This aerial photo gives us a rather spectacular view of the Ocean Park Pier in Santa Monica in 1930, four years after it opened. It had two big roller coasters on each side, plus a tower with what looks like a curly slide, and at the end of the pier a water slide called The Chutes. I’m impressed by the size of the dancing pavilion to the left (i.e. the north side of the pier) – there appears to be plenty of elbow room for waltzing couples, as well as tons of parking. The pier closed in 1956 and reopened in the summer of 1958 as Pacific Ocean Park.
Aerial photo of Ocean Park Pier, Santa Monica, California, 1930
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Muscle Beach was right next to the pier
And the Aragon Ball Rm.
And Venice Beach
Down to now the Marina Del Rey
But before that was Lake Washington, where I used to go water-skiing in 50’s
And of course, the Venice Canals with the gondola’s in the 30’s-40’s
Takes me back a long-long time ago.
Martin, This fabulous aerial of Venice reveals two of the Beachfront’s classic City of Venice (1911-1925) structures and a mystery. OP Pier extends from Ocean Park Blvd. and its amusements section spreads south (right) down the beachfront toward the tall white Rose Avenue apartment building (NW corner Ocean Front Walk (OFW). Further south, one block back, on the Speedway (1st street east of OFW, we see another tall white building at 16 Thornton Ave.
I’ve interviewed family members who managed the building (1913-present) and who ran an automotive service station on Main Street, north of Rose Ave. (1911-1920s?) who say Isadora Duncan lived at 16 Thornton when she performed in downtown LA (1919?) and Gertrude, visiting from Ohio used to drive Isadora’s electric vehicle, after it was charged at her uncle’s shop on Main Street back to 16 Thornton where Isadora lived. Isadora also brought a Paris dance commune to Venice. The top floor is an eight-sided room with 8 foot windows! Memory still recollecting my life there in the 70-90s…I lived there for a month.
Anyhow, the famous 19th-20th Parisian sculptor Auguste Rodin supposedly put one of his faceless nude sculptures in front of the building. There is a big space in front of the elaborate marble-lined entryway, the basement entrance led to an indoor swimming pool. LA Times Dance Critic, at the time, told me if I could prove she lived there (while she performed in LA) it would be historic news.
I looked through a No Cal database that had 170 Rodin sculptures. 80% said, “woman” never a name. Isadora in her autobiography claims Rodin seduced her (euphemism for rape). I have never seen a pre-WW II photo of Thornton Ave (Isadora Duncan Towers, community name), sits on South East corner of Speedway. Apparently, City of Venice Building permits of 1913 were trashed when City of LA took over the City of Venice in 1925…
I would pay $50 to see a photo that had the statue still standing in front of 16 Thornton Towers 90291… Date and photograph’s source an extra $50…
Big Mystery. I could send you a close up of the building, which I used in my 1976 photo-history book, VENICE OF AMERICA The American Dream Come True Constitutional Capers by Sweet William. Unchanged in 109 years…
Hey William, you never know who might come across this page and might have that elusive photo for you…
Hoping…
The Interurbans Special (1965-66) on Los Angeles Pacific Railroad has some information on the early years of development in these coastal towns. Apparently the name Ocean Park was used by both the current area and by Venice itself. The name was changed only later to Venice. And there were rail stations for each site. Ocean Park was quite the thing when they tried to promote it. Kinney broke off to start that flood zone miracle.