“Hey everybody. This episode is close to my heart. I just love everything about Venice Beach California. Especially this fancy history that comes with the place known as Venice of America!” – Cynthia Troyer
In Like Cyn – Season 2 Episode 13
Venice of America
Published to Youtube August 25, 2016
IN LIKE CYN – SEASON 2 – EPISODE 13
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
In Like Cyn – Season 2 Episode 13
Venice of America
Published to YouTube August 25, 2016
[Cyn: Cynthia Troyer; SE: Sage Emeralds]
Title: The Comedy Multiverse logo
Title: In Like Cyn logo
Cyn: Hello, hello and welcome to another episode of In Like Cyn.
SE: Wha-wha – what? Uh uh uh yo! Every thing I do is brand new I must continue… Everything I do is brand new I must continue…
Cyn: And today we are in Venice Beach
TITLE: Cynthia Troyer, screenwriter
Cyn: And I am going to take you to the canals of Venice.
Cyn: The Venice Canals behind me.
Cyn VO: In the 1890’s, one man’s dream of a renaissance resort and amusement park transformed a deteriorating marshland west of Los Angeles, California, into the “Coney Island of the Pacific.”
Cyn VO: Abbot Kinney, a wealthy tobacco mogul, world traveler and co-owner of the Ocean Park Casino and Resort, came to odds with his partners. After he won the flip of a coin Kinney surprisingly chose the undeveloped marshy land south of Ocean Park. He envisioned a resort town culturally reminiscent of Venice, Italy, complete with canals, gondolas, amusement piers, hotels and Venetian-styled structures.
Cyn VO: Kinney along with a landscape architect and town planner from Boston, Massachusetts and an army of architects began to design a seventy foot wide, half mile long Grand Canal and a 900 foot long amusement pier jutting out into the Ocean. And all town buildings were to be “Venetian Renaissance” style.
Cyn VO: In September of 1904, The Los Angeles Pacific Company enabled inland Los Angeles residents to visit Venice by completing the first electric trolley line. Building was almost complete and all was running smoothly until two monstrous winter storms demolished the pier. The opening had to be moved from May to July. Over 1,000 workers toiled around the clock. On June 30, ocean water, streaming in through two huge pipes, began flowing at a rate of 500 gallons a second filling the canal’s central lagoon.
Cyn VO: The reconstructed pier, 2,500 seat amphitheater and pavilion were completed and Venice of America was ready to open — and celebration of the utmost was in order. July 4, 1905! There was something for everyone – Yacht racing, swimming races in the lagoon, band concerts, and of course – fireworks! Venice of America was a success.
Cyn VO: All summer the work continued on the canal network. And the residential real estate sold like hotcakes. Later that summer, the crowds grew when more imported gondolas and the miniature railroad arrived. It was to cart people in and around town.
Cyn VO: In January of 1906, Kinney’s Midway Plaissance opened. On the south bank of the lagoon, you could visit Darkness + Dawn, and go to “hell” as based on Dante’s Inferno.
Cyn VO: Kinney was in constant competition with his former partners – they had dance parlors, he built a bigger dance parlor. Kinney set his sights on matching Ocean Park and building his own Bathhouse and Plunge. However, his former partners refused to issue him proper permits. In defiance Kinney poured the concrete foundations. In a big stand-off the Sheriff attempted to dynamite the fledgling Plunge. However, the women’s Pick & Shovel Club picnicked on the foundation and the Sheriff backed down. Kinney had his way and the Venice Plunge opened.
Cyn VO: Over the years new attractions kept the crowds coming. The Aquarium opened in 1909. The pier was widened for a carousel, a Japanese Tea house and more restaurants. In 1910, the Scenic Railroad opened. In 1912, came Bathing Suit Beauty Contests and The Virginia Reel. In 1916 came a replica of Noah’s Ark. Also in 1916, the Giant Dipper known as “The Wicket One” replaced The Big Dipper. A sign read “This is sure some wicked ride!” In 1918, the Ferris Wheel. In 1925, Two Airplanes. And in 1934, the Venice Gondola.
Cyn VO: By the 1920’s Abbot Kinney died from lung cancer, the pier burned and his son rebuilt it. Venice was no longer a picturesque resort. Oil was discovered! And Venice became an oil boomtown. This is the Grand Canal in 1930. Sadly, as the auto gained in popularity, the canals were viewed by many as outdated, and the bulk of the canals were filled in 1929 to create roads. During the Depression, after the amusement piers were closed, Venice became a ghost town. The pier was finally closed and demolished in 1946.
VENICE TODAY
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OUTRO
Cyn: Hey everybody. Thanks for watching the video. Subscribe! All the social media links here are down below. Click subscribe! Look for a new In Like Cyn every Thursday.
END TRANSCRIPT
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