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An Historian Without Pier

Laura Varney |
February 1, 2011 | 2:52 p.m. PST

Neon Tommy Contributor

 

Laura Varney
Laura Varney
Jim Harris is a native of Colorado, but his love and knowledge of the Santa Monica Pier may extend far beyond that of anyone born in the city. The Community Venue Liaison and Pier Historian, who recently wrote the book “Santa Monica Pier: A Century on the Last Great Pleasure Pier,” is well known for his dedication to the city’s landmark.

Harris moved to Southern California in 1989 to experiment with acting. Little did he know, his trial period would translate into a love of Santa Monica, its legendary pier, and establishing a home of his own. 

Harris sits in his tidy but congested office in the carousel building, one of the oldest buildings on the pier that was built in 1917. Surrounded by boxes with labels that read “museum” and “gift shop,” a weekend crowd of pier visitors descend down the pier bridge behind him. 

Like many other young aspiring actors, Harris made his living as a bartender. His first job was at the Boathouse Restaurant on the pier (now Bubba Gump Shrimp).

“That’s what brought me to the pier,” Harris said. “What kept me at the pier was that I kept meeting more and more interesting people.”

Harris flipped through a stack of pictures given to him by a man who witnessed the violent storm of 1983 that washed away one third of the pier. The photographs depict massive waves reaching the edges of the dock. The pier has since been rebuilt. 

“It wasn’t the sunshine or the beach, but the people who would come in and tell these amazing stories of what the pier used to be like that had me hooked,” Harris said.

Harris started working for the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation when his bartending job ended. He became an assistant to executive director Ben Franz-Knight, planning pier events and learning about the history of the pier. 

“He loves the history of the pier and he knows everything about it,” said Aurora Pina, the group’s operations manager. “If we ever have a question about the pier, he knows the answer.”

In 2007 the task of writing a book about the pier was added to the board’s agenda. Harris had been conducting research for the book for almost a year when he was given the title of Pier Historian in 2008. 

“Jim’s passion and dedication to the pier and to Santa Monica show through his work,” wrote Dan Buchanan, Harbor Patrol Officer.

Some board members who weren’t familiar with Harris’ knowledge of the pier were not in favor of him becoming the author of the book, but Franz-Knight was in full support. 

“The relationship between the board and staff is very much a working relationship,” Harris said. “It’s very cordial, but it’s not very personal.”

Harris prides himself on completing projects that he starts, whether trivial or paramount. His current project fills his office and his mind. He plans to create a museum on the pier and has gathered a substantial amount of artifacts to inhabit one.

“He is so dedicated to the pier,” Pina said. “He considers it his home.”

Some of his favorite artifacts include a 21-foot dory boat, a medal that was issued the day the pier opened in 1909, gambling chips from shipwrecks, a jacket from a 1950s pier carousel employee and a dirty-white sailing captain’s hat from the 1930s. 

“A medal from the pier opening was something I had always hoped existed, but there was nothing written about it,” Harris said. “Then one day someone came and donated it and said I was the right guy to have it.” 

Harris’ usually calm demeanor changes when he discusses the history of the pier. He bounces around his office, digging out photographs and memorabilia given to him from other pier lovers. 

“These things aren’t doing any good sitting here in my office or in storage,” Harris said, as he pulled out a candy-apple red jacket worn by a carousel operator in the 1950s. “They need to be shared with people.”

The pier bridge will be reconstructed around 2013, which will diminish parking on the pier. Harris would like to use the empty space for an amphitheatre. He hasn’t discussed this with the board yet, but plans to in the future. 

Harris continues to learn more about the pier’s rich history by talking to people and recording their personal stories and memories of the Santa Monica landmark. 

“There are people who have a love for the pier that is amazing to witness,” Harris said. “And I consider myself one of those people.”

 

Contact Laura Varney here



 

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