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<\/a>Ports O\u2019Call, circa 1963, not long after its opening. Courtesy Jerico Development\/Port of LA<\/p>\n\u201cThey had these Japanese pearl divers,\u201d Alan Johnson said. \u201cYou\u2019d buy an oyster, open it up, and there\u2019s a cultured pearl inside. They would just have these long lines. They had a glass blower who would build these little ships\u2026I mean, there was so much for kids there, just so much visual attraction that didn\u2019t cost anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy to forget, because Ports O\u2019 Call did not age well. But when it opened in 1963 the development helped put San Pedro on the map. This was before malls had proliferated and way before malls became \u201clifestyle centers.\u201d Ports O\u2019 Call was both a vibrant community hub and a tourist attraction. Newspaper accounts from August, 1963, reported 85,000 visitors for a \u201cfolk music hootenanny.\u201d Walt Disney World Village would later take inspiration from the Ports O\u2019 Call restaurant. For a few decades, Ports O\u2019 Call thrived, and kept evolving, pulling new magic tricks out of its sleeve, such as the \u201cSkytower,\u201d the odd but cool 375 ft. needle-like ride that was built in the \u201870s and lifted people up for a sweeping view of the waterfront.<\/p>\n
The Johnsons grew along with the Ports O\u2019 Call, regularly visiting throughout their teenage years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great place to meet girls,\u201d Eric Johnson said. \u201cAs I got into the tweens and my teenage years it was like, \u2018Oh, this is great hunting grounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlan and I are lifelong boaters, and I love to sport fish, so those are the exciting things I remember as a kid that you could go and do. Then it had that space needle for a while. It had this energy to it, that it was growing. It had wild restaurants, but you know, as a kid, I couldn\u2019t have cared less \u2014 we went to the Carnation restaurant because they had a great burger and soft serve ice cream. Why eat anywhere else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat BBQ place,\u201d Alan Johnson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had Texas Lucy\u2019s,\u201d Eric said. \u201cIt just kept evolving. There was always something to do, from when we were in elementary school until, really, when it got torn down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ports O\u2019 Call suffered a long decline, and by the early 2000s had ceased to be much of a destination, except for dedicated locals like the Johnsons. Its demolition became inevitable as regional leaders began to envision how to revitalize the waterfront. After a decade of discussions, in 2013, the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners selected Jerico Development, in partnership with the Ratkovich Company, to undertake the massive task of rebuilding the San Pedro waterfront.<\/p>\n
The selection was an unusual choice, given that Jerico was relatively little known, a small, family owned company that had begun as crane and trucking company a little over a century ago, then got into oil and gas exploration and production, and in the last few decades had operated restaurants before jumping into real estate and development.<\/p>\n
The reason the selection of Jerico made sense was that this is the company led by Eric and Alan Johnson. Several big name developers sought the opportunity to redevelop the San Pedro Waterfront, many with much more extensive experience with large-scale projects. But none of them knew San Pedro like the Johnsons. They\u2019d been researching and preparing for this since they were seven and eight years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just didn\u2019t know it,\u201d Eric Johnson said.<\/p>\n
Now, a dozen years later, their project is coming to life. It\u2019s called West Harbor, and it\u2019s already creating a buzz the likes of which the waterfront has not seen since Ports O\u2019 Call opened six decades ago. West Harbor includes over 200,000 square feet of restaurants, shops, and attractions, a brewery, a mile-long waterfront promenade, a 6,200-seat music amphitheater, a 175-ft Ferris wheel (the tallest in California), an expanded San Pedro Fish Market (with 3,000-person capacity), a dog park, pickleball\/padel courts, an immersive cutting-edge art gallery, and an array of waterside activities, including harbor cruises, a 1,200 ft. courtesy dock (the longest in Southern California), fishing, water taxis, and floating attractions, such as a spa on a barge, and a tiki bar on a barge. Some of West Harbor is opening now for business, and the rest is expected to be fully operational in 2026.<\/p>\n
Though West Harbor looks nothing like Ports O\u2019 Call, the exuberance of the former waterfront\u2019s heyday animates the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlan and I were in elementary school when Ports O\u2019 Call was built,\u201d Eric Johnson said. \u201cIt was just this crown jewel of town, this amazing thing to be proud of, to go spend all day and just have a unique adventure in a place that used to be basically industrial facilities. We knew West Harbor would work, because we saw what the original Ports O\u2019 Call did, and we wanted to sort of recreate that lightning-in-a-bottle effect that we remember as young people.\u201d<\/p>\n
West Harbor may take inspiration from the former waterfront but it is a complete departure from the old Ports O\u2019 Call.\u00a0<\/p>\n Where the original development tried to transport visitors to a fantastical New England fishing village that never really existed, West Harbor embraces exactly what and where it is: a modern waterfront development in an active, working port. The project speaks San Pedro\u2019s language.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe decided we were not going to be a faux New England fishing village or Polynesian village,\u201d Alan Johnson said. \u201cWe are building modern warehouses, which are in line with what would be built on the site in the 21st century. They\u2019re light, functional and don\u2019t have columns in the interior spaces. We want to make sure each element of the project is unique, authentic and fun. The old Ports O\u2019 Call was definitely unique and fun, but not so authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n The warehouse aesthetic is more than just honest \u2014 it\u2019s beautiful. Designed by Studio One Eleven, the buildings are pre-engineered metal structures with clean lines, expansive glazing, and a rhythm that feels right for the location. At night, they glow against the industrial theater of the port\u2019s lit-up cranes and the silent parade of 300-foot container ships gliding past in the main channel.<\/p>\n \u201cOur job was not to screw up this amazing site,\u201d Eric said. \u201cWe have 42 acres, a mile of water frontage on the main channel where you can throw a baseball and hit a container ship silently going by. That\u2019s something Long Beach doesn\u2019t have \u2014 a really direct relationship with the water.\u201d<\/p>\n The brothers give a virtual tour of the site with an almost giddy enthusiasm that belies the more than dozen years of grinding labor they\u2019ve put into the project, pointing out details and explaining the organizing logic behind every decision. Eric described it as a \u201ccuration exercise\u201d \u2014 assembling interesting components and figuring out where they should go and how the adjacencies would work.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve carefully curated these activity and energy nodes,\u201d Eric said. \u201cAt the south end of the site is our amphitheater. That\u2019s a big activity node centered around entertainment, but it\u2019s also a two-acre park when there are no shows. As you move north, you have Building A, which is predominantly food and beverage, and Building B, which is more retail. Then Building C is next to the amusement park and dog park \u2014 that\u2019s where the San Pedro Fish Market is going.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n They\u2019d hoped to have the Fish Market as part of the project all along, but for a few years it appeared it wouldn\u2019t be a part of the project because its owners were exploring a standalone site. But once West Harbor began to cohere, and the Fish Market saw the challenges of a separate project \u2014 the environmental impact report for West Harbor\u2019s amphitheater, for example, took almost three years to complete \u2014 they joined the larger project. The Johnsons were ecstatic. They\u2019d always believed Building C was the perfect fit for the Fish Market, which is more bustling than a typical restaurant, the waft of fresh fish mixing with the mariachi bands serenading diners. Now, the market will be next to the amusement park, with its Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and yelping kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe put them there because mariachis next to a calliope makes sense,\u201d Eric said. \u201cThat cacophony actually works well together.\u201d<\/p>\n The San Pedro Fish Market gives West Harbor both a major attraction and a sense of continuity. The beloved institution, which has been a regional draw for 50 years, lost its original location when the Port tore down the building as part of the redevelopment. The Johnsons put them up in a temporary outdoor space, and remarkably, the Fish Market\u2019s sales remained robust.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were doing $30 million a year before they closed,\u201d Eric said. \u201cThe following year in the interim space, they did $16 million in sales. That $30 million put them in the top 5 percent of restaurants in the U.S. They\u2019re going to be building a permanent facility for themselves located next to the amusement park, with capacity for 3,000 diners.\u201d<\/p>\n Building A, the first completed structure, at about 73,000 square feet, houses some of West Harbor\u2019s most anticipated tenants. Mike Hess Brewing will operate a 15-barrel brew house (comparable to Stone Brewing at Liberty Station in San Diego) with a 20,000-square-foot beer garden. King and Queen Cantina will feature a massive 9,000-square-foot over-water deck and bar. Yamashiro, a revered Japanese restaurant, will open its first location beyond its famous Hollywood Hills spot.\u00a0 A food collective will feature more than a half dozen smaller operators. There\u2019s also Hopscotch, an experiential art gallery where high-tech installations change quarterly, offering the kind of Instagrammable moments that draw crowds.<\/p>\n In early December, the development added six new culinary concepts totaling over 10,000 square feet of newly leased space. Mike Hess Brewing expanded its West Harbor footprint to include Mike Hess Distilling, introducing signature cocktails and packaged spirits alongside its seaside beer garden. The Food Collective welcomed four new operators: Tacos El Franc, a Michelin-recognized Tijuana taqueria featured on Netflix\u2019s Taco Chronicles; Glass Box, a high-concept Asian dining experience making its LA debut; Paran\u00e1 Empanadas, serving authentic Argentine fare; and LoZio Pizza, a spinoff of the Redondo Beach-based LoZio Osteria. Central Park will also feature Freska Bar, offering fruit-forward agua frescas and comfort food favorites.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cThese additions reflect our commitment to curating authentic and diverse experiences,\u201d Eric said. \u201cEach concept tells its own story through signature flavors and character, reinforcing West Harbor as a destination that will resonate with locals and global visitors.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to have a lot of programming so you don\u2019t have to plan what you\u2019re going to do,\u201d Alan said. \u201cYou go down there because you know something\u2019s going on \u2014 with the Ferris wheel, with the amusement park, with the amphitheater. But we also have stages in our central park area at the very north end, which is the connection to downtown. We just want to kind of recreate that modern activity and hub and energy.\u201d<\/p>\n They also utilized a special provision for public lands granted by the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cABC has agreed to treat the entire site, except for the parking lot, as a single area of common consumption,\u201d Eric said. \u201cSo it\u2019s kind of like going to Mexico. You can take your adult beverage, go out to the park, go hang out. That\u2019ll help both drive sales, but it also provides something of a unique environment that you can\u2019t get other places.\u201d<\/p>\n About 30 to 40 percent of West Harbor\u2019s restaurants come from San Diego, operators with coastal experience looking to expand without cannibalizing their existing business. Eighty percent of the tenants are family businesses \u2014 a deliberate choice that reflects the Johnsons\u2019 own values.<\/p>\n \u201cVal and I basically negotiate every lease,\u201d Eric said, referring to Valerie James, the company\u2019s Chief Operating Officer. \u201cWe know every tenant, we know their kids, we know their stories. We\u2019re really looking forward to having them all meet each other because it is an ecosystem. It took each and every one of those players to fit that block into the big Jenga that we\u2019ve created.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe looked at Long Beach\u2019s Rainbow Harbor as a cautionary tale,\u201d Eric said. \u201cIt was populated basically with national brands \u2014 PF Chang\u2019s, Bubba Gump, Gladstones. We said, \u2018That\u2019s not what we\u2019re going to do.\u2019 We\u2019re going to seek out best in class, independent operators from Southern California and use this coastal property to really attract the best.\u201d<\/p>\n The waterside is equally ambitious. Dan Salas of Harbor Breeze Cruises serves as the master waterside tenant, managing the slips and coordinating everything from traditional whale-watching tours and dinner cruises to more unconventional offerings. The docks will be a world unto themselves, with a waterside bar, the long courtesy dock, and a dock for the Los Angeles Maritime Institute\u2019s tall ships.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main channel is where the Maritime Institutes tall ships live,\u201d Eric said. \u201cSo they are our nautical eye candy as you enter the site.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The brothers are working on what they call \u201cwaterfront attractions\u201d \u2014 unique experiences that get people physically out on the water.<\/p>\n \u201cThink of a pool on a barge, a barge full of sand with a tiki bar at one end, and even a spa on a barge, inspired by a successful concept operating in Montreal,\u201d Eric said. \u201cMy wife and I discovered it on a research trip. We spent 10 years after we got selected for this project, and all of our vacations were in redeveloped urban ports throughout the world, just trolling for inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n The amphitheater, being developed in partnership with Nederlander Concerts LA, a family business that has operated for over 100 years and owns nine Broadway theaters and numerous music venues, including the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. West Harbor\u2019s amphitheater, will be comparable in size to the Greek and will host up to 100 large-format shows each year, and even more smaller performances.<\/p>\n \u201cGrowing up in PV, we always had to drive a long way to see quality acts\u2014to the Hollywood Bowl, the Greek, or Irvine,\u201d Eric said. \u201cThe drive was a pain, and the parking worse. The South Bay is like the donut hole in concert venues. We wanted to fill that geographical void.\u201d<\/p>\n And then there\u2019s the Ferris wheel \u2014 a 175-foot structure with LED lighting around the perimeter and in the center, capable of putting on light shows that will be visible from across the harbor and up the hill in Palos Verdes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be the last image on every network news 11 o\u2019clock newscast,\u201d said Alan, \u201cand opening the morning news.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a>
A rendering of West Harbor in San Pedro. Parts of the project are opening now, and it will be fully open by this time next year. Courtesy Jerico Development
\nNew Crown Jewel<\/p>\n