As far as I can tell, the Venice Beach Bath House stood at the Ocean Park end of Venice Beach. It was quite a big deal when it opened for business on June 21, 1908 at a cost of $100,000. (More than $3 million in today’s money.) The place featured a 100 x 150 foot heated salt water pool that could accommodate 2000 bathers as well as a plunge. This photo is undated but the place is looking a little worse for wear, so I’m going to guess maybe circa 1950s? I’m not 100% sure what “Bridgo” was, but one site implied that it was some sort of card parlor where people played Bridge? Like for money? If anyone out there knows for sure, let us know in the comments.
Lew S. says: “Bridgo was a form of Bingo. Well, it actually WAS Bingo with a change of name (there were other variations of the name) because Bingo was officially designated in the city’s statutes as gambling and was therefore illegal. There were a number of quite swanky Bridgo parlors in Venice in the ’50s. They lasted until the local powers-that-be finally caught on to the name ploy and cracked down on them. I am assuming that the photo displays what we called the Venice Plunge. (The pool was certainly far larger than 100’x150′.) It was severely damaged by fire in, I believe, the late ’30s and stood empty and decaying until it was finally demolished in the ’50s.”
Michael D says: “If I’m making it out right, the signs on the corner of the building say 45 Market St and 40 Market St. I can’t make out the middle one. I think it’s 63 Market St. Market St is one street north of Windward.”
Here are a couple of color postcards that give us an idea of what the Venice Beach bath house was like in its prime:
See https://www.westland.net/venicehistory/articles/gambling.htm .
Thanks, Keith!
Bridgo was actually just above Windward at Market St. The building was torn down in the ‘60s but before that (and after Bridgo, which was a *mostly* legal games parlor) it housed the infamous Beat generation enclave the Gas House.
Thanks so much for weighing in, Kristina. Emphasis on “mostly”, huh?!?!
Indeed haha. Bridgo was an early form of gaming later defined by the city as gambling and outlawed. William Harrah ran Bridgo, and when he got tired of dealing with city regulators, he moved to Reno and eventually opened the famous casino we know by his name!
The Bath House, on the beach side of Ocean Front Walk, was just north of Windward Ave. which connected with the Venice Pleasure Pier. It was a salt-water pool that the seniors loved…
Thanks William!
I located the date on the left side of the photo along the edge. There are letters and numbers etched along the edge, I can not make out the words, but I can see 1948 or 1943. Great Pics
Thanks, Julie!