Newport Pier History

Watch the interview on Spectrum News with Bernie Svalstad.

As the foot of the Newport Beach pier, the Dory Fish Market has been a fixture in the community for more than a century, offering fresh seafood straight from the Pacific Ocean. Spectrum News spent the morning with a local fisherman carrying on the legacy of his family’s decades-old business. The film crew visited the Newport Beach Historical Society for images of the Newport Pier and interviewed Bernie Svalstad, President.

McFadden Wharf (1888–1902)

• The story of Newport Pier begins in 1888, when brothers James and Robert McFadden built a large wharf at what is now the foot of McFadden Place.

• At the time, this was a shipping wharf, not for recreation. The McFaddens operated a successful shipping business, exporting lumber, hides, and other goods by steamship, since the nearby natural harbor (Newport Bay) was too shallow for larger vessels.

• The wharf was 1,320 feet long and connected by a narrow-gauge railroad to Santa Ana, which allowed goods from inland Orange County to reach the coast.

Decline of Shipping

• In 1902, the federal government dredged Newport Harbor, and San Pedro became the dominant shipping port. The McFaddens sold the wharf and surrounding land to William S. Collins, who saw the area’s potential as a seaside resort.

From Wharf to Pier

• The wharf transitioned to recreational use over the next decades, becoming popular for fishing, strolling, and ocean views.

• By the 1920s, Newport Beach had become a bustling beach resort town, and the old wharf was updated and rebranded as a municipal pier.

🌊 Storm Damage & Rebuilding

• The original wooden wharf suffered repeated damage from storms. In 1939, it was destroyed by a powerful hurricane (known locally as the 1939 Tropical Storm).

The city rebuilt a new pier in its place, opening in 1940. This is the pier we know today as Newport Pier.

Fishing, Family and a Century of Change at the Dory Fish Market (Spectrum News 1, July 14, 2025)

• The piece profiles the Dory Fishing Fleet & Market, a historic beachside seafood cooperative located at the base of the Newport Beach Pier.

• Founded in 1891, the Dory Market is notable as the last remaining beachside fishing cooperative in the U.S.

• By July 14, 2025, the market has been serving the local Newport Beach community for over 130 years, offering fresh seafood directly from the Pacific.

• The report follows a local fisherman who continues his family’s legacy of landing and selling seafood the traditional way—launching at dawn, returning early with the catch, and selling at the cooperative stand.

• Customers at the market benefit from exceptionally fresh offerings—often including seasonal items like live crab, sea urchin, spot prawns, snails, spiny lobster, and sea cucumbers depending on the season.

• The story underscores the fusion of family tradition, community ties, and cultural heritage that has supported the Dory Fish Market through more than a century of changes.