The Crystal Pier has been fully reopened, according to the City of San Diego. The west end was temporarily closed as a safety precaution because the structure appeared to be damaged during winter storms. A consultant’s inspection determined that while the pier sustained minor damage, it is safe for public use, the City announced on May 15.
Crystal Pier was temporarily closed to the public for repairs.

“The Crystal Pier Hotel closed the pier as a safety precaution and the City has hired consultants to evaluate its condition,” said Councilmember Joe LaCava, whose District 1 includes PB. “Once the assessment is complete, we will determine when the pier can be reopened to the public.”

“The Crystal Pier Hotel, which owns the portion of the pier closest to the coast, noticed some damage to the pier during the winter storms,” said City senior spokesperson Tyler Becker. “While it is believed that the section of the pier that includes the lodging units is safe for overnight occupancy, the hotel believes that most of the damage happened in the final third of the pier, which is owned by the City. The hotel controls access to the pier via its property, so it has closed access to the public section of the pier as a safety precaution.”

Added Becker: “The City has hired consultant Moffatt & Nichol to visually assess the current condition of Crystal Pier. We are currently awaiting a final report from our consultant. After receiving that report, we will have a better understanding of the potential damage, repairs, cost, and timeline to reopen the closed portion of Crystal Pier.”

Crystal Pier’s history began in 1924 with a local Realtor named Earl Taylor, who needed an attraction to make Pacific Beach more desirable to home buyers. Since it was dedicated in 1927, the iconic landmark at 4500 Ocean Blvd. has had numerous owners, two names, a ballroom, a carnival, and 270 more feet.

Today, it is home to a public fishing pier, as well as the private Crystal Pier Hotel, a collection of 32 cottages situated on the pier’s front half owned by Willis and Claudia Allen. Current pier ownership has been split between the Allens and the City of San Diego since 1961. The Allens own the pier section from the entrance over to the median high tide line, and the City owns the rest, including the temporarily closed section.

Crystal Pier is a no-permit-necessary fishing zone, a sought-after vacation destination, and one of the best places to watch San Diego sunsets. Allen said his family originally acquired the pier in 1961 when his father traded a ranch in Murrieta in Riverside County for the pier.

“There are a bunch of broken braces,” said Allen of pier repairs, noting the braces, damaged by both storms and king tides this winter, help support the pier’s pilings which anchor it. Noting City engineers surveyed pier damage from a kayak, Allen said their hotel’s longtime general manager, Jim Bostian, helped by giving the City “a list of every busted brace. The fear was we would get another big storm when we were missing a bunch of braces that are supposed to prevent the surf break from taking out the pilings. We need to fix that issue.”

Allen said it was his decision to temporarily close the pier. “We just wanted to make sure that the public is safe,” he said. “We’re working hand-in-hand with the City.”

Though Crystal Pier is well located and designed to “disperse the wave energy from the heavily impacted zone in front of the end of the pier,” Allen noted, “The pier structure itself is capable of carrying the load. But it is not immune from damage. When you get storms and high surf – you’re going to get damage. We want to work as quickly as possible with the City to get those braces back so we can get the pier open.”

Photos by Thomas Melville