The piers along Santa Monica and Venice beaches in California have taken on several incarnations during the past 150 years (due to the vagaries of weather, fire, technology, trends) so it can be hard sometimes to tell one from the other. Identifying this 1924 shot of the Santa Monica pier, however, is made easy by the building on the right. It’s the Looff Hippodrome, which housed the Looff’s carousel. (Charles Looff invented the carousel in the 1800s.) What surprised me is how close the rollercoaster was to the road. I’m used to seeing the Santa Monica pier’s rollercoaster set much farther back. This one is under construction, but from the sign near the middle of the photo, they were calling it the “Whirlwind Dipper.”
This image of the Looff Hippodrome is from 2015 but it looks the same today.
This 2021 satellite image of the Santa Monica pier shows how big it is today.
Too bad the hippodrome lost that turret-like structure on the top. It really makes it look cool.
You’re right, it is a shame. But we’re lucky it’s still here at all.
The turret-like structure in the middle of the roof is still there. It just doesn’t show in the photo because of the angle at which the picture was taken.
Ha! And I’m short, which is why I probably don’t see it when I’m there in person.