll be beach party time, with a community picnic and fun by the sea. Shuttles will be provided from the Civic Center.
The original beach house was built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and local architect Julia Morgan for actress Marion Davies and was a playground for the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson and Clark Gable.
The site has been refurbished and enhanced by the City in partnership with the Annenberg Foundation and California State Parks, and features the renovated original swimming pool and North House, an historic colonnaded guest house and docent tours.
Volleyball courts, yoga classes and cultural events will be offered, as well as rental spaces for private receptions.
Starting April 26th, the beach house site will be open to the public seven days a week from 8:30a.m. to sunset. Access to most of this historic site will be free of charge.
For more details about the grand opening, visit www.beachhouse.smgov.net.
