Pier Cornerstone Containing Time Capsule on View

A cornerstone containing a 1914 time capsule was placed on public display Friday for the first time since its excavation during the ongoing demolition of the Huntington Beach Municipal Pier.

The time capsule will not be opened for another month, but the cornerstone will remain on view through April 30 at the Huntington Center mall. The relic, encased in Plexiglas, is accompanied by a pictorial history of the pier.

The cornerstone--a 19-inch-square cube weighing an estimated 600 pounds--was removed from a staircase at the foot of the pier. Two opposite faces of polished black granite bear the inscription “Municipal Pier--1914.”

Since being unearthed Dec. 6, the artifact has been stored at the city’s maintenance facility on Gothard Street, city spokesman Dennis Williams said.

City historians discovered that the cornerstone contains a time capsule while researching newspaper clippings on the construction of the pier. The capsule will be opened during a ceremony at City Hall tentatively scheduled for next month, Williams said.

The remainder of the pier is expected to be demolished within two weeks, Williams said, making way for its replacement. The new pier is expected to be completed in about a year.

The city, through public and private donations, has collected more than $8 million toward the $11.7-million pier reconstruction project. As of Friday, a private fund-raising effort had collected slightly more than $1.2 million of the $2.8-million goal.