Tag Archives: Venice Beach

A double-decker bus transports passengers between Los Angeles and Venice, Southern California, 1914

Here we have an early example of the sort of double-decker motor coaches that were put into service to transport people between Los Angeles and Venice. Back in 1914, when this photo was taken, there was a lot of open, … Continue reading

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A battleship-shaped food stand on Venice Pier, Venice, California, circa 1910s

I’m not sure why someone would think a battleship would make for an inviting food stand, but someone did as we can see in this circa 1910s photo taken on the Venice Pier. I think the sign says “FRESH FISH” … Continue reading

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Looking northeast along Aldebaran Canal, Venice, California, 1911

In this genteel, almost pastoral photo, we’re looking northeast along Aldebaran Canal in Venice, California. Developer Abbot Kinney opened Venice in 1905; this image was taken six years later, in 1911. We can see that quite a few homes had … Continue reading

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Color photo of a Pacific Electric streetcar rolling along the Venice Short Line, Los Angeles, 1945

I’ll take any excuse to post a color photo of a red Pacific Electric streetcar. This one was rolling along a route known as the “Venice Short Line” which went from downtown Los Angeles to the beach via Culver City. … Continue reading

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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

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Aerial photograph of Thomas Ince’s aviation field, Venice, California, circa mid 1910s

That Thomas Ince fellow sure packed a lot of living in his 44 years. It wasn’t enough that he became a pioneer filmmaker who practically invented the Hollywood studio system and the Western. He also developed a 460-acre tract where … Continue reading

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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

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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

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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

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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

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