Tag Archives: Venice Beach
Venice Pier with the Ship Café visible on the right
I don’t have a date for this shot of the Venice Pier but it’s probably circa 1910s or 20s. On the right we can see the Ship Café, which opened in 1905 by Baron Long (who went on to develop … Continue reading
Windward Avenue, Venice, California, 1914
This photo of Windward Avenue, Venice, California, was taken in 1914, and gives us a glimpse into what Venice looked like when it was newly opened (“Venice of America” opened on July 4th, 1905) and still close to Abbot Kinney’s … Continue reading
Venice Canals as they appeared in 1922 at what is now Main St., Venice, California
I’m so glad that someone thought to take photos of the canals of Venice when they were at their idyllic height. The canal we’re seeing here is now Main Street but oh, how wonderful it looked! With that bridge, the … Continue reading
Looking north along the Ocean Front Walk on Venice Beach, November 17, 1929
Here we are looking north along the Ocean Front Walk on Venice Beach on November 17, 1929. In the distance, we can see the Santa Monica pier rollercoaster. Today, this same view is jam-packed with a never-ending and crazy kaleidoscope … Continue reading
Hotel Omar at the corner of Windward Ave and Trolleyway (now Pacific Ave), Venice, California, 1914
Yesterday, I spent the day with fellow Hollywood historical fiction author Laini Giles, who is in town to promote her new Clara Bow book, “The It Girl and Me” (http://amzn.to/2riuSi3) and I took her down to Venice for some LA … Continue reading
House sitting between two canals, Venice, California, circa early 1900s
I can’t imagine there were any other houses in Los Angeles that sat at the intersection of two canals. I don’t have a date for this one, but Abbot Kinney’s “Venice of America” opened in 1905, so around then or … Continue reading
Well-dressed beach-goers crowding Venice Beach, California, 1917
In this shot, we can see throngs of people crowding Venice Beach in 1917. There are people in the background wearing swimsuits, but all the people in the foreground are in jackets and collars and ties and hats. I can’t … Continue reading
Electric sidewalk car in Venice, Los Angeles, circa 1920
Well, this looks like fun. Apparently at Venice Beach, somebody offered rides on an “electric sidewalk car” up and down the boardwalk. That beachfront walk is always so crowded these days that something like that would be more of a … Continue reading
Venice Beach, California, 1906
It’s hard to find a photograph of Venice Beach that’s earlier than this one. Venice, California, was founded by tobacco millionaire Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a beach resort town designed to give Angelenos desperate to escape the crowding of … Continue reading
A Venice (California) canal in 1905 – the same year the project was completed.
Considering how congested Venice Beach is these days, it’s hard to imagine it ever looked like this. This shot of a Venice canal was taken the same year that Abbot Kinney’s Venice canals project opened – 1905. How peaceful and … Continue reading