No longer used as a commercial wharf, it is used for fishing and as a pedestrian walkway with views of Ventura and the Channel Islands.

It has been partially destroyed by storms and waves on several occasions and by collision with the steamer Coos Bay in 1914.

The structure is a centerpiece of tourism promotion and hosts families, fishers, and tourists daily.

[14] On May 20, 1871, two meetings of San Buenaventura citizens were held at Spear's Hall, one in the morning and a follow-up in the evening, to discuss the construction of a wharf in Ventura.

A ceremony was held at which Arcadia Camarillo, the wife of Joseph Wolfson, who led the effort to build the wharf, broke a bottle of wine over the first piling.

The Ventura Signal wrote: "At last a steamer can lay alongside of the wharf, and discharge and take on cargo and passengers.

[15] An oil pipeline was built through the Santa Clara River Valley from the Pico Canyon Oilfield near Newhall in 1886.

[24] During its years of operation as a wharf, the pier was damaged on multiple occasions by storms, shipwrecks, and fire.

The ship attempted to moor "when a strong rip tide swung her hard against the piling.

made the steamer a trip-hammer pounding against the structure from the under-side and lifting large sections of the wharf almost at every blow.

[30] The pier reached its greatest length of 1,958 feet (597 meters) when it was rebuilt after being damaged in a winter storm in 1937.

[31][32] Like the wharf that preceded it, the pier experienced repeated damage from storms and heavy surf.

[23] The 2022–2023 winter storms caused severe damage to the pier, closing a large portion due to safety concerns.

[55] The Ventura Pier is a popular filming spot and has appeared in such programs as "Melrose Place".