The historic Manhattan Beach Pier's iconic "sea foam" railings are getting a facelift.
The Manhattan Beach Pier is approximately 928-foot and stretches from the end of Manhattan Beach Boulevard over the Pacific Ocean. It was built in 1920, and in 1995, it was listed as a State Historical Landmark as the oldest concrete Pier on the West Coast. The Pier handrails are considered a contributing feature of the Pier’s historical association.
The scope of the project will involve the railing along the pier as well as partially along a segment of an existing bicycle trail and lower parking lot that perpendicularly bisect the Pier entrance. This replacement project will bring the railing up to current building code which addresses spacing between rails; repairing damaged and corroded portions; create segments rather than long continuous single-post painted steel pipes to make future repairs easier and cost efficient; as well as minor repairs to concrete and concrete curbs on-and adjacent to the rails.
Pier Railing Rendering
Benefits
- Improve aging infrastructure
- Improve public safety
- Minimize maintenance
- Maintain character of the pier
Background
The Manhattan Beach Pier (or “Pier”) is approximately 928-foot and stretches from the end of Manhattan Beach Boulevard over the Pacific Ocean. It was built in 1920, and in 1995, it was listed as a State Historical Landmark s the oldest concrete Pier on the West Coast. The Pier handrails are considered a contributing feature of the Pier’s historical association.
The Project includes hand railing replacements along the Pier as well as a segment of the bike path and lower parking lot that meets at the Pier entrance. The existing handrails and entry gate would be replaced and some minor repairs would be performed to the concrete and curbs near the handrails.
This project presents a few challenges:
- Firstly, the railing does not meet current building code requirements for spacing between rails.
- Secondly, the railing is in a varied state of damaged and corroded condition, and parts are a continuous single-post steel pipe system that makes replacing individual sections difficult, and parts are non-matching double-post unpainted galvanized steel system (such as near the bike path).
Our project proposes a replacement system that would be designed to improve public safety, meet current building code and ADA requirements, and avoid any falls from the Pier deck. Additionally, it would facilitate repairs during future maintenance activities, as the railing would be designed for the ability to replace sections at a time.
The current galvanized steel system would be replaced with an alternative metal (aluminum) system that while comparable to the existing system in terms of material texture and feel, it would be more resistant to corrosion from the sea air. In terms of design, the replacement system would consist of a multiple rail pipe system similar to the current railings, and they would be in the “sea foam green” color for consistency with the original railing design.
Existing Handrails Exhibit (PDF)
Proposed Handrail Alternatives
Handrail Alternative 1: The “preferred” or “enhanced” alternative (PDF)
Handrail Alternative 2 (PDF)
Alternative Handrail 3 (PDF)
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