Huntington Beach's black gold, oil, appears as a theme in the tile mural featured at Pier Plaza. In the early 1900's the landscape was filled with oil derricks and pumps, and today, there still are some producers on and off shore.

Picture above is one section of the themed tile mural that spans a wall at Pier Plaza overlooking the Huntington Beach Pier in Huntington Beach, Calif. Designed by the late Terry Schoonhoven who signed his name as "T" above in the lower right corner of the tiles, the mural has worn well and is still in style as a happy piece portraying splices of time in the history of Huntington Beach.

Huntington Beach Pier Plaza is a community gathering spot when the sun rises and sets. It's a place to listen to a free Sunday concert on a stage that guests can watch, while looking at the Pacific Ocean backdrop. It is home to the weekly Farmer's Market and Craft Fair, voted as one of the most scenic markets in Orange County, California.

Pier Plaza was constructed and built in nearly 10 years ago back when Huntington Beach started redeveloping its downtown region. From her office above Jack's Surfboards, Diane Baker, former CEO of the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau, used to gaze out to the ocean with enthusiasm that Huntington Beach was coming into its own as a coastal destination.

Local citizens and city officials were, likewise, eagerly awaiting a new face of the beach...some were.  But others successfully worked to thwart larger developments on the beach that would have impacted open space and ocean views that are now so visible to cars passing by on Pacific Coast Highway 1.

What's developed has been a success as you'll see in photos on BeachCalifornia.com.  Though the cement seating at Pier Plaza is not particularly comfortable, it is durable and does the trick. Children like to play on the grass lawn next to the plaza, providing an eco-friendly softer spot for your bottom, back or lawn chair.

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