Tom Heffernan
Did you know Corona del Mar used to have 2 piers? When George Hart bought all of CdM from James Irvine II in 1904 and was trying to attract buyers for the lots he advertised that CdM would have 2 piers – one on the bay and one on the ocean. In laying out the streets at the time, one of our Flower Streets was called Pier Ave. as it led down to the ocean pier on Big Corona Beach. Later it would be re-named Marguerite.
The Pier on the Bay ended up having the most utility as it was used to go back and forth between Balboa Pavilion and that is how most visitors and prospective buyers generally reached CdM before the construction of PCH in 1926.
Within a year of being built, the ocean pier was damaged by waves and it would continue to be damaged and occasionally rebuilt for about a decade until it was washed away in 1917.
Thanks to Ron Yeo and Sherman Library for the info on the piers. Sherman Library has written some great blogs illustrated with wonderful historic photos. To see their blog post on the Pier at Big Corona Beach go here: Big Corona Then and Now