Well At Least We Tried

The Seaport of Redondo Beach from 1888 to 1912

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Chapter 5: Maritime Legacy

Redondo Beach Boat Harbor, 1939 to 1966

The shipping wharves that made up the Port of Redondo Beach were wrecked in storms or dismantled between 1915 and 1926. The period from 1926 to 1938 was a relatively quiet one for the Redondo Beach waterfront, as far as marine construction was concerned. In 1938 the present 300 hundred foot long Monstad Pier was built adjacent to the municipal pier to serve as a fishing pier and a place to land fishing vessels. Beyond this, however, no harbor really existed at Redondo Beach.

Even though it had long since become obvious that Redondo Beach would never again be regarded as a major seaport for Los Angeles, some Redondo boosters still sought the development of a harbor. Since San Pedro was unquestionably the main port of call for Los Angeles, receiving both foreign as well as coastwise trade, what was actually being proposed was a boat harbor at Redondo Beach. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal included the establishment of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1935, which was available for civic improvements. This agency could help build a breakwater for the Redondo Beach boat harbor.[135]

In September 1938, a bond issue was passed that called for construction of a 1,485-foot breakwater north of the pleasure pier. Yet at a cost of more than $500,000, funds raised by this municipal bond issue would only provide some of the funds needed. The proposal for federal funds from the WPA would be counted on to complete the job.[136]

The proposed breakwater was begun in 1939 but only partially finished. The short breakwater changed the flow of the longshore current resulting in extensive beach erosion and the destruction of shoreline homes. The north beach area suffered several seasons of heavy damage and residents called for the removal of the inadequate breakwater. The “History of Redondo Beach” published by the City of Redondo Beach described the situation this way:

Because of the way it was constructed, wave action and the normal movement of the beach sand was altered. Following every storm, sand accumulated north of the breakwater. Eventually the beach area between Diamond and Beryl Streets was obliterated.[137]

The onset of the Second World War resulted in a freeze on all federal funds except for high-priority projects for the War effort. Of course, Redondo’s boat harbor did not fall into this category, so the completion of the breakwater would have to wait until peacetime. After World War II, construction began on an improved breakwater that used 100,000 tons of rock to protect the area from winter storms and this temporary breakwater was completed in 1947.[138]

Another storm in 1953 again damaged the breakwater, city streets, and shoreline homes. A group of Redondo citizens appealed to Representative Cecil R. King (Democrat, 17th District) for help in developing a proper boat harbor, one that would lend itself well to recreational tourism. In 1956, the federal government authorized forty five million dollars, and work began on the marina that exists today, named King Harbor in honor of the congressman. The breakwater was completed in 1958. Harbor bonds totaling nine million dollars were approved in 1959 to finance the inner harbor construction project, and by 1963, the first boat slips were available in King Harbor.[139]

The plan for the inner-harbor construction project included 1,450 boat slips, utilities, a swimming facility (today’s Seaside Lagoon), and several parking lots. This investment was immediately followed by an additional fifteen million dollars contributed by the five original lessees. Due to high demand from the beginning, the boat slips were given first priority and many were occupied while other facilities were still under construction. This provided an important source of revenue during the building of the harbor. Storms during construction of the harbor in 1962 and 1963 caused damage and setbacks. Nevertheless, the project continued and King Harbor was dedicated in 1966. King Harbor’s boating basins consist of four marinas, two yacht clubs, and a Hotel complex. SouthBayLife describes King Harbor as “a major sport-fishing center,” and lists other facilities that appeal to recreational tourism such as deep-sea charters.[140]

At this same time further up the coast, another larger boat harbor was being built. There had been plans to develop a harbor in the estuary of Ballona Creek as early as 1887 when real estate developer, M. C. Wicks envisioned turning the Playa del Rey area into a major commercial harbor. Wicks organized the Port Ballona Development Company under the auspices of the Santa Fe Railroad, but the company went bankrupt three years later. In 1916, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers reported that it was impractical to develop the Playa del Rey inlet and basin as a major harbor. The Los Angeles County Supervisors again investigated the possibility in 1937 but nothing came of it, and from this point on the focus was on a harbor for small craft. On September 7, 1949, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported the feasibility of constructing a pleasure craft harbor at the location. Construction of the jetties for the present entrance channel began in December 1957. The same storms of 1962 and 1963 that caused setbacks in the building of King Harbor at Redondo Beach showed the need for some kind of protection for the mouth of the harbor at Marina Del Rey. The offshore breakwater was completed in January, and formal dedication of Marina Del Rey was held in April 1965.[141]

Unlike most marinas, including Marina Del Rey, which are fully contained within inland basins, King Harbor is situated completely seaward of the existing shoreline. This occasionally subjects King Harbor to severe weather and ocean conditions, the same problem that faced the original Port of Redondo Beach in 1887. (See Chapter 1: Building a Seaport.) After King Harbor was severely damaged by storms in the winters of 1962 and 1963, the Army Corps of Engineers made additional breakwater improvements in 1967 to increase protection and reduce the chance of future storm damage. Severe storms in 1980, 1983, and 1988 overtopped and damaged the breakwater again and the Army Corps of Engineers made repairs in 1992, and 1998.[142]

As one reads the kind of descriptions of the harbor and its amenities published in such sources as TheLog.com, Sailor’s Choice, and SouthBayLife.com, King Harbor sounds as though it has achieved all that its planners could have wished. Yet the building of this harbor has caused some of the same problems experienced when the first breakwater was built in 1939. The mere presence of the harbor, no matter how improved, still causes a change in the longshore current resulting in beach erosion. In their guidebook California Beaches, Parke Puterbaugh and Alan Bisbort describe this environmental impact on the beach:

The beach at Redondo Beach maintains a respectable width south of the pier, but it is narrow and eroded north of it. Erosion is the result of harborfront construction, including a breakwater that diverts sand into a submarine canyon just offshore from Redondo Beach.[143]

When Capt. J.C. Ainsworth and R.R. Thompson took over the Redondo Improvement Company in 1889, their plan was for the railroad and steamship lines to bring tourists who would then become enchanted with the beach and be inspired to buy lots, build houses, and start businesses. After the removal of the wharves, the Redondo boosters of the 1930s envisioned a boat harbor that would attract recreation dollars rather than residents. It is interesting, and maybe a little ironic, that the very thing that the original Redondo boosters of 1889 saw as the main attraction, the beach itself, is being impacted by that which the boosters of the late 1930s saw as Redondo’s future.

The city today views the harbor as a key element of its identity. According to the Harbor Improvement Plan, King Harbor “continues to provide identity and economic vitality to the City of Redondo Beach.” The nature of this identity, as a maritime community, can be traced directly to Redondo’s early history as a seaport. King Harbor and the city’s other waterfront development the municipal pier can be viewed as Redondo’s maritime legacy.


[135] The Log. “Redondo Beach/King Harbor: a Success Story”, The Log: A guide to California boating & yachting, news & classifieds. Thursday, May 23, 2002. Internet. Available from www.thelog.com. [February 26, 2003].

[136] City of Redondo Beach. History of Redondo Beach. Internet. Available from http://www.redondo.org/in_the_city/ history/default.asp]; TheLog, “King Harbor: a Success Story”.

[137] City of Redondo Beach. History of Redondo Beach.

[138] Makai Promotions. Sailors Choice, “King Harbor” February 2003, Volume 64, Makai Promotions. Internet. Available from http://www.sailorschoice.com/kingharbor/. [March 15, 2003].

[139] Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. Redondo History. Internet. Available from http://www.redondochamber.org/relocation/History.htm. [April 15, 2003].

[140]. TheLog, “King Harbor: a Success Story”; Makai Promotions, Sailors Choice, “King Harbor”; Reel Strand Enterprises. South Bay Life. Internet. Available from http://www.SouthBayLife.com. [April 15, 2003].

[141] Castello Cities Internet Network, Inc. The Complete Guide to Marina del Rey History. Internet. Available from http://www.marinadelrey.com/history.html. [April 15, 2003].

[142] City of Redondo Beach, The Heart of the City Specific Plan, “Chapter VI, Harbor Improvement Plan”, 2002. Internet. Available from http://www.redondo.org/in_the_city/heartofthecity/HOCSpecPlanfeb02/HOCSpecificPlan0202.asp. [April 15, 2003].

[143] Parke Puterbaugh and Alan Bisbort. California Beaches: The Only Guide to the Best Places to Swim, Play, Eat, and Stay on Every Beach in the Golden State. Emeryville, (California: Foghorn Press, 1996). [Book online] Internet. Available from http://www.smartpages.com/v/foghorn/beaches/. [April 15, 2002]. The 1996 edition is dated in the information it provides. The new edition, third, of California Beaches dated March 2003.

"During these years of change, Redondo Beach boosters remained resolute in their support for development of a harbor. Since the Works Progress Administration was available for civic improvements, a breakwater was proposed for Redondo Beach."

TheLog.com

 

Figure 70: The Redondo Beach Boat Harbor, 1940. (Redondo Beach Historical Commission)

Figure 71: A chart of King Harbor. (Makai Promotions)

Figure 72: Construction of King Harbor, 1959. (City of Redondo Beach)

Figure 73: Construction of King Harbor, 1961. (City of Redondo Beach)

Figure 74: King Harbor Marina breakwater being overtopped by high winds and heavy swells, January 18, 1988. (Valerie Heath)

Figure 75: King Harbor Marina, aerial view 1978. (Los Angeles Public Library)

 

 

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