[4] An octagonal Mediterranean-style building sits at the end of the pier and houses the Roundhouse Aquarium.

In 1897, the Potencia Company was incorporated to develop land in the area and proposed a seaside resort with wharves and piers.

[1] The area was named Potencia, but the city of Manhattan was incorporated in 1912 with the word "Beach" being added in 1927.

[2] The Center Street Pier was 900 feet (270 m) long and pylons were made by fastening three railroad rails together and driving them into the ocean floor.

[1][2][6] Part of the wave motor may still be buried in the sands at the shore end of the present pier.

[1] Restoration took place in the early 1990s with a focus on retention of the old-time appearance, much like Pier 7 in San Francisco.

[1] The original pier had to be fixed as old age and decay required extensive repair, and in fact made it unsafe by the late 1980s (when a jogger was injured by falling concrete).

Harris' innovative design featured a rounded end to the pier, which helped it withstand the pounding of the Pacific.

[12] The octagonal building includes a Spanish tile roof and large gooseneck reflectors to improve lighting.

[1] According to Pierfishing.com the sandy beach area yields the normal surf species; barred surfperch, croakers, small rays and guitarfish (shovelnose shark).

Fish at the deepest water end include bonito, Pacific mackerel, jack mackerel, barracuda, an occasional white seabass or even yellowtail, and reef visitors like kelp bass, sand bass and sculpin (scorpionfish).

The pier was a popular spot for Southern California surfers in the 1940s, the early days of modern surfing.