ith
the
new
building
and new
identity
came more changes. Gone was
the ramshackle pier house and
lunch counter Robinson and
Dalton remember, where it was
not uncommon to see prize
catches of the day hung proudly
in the corner or feel the rush
of the incoming tide through
the widely-spaced plank flooring.
However, the new business model
allowed the pier to remain, albeit
slowly deteriorating with each
new pulse of strong surf and
wind.
In 2011, the continued weak-ening
of the pier stirred the
need for action. Strong waves generated by Hurricane Isaac in
late August, 2012, forced the issue when a piling and cross brac-ing
beams were ripped from the structure. Soon, Watson con-tracted
Wilmington, North Carolina architect Frank Smith of
Smith 2 Architecture and Design to design a complete renovation
after Smith and the structural engineers at Andrew Consulting
Engineers discovered a small repair was not an option.
The pier renovation funded by LM Restaurants, parent company
of the Oceanic Restaurant, was required by the North Carolina
Division of Coastal Management to re-open the pier for public fishing.
While the new pier’s length will only be almost half of the origi-nal
1,000-foot Mira Mar pier, Smith says the renovation will at
least bring fishing back.
“It was an exercise in reestablishing the public access to the
water, reestablishing the fishing pier and making it as attractive,
safe and weatherproof as possible,” Smith says. “I think the end
result is going to be pretty nice and seems to be receiving some
good reviews.”
Improvements to the structural design of the pier include addi-tional
side cross bracing beams, and Smith says each pile was driven
30 feet into the ground. In contrast, some of the old piles removed
during the renovation were only 5 feet deep, he says.
No matter how deeply the piles are anchored, Crystal Pier has
entrenched itself in the fabric of Wrightsville Beach history and the
lives of those who have grown up with it.
While he won’t be hooking his legs around the pier railing at the
new Crystal or ordering any hamburger steaks at the Oceanic, Ed
Dalton says he may return to wet a line.
“I’d probably go out for old time’s sake,” Dalton says. “I have
lived all over the country but every time I go back to the beach
I would always walk down to Crystal Pier, just to make sure the
ocean was still there.”
40
WBM august 2013
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALLISON POTTER PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALLISON POTTER
Top: The renovation of Crystal Pier in progress with crews working seaward to complete the project.
Above: With a new awning, timbers and deeper piles, architect Frank Smith says the renovated Crystal
Pier will be a much sturdier structure.
W