History of Venice Beach

In the 1890's, Venice, as we know it today, was basically a marshland west of Los Angeles and was for the most part barren. Abbot Kinney, a wealthy tobacco mogul, world traveler and co-owner of the Ocean Park Casino and Resort, was the person that saw something different. Kinney wanted to create a place that would be known as the "Venice of America". Kinney dreamed of a town that would be culturally reminiscent of Venice, Italy and would adorned with gondolas, amusement piers, hotels and Venetian-styled structures.

Since his casino was doing very well, Kinney and his partners purchased all of the land south of Ocean Park and started building what would later become the Venice of today in 1904. Despite two horrible winter storms, Venice, CA was ready to celebrate by July 4th, 1905. Attractions on the pier, yacht racing, swimming races, band concerts and fireworks amazed the crowd of over 20,000 people. It was very apparent right from the start that tourists were excited about the new Venice of America.

By 1932, the depression had hit the U.S. hard and Venice also suffered. However, when liquor consumption became legal again and bingo games were made into games of skill and betting, the economy started to thrive again.

World War II greatly affected Venice and its amusement centers. A blackout was instilled which only allowed people to use the piers and attractions during the daytime. Due to the war, National Guardsmen patrolled the beaches in search of enemy submarines and ships. For soldiers on weekend leave, Venice became a major attraction for them to send some time having fun and enjoying the California weather. The evening curfew was lifted by 1944 and Venice bounced back to normal life.

Venice today is a cultural melting pot of art, music and its own lifestyle. One can cruise the Boardwalk and see many street artists, vendors, musicians, bodybuilders, palm readers and movies being filmed throughout the area. Venice is the number one seaside destination on the West Coast so please come visit Venice and be a part of its colorful history!