1975 aerial view of the 1,018-foot original Scripps Pier built in 1915. Ellen Browning Scripps (1836-1932) provided all of the $36,000 for its construction. Scripps Institution of Oceanography used the pier for research purposes and to help pump a round-the-clock supply of ocean water to laboratories and the public aquarium. It became weather-beaten and rickety and was replaced in 1987-88 with the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier, a concrete pier 72 feet longer designed to withstand the waves for many years.