First built in 1909 to serve as a sewage pipeline, the Santa Monica Pier quickly became a fishing and boating destination instead. Soon after, famous carousel and amusement park developer Charles Looff arrived, adding a second pier with a beautiful carousel featuring 44 hand-carved horses inside the historic Hippodrome building, which still stands at the south end of the pier today. Looff also added bowling and billiards hall, as well as a ballroom. More rides opened and in 1940 and soon the iconic neon sign above the pier ramp was installed. Over the subsequent decades, the pier changed ownership several times and fell on hard times. By the 1970s, the Santa Monica City Council was moving toward destroying the pier to make way for a resort hotel; residents were up in arms and managed to save the pier, though violent storms in 1983 did, ultimately, severely damage the beloved landmark. Restoration efforts and the opening of the Pacific Park amusement park in 1996 have brought the Santa Monica Pier back to its former glory, adding the world’s first solar-powered Ferris Wheel. Lively and family-friendly, the Pier sees four million annual visitors.

The pier is just three blocks from Edifice Suites. So on your way, make sure to pop into our office and schedule a tour!