Tag Archives: Beaches
Billboard for the Deauville Beach Club on Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles (undated)
I have no information about this photo of a billboard advertising the Deauville Beach Club on Santa Monica Beach. I don’t know when the photo was taken or where the billboard stood, but in a way, that’s beside the point. … Continue reading
Train pulls into the Hotel Redondo, Redondo Beach, California, circa late 1890s
This place must have been a boon to Angelenos seeking a fun-in-the-sun vacation at the turn of the century, or Easterners looking to escape the harsh winters. By the 1890s, getting to California wasn’t so difficult with transcontinental railways now … Continue reading
Aerial shot of the original Abbot Kinney Amusement Pier, Venice Beach, California, circa 1920
Abbot Kinney, the man who conceived the huge “Venice of America” project on what we now know as simply “Venice Beach,” also built a vast amusement pier, which he opened in 1905. It featured an auditorium, dance pavilion, fun house, … Continue reading
Venice Lagoon in Windward Circle with Hotel Antler and Race Thru the Clouds roller coaster, Venice Beach, California, circa 1920
I found this photo on the website of the Venice Heritage Museum dedicated to the history of Venice Beach, California. (That’s their logo on the bottom right.) In the center is the Venice Lagoon, a centerpoint of the development’s canal … Continue reading
Looking along the Santa Monica pier to the huge La Monica Ballroom, Santa Monica Beach, California, 1936
These days, the Santa Monica pier is filled mostly with amusement park games and a big arcade of games. But back in 1936, when this photo was taken, the big draw was the La Monica Ballroom whose dance floor was … Continue reading
The front view of the Venice Beach Bath House, Venice Beach, California, (undated)
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. … Continue reading
Aerial photo showing many streets flooded in Venice, California, March 5, 1938
The Hollywood Reporter recently published this amazing aerial photo showing the many streets in Venice that became flooded as a result of the torrential rain that fell on Los Angeles during the first week of March 1938. (The photo is … Continue reading
Looking west past the lagoon toward the Windward Ave and the Venice pier, Venice, California, circa 1907
This genteel photo gives is a glimpse into what Abbot Kinney’s original vision was for what he called “Venice of America,” but which we now refer to as Venice. In the foreground, we can see the lagoon, on which Angelenos … Continue reading
The California Incline under construction, Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles 1934
The California Incline, a steeply angled road connecting Ocean Avenue to the Pacific Coast Highway, was first built in 1905. In the mid-1930s, construction on PCH meant that the Incline got an upgrade by widening the road and adding a … Continue reading
The Santa Monica Pier opens to the public on “Pier Day,” September 9, 1909
The pier on Santa Monica beach has had several incarnations over the years—mostly because piers would all too often catch fire—but this photo goes back to the day when the first one (that is to say the first concrete one … Continue reading