A massive monument honoring one of the South Bay's most visible surf icons has moved a step closer to breaking ground.

The Hermosa Beach Surfing Memorial is expected to be funded entirely with private donations and, once completed, will rise more than 10 feet above the ground at the high-profile corner of Pier Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.

The monument depicting local surfing hero Dewey Weber is based on an iconic photograph taken in 1966 by Leroy Grannis of the surfer completing a cutback on a wave at 22nd Street in Hermosa Beach.

The project, first proposed in 2003, is expected to cost about $95,000. It was approved Tuesday by the Hermosa Beach City Council.

"It's no longer a dream," said Richard Morgan, the city's public works director, who is set to retire after seven years working in the city.

"When Dewey did that cutback, Hermosa was the epicenter of surfing," Morgan added. "It's a great era of Hermosa Beach we wanted to keep alive."

The bronze monument, Morgan's final project as a city employee, is a toned-down version from one originally proposed and could be unveiled as early as next spring. A groundbreaking is expected in the next several months.

The monument will be crafted by Phil Roberts, a noted surf artist who designs the trophy for the annual Pipeline Masters, considered one of professional surfing's most prestigious events.

"He imagined that moment, when Grannis was taking that picture, and represented it in a way that's just spectacular," said Councilman Jeff Duclos. Weber, a Mira Costa graduate who would go on to build a surfboard and clothing empire, was renowned for his finely crafted surfboards and unique surfing style - instead of keeping his feet planted while riding a wave, Weber would commonly walk up and down the board. His style went on to influence the term "hot dogging."

Grannis is a famed retired surf photographer and Hermosa Beach
Undated photo of surfing legend Dewey Weber from the 1960s. (File photo)
native.

City officials already are excited about the project, pointing to the steady wave of financial support, including a $50,000 donation from Joe Melchione, a local resident and former member of Weber's surf team. More than 70 personalized bricks have been sold for $200 apiece. The bricks will line an area surrounding the memorial.

The proposed monument has also received substantial attention from the surf industry, Duclos said.

"This will be a major point of public art that will bring international attention to our city," Duclos said. "I'm very excited about this."

But Councilman Michael DiVirgilio cautioned against approving the project without more public scrutiny.

"I like the memorial and I support doing this. But I feel like we're rushing a few steps," said DiVirgilio, who did not vote to approve the project. "We are totally rushing and skipping the process because of some special circumstances."

Once finished, the surfer's memorial will be the city's second piece of public art. A statue honoring Tim Kelly, a local lifeguard who died in a car crash in 1964, currently stands at the base of the Hermosa Beach Pier. The city also has a "Surfer's Walk of Fame" on the pier.

But monuments honoring small town surfing culture have not come without problems. In Redondo Beach, a bronze bust of George Freeth, credited with bringing surfing to local shores, was stolen from the city's pier in 2008. Work is being completed on a replacement statue.

And in Cardiff, a seaside community 50 miles south of Hermosa Beach, a bronze statue originally intended to be a nod to the city's surfing history has received massive attention for its awkward depiction of a young surfer. The 12-foot "Cardiff Kook," as it's been dubbed, was built in 2007 and intended to evoke the difficulty and exhilaration of learning to surf. Instead, the statue, which portrays a surfer standing on a board with arms spread wide, has become a target for vandals and prank artists.

Local city officials apparently have taken note.

At a August City Council meeting, Morgan commented on the controversial piece of art, saying that bringing on Roberts would give Hermosa's memorial immediate credibility.

"They spent $90,000 on a bronze sculpture that's actually laughed at in the surfing community," Morgan said of the Cardiff statue. "We don't have any of those worries with this."