Intro to Venice: The Venice of America
Venice Beach opened to the public on July 4th, 1905. In advertisements luring people to the new resort town, it was called the “Venice of America.” On its opening day, it drew thousands of visitors. Today, this city still draws tourists from all over the world. This post kicks off my deep dive into Venice, including what to see and do, where to shop, the best places to eat, and where to soak up its culture. But first, a little history…
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The Venice of America
Venice, Italy, is both the namesake and inspiration for this beach town south of Santa Monica, once called the Venice of America. It was designed as a mash-up of Italy and the East Coast. From Venice, it took its Neoclassical architecture and canals, and from America, it tossed in a little Coney Island.
Venice, CA, was the realization of land developer and jack-of-all-trades Abbot Kinney. He wanted to create a beach resort town for people to relax, learn, and enjoy themselves. The ocean breezes were a respite for those who lived in other parts of Los Angeles who wanted to escape the heat. Travel to the coast was air conditioning before there was air conditioning. There was a lot to do to keep people occupied. Venice had a funfair pier — like Santa Monica Pier — with overwater cafes, a dance hall, and a saltwater plunge. The Venice of America opened to big fanfare.
Many of the original buildings echoed the style of Venetian architecture with brick buildings connected by arcades. (See this photo of Basilica Pallsiana for comparison.) No homage to Venice would be complete without the Venice canals. The wetlands in the area were filled in to create Venice’s extensive, interconnected canal system. On Opening day, tourists were treated to gondola rides with costumed gondoliers. (See photo below)
Venice was an independent city until Los Angeles annexed it in the 1920s. During the long prohibition years, it was a hub for illegal booze.
Today
If you want to see some of the remnants of old Venice, head to the corner of Windward and Pacific. There you can shop, dance, and get a tattoo. If you want to grab a great cocktail in one of these historic buildings, I recommend Gran Blanco in the former Bank of Venice building.
The Venice Boardwalk is a popular tourist draw, with its wide sandy beach and restaurants lining the boardwalk. Locals gravitate to the street named after Venice’s founder, Abbot Kinney. I will discuss these areas in depth in upcoming posts.
Venice weird
Venice is the home of Los Angeles weird. I never understood this term. Is it art that makes a city weird or its people? Venice is covered in art, from the murals that span across its buildings and down its alleyways. Venice residents are characters–a little gritty and a whole lot eccentric. Thinking about the comparison to other weird cities, like Portland or Austin, the businesses that call Venice home are mom-and-pops—not many chain restaurants, with the exception of those lining Lincoln Avenue. So if that is weird, I will take it.
Venice is also where skateboarding was born. I strongly recommend watching the Dogtown and Z-Boys documentary directed by the legend, Stacey Peralta.
Next up…The beach and boardwalk.
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