Until I came across this photo, I didn’t know Los Angeles had a Fisherman’s Wharf. Apparently it’s on the Redondo Beach pier, and was filled with the requisite seafood restaurants, a gift shop for souvenirs, and a place to buy tackle. But my favorite is a place called Moon Mullen’s, which is a pretty great name for a hamburger stand. This photo was taken in August 1953, but it looks like the morning haze hasn’t burned off yet. The Redondo beachfront has been so completely redeveloped that nothing looks like this anymore.
Color photo of Fisherman’s Wharf, Redondo Beach, California, August 1953
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“Moon Mullins” was a popular comic strip from 1923 to 1991.
There were some questions a while back about the piers in Santa Monica. As it turns out, there is a surviving photo taken on the original wharf used by the Los Angeles & Independence Railroad (later absorbed by Southern Pacific) for unloading ships to rail cars. I wouldn’t doubt that this one might have also served as a fisherman’s wharf until the storms destroyed it, but probably no restaurants or tiki bars back then. [Coal was one of the most important commodities in those days and access to ocean vessel rates meant serious competition for anyone who lacked a pier. No doubt this is why Espee and Santa Fe first wanted to hold wharfs on the north bay. All to the benefit of fishermen when cargo was all shifted to San Pedro later. More parking! The story of Los Angeles.]
Tony’s still exist. Although I think there were two Tony’s.
https://www.oldtonys.com/about. A partial quote: “he opened Tony’s on the Pier in 1952, thinking it would be easier than commercial fishing. Boy, was he wrong.
Tony’s originally opened in a small shack of a building. In 1961, he expanded the dining room with a lower patio area with sliding glass windows. Customers immediately fell in love with sliding windows, which they frequently opened to feed the birds and take in the fresh ocean air. Speaking of 1961 and falling in love, it was also in 1961 that a beautiful lady showed up at Tony’s and applied for a waitress job. Although the restaurant was well-staffed and not currently hiring, Tony felt compelled to hire her on the spot anyway. This turned out to be a good thing, since they got married three years later.”
https://www.dailybreeze.com has articles on Tony’s but it’s a subscription site with limited free access.
And another restaurant with a Croatian heritage still operates on the pier. http://qualityseafood.com/historic-los-angeles-seafood-market/ (Full disclosure. I’m a cousin. )
Skyscraper pages Noirish L.A. had interesting background on Redondo’s waterfront zone and the Fisherman’s Wharf on page 1544: https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?s=dd1616def7b21239dcd8e68bef56c186&t=170279&highlight=american+storage+building&page=1544
Note how the Santa Fe tracks are cut off where the Pacific Electric comes down on the Redondo via Del Rey line (which then turns uphill). There’s also a good shot of a rail yard or reserve further up near the power plant. 1890 era maps place a rail line coming up the coast and terminating at the Playa del Rey bluffs point (not named that back then). This would be a Santa Fe predecessor (like California Central R.R./Southern California Ry.) extended up there and then replaced as P.E. Ry. built outward from the Venice Short Line Junction at Culver/Palms. Freeing up the Redondo beach zone would then allow for the wharf changes over time.
Some historical development coverage of Los Angeles & Redondo Railway (and predecessors) originally compiled by Ira Swett and presented in 1957 (formatted for Electric Railway Historical Assoc. of SoCal here): http://www.erha.org/la&r.htm
Early Wharfs, shops, hotel, waterfront facilities, and trackage changes are within the documentation. Huntington’s role in changing everything is major. And notable is the fact that Los Angeles Railway cars could get all the way to Redondo for a few years (used for special outings).
A fishing blog with great coverage of Redondo wharf (aka Santa Fe wharf) and the use for fishing: https://www.pierfishing.com/redondo-wharf-no-1-santa-fe-wharf-1888-1915-gone-but-not-forgotten/