Developer Abbot Kinney had a grand idea to build a seaside amusement complex. He called it Venice of America and, complete with canals, it opened in 1905. This photo of St Mark’s Hotel was taken that same year. That bunting draped across the hotel was probably for the grand opening, which was on July 4th, 1905. The hotel stood – as the building still stands today – on the northwest corner of Windward and Ocean Avenues, although it’s probably been a while since it saw a horse-drawn wagon like the one parked on the left hand side of this photo.
Talk about raping it of its humanity. This must be one of the “progress” situations.
Yes, it’s a shame they couldn’t have at least kept all those lovely arches.
Is that really the same building?
It has been brutalized.
Exactly. I can only imagine what a paradise L.A. was back on the day this hotel opened.
supposedly the walls of the st. mark were, like in Italy, six feet thick…AK of course lived there during his life in Europe…
Six feet thick? I can’t imagine that’s true – although they’d come in handy during an earthquake!
I forgot to mention Venice Avenues is incorrect. Ocean Front Walk. Walks, promenades, were tres popular at the turn of the 20th Century in Europe. London the center of the modern universe Venice Italy its origin. So Abbot installed a Broad Walk, not a boardwalk. One of my favorite historical snafus: went from a cement Broad Walk to a cement Boardwalk….and no one complained, at least their complaints weren’t published…
Hey Martin,
Nice to see a comment here from Venice historian “Sweet William” McNally – howdy Bill!
Just a note re these images above – they are not the same building. The early shot is indeed the St. Marks but that building was demolished in the ’60s. That area to the West of Speedway is now a series of shops like Jay’s Bike Rental and Gonzo Africa. The image below shows The Windward Hotel at the Eastern end of the same block of Windward Avenue. The cross street is Pacific.
Thanks for that clarification Todd – and William! I’ve now removed the modern image.
Most welcome. My daughter Kristina is now President of our Venice Heritage Museum project and handles most media – she loved the Short Line post. Great stuff
My great-grandfather, Frank J. Early, operated the “Hotel Venice Cafe”, directly across from the St. Marks, on the Southeast corner of Windward (just to the right, out of frame). He was probably none too pleased when Townhouse opened in 1915 (where I’ve imbibed many an eve). We’ve yet to find any pictures of his bar, sadly. If you have anything pointed toward the other side of the street, it’d be quite a treat!
Hi Patrick, and thanks for stopping by. I don’t have any photos of it, but someone reading this might!
My uncle, Leo Smith, was the last owner of the beautiful St. Marks. He and my mother fought the Venice Planning Commession for years to no avail. By the time he was able to prove that it was feasible to maintain the structure he was bankrupt. The building was repossessed and torn down. That was the plan from the beginning. The Venice Planning Commession was working on a “Master Plan”, drawn up years earlier that would have eliminated all the beachfront properties to create massive beachfront parking. Of course they never succeeded in the complete Plan but the beautiful St. Marks is now an ugly parking lot!
Hi Bill, thanks for stopping by and sharing all this information with us. What a shame he couldn’t get them to see the value in keeping St Marks. To quote Joni Miller “Don’t it always seem to go yhat you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone…”