Return to list

Playa del Rey, Cal.

 
image 0
Zoom inZoom inZoom inZoom in
Zoom outZoom outZoom outZoom out
Go homeGo homeGo homeGo home
Toggle full pageToggle full pageToggle full pageToggle full page
Rotate leftRotate leftRotate leftRotate left
Rotate rightRotate rightRotate rightRotate right
Title
Playa del Rey, Cal.
Description
A view looking out over a lagoon next to the beach in Playa Del Rey, California. On the left, a pier extends out over the ocean, and a large pavilion on the beach overlooks the lagoon.
Format Extent
1 postcard : Color ; 9 x 14 cm.
Subject
Beaches--California--Los Angeles; Lagoons--California--Los Angeles; Piers--California--Los Angeles; Boats and boating--California--Los Angeles;
Note
Playa del Rey is a beach community in Los Angeles, located just south of Marina Del Rey, near the mouth of the Ballona Creek. During the 1880s, real estate developers created plans for a harbor at the mouth of Ballona Creek, to be located on the site of an old lagoon that had been a popular spot for duck-hunting and picnicking. Construction began in 1887, with plans to dredge a 200-foot wide channel and create an inner harbor two miles long. Two piers were constructed, and a town was planned for the cliffs overlooking the harbor. In 1888, however, the funds ran out, and construction stopped. In 1902, the port was refurbished and renamed Playa Del Rey. The area included the beach and lagoon, and a long boardwalk. A new pavilion and an 18-mile speedway for automobile racing were constructed, along with a number of other tourist attractions including the luxurious Hotel Del Rey. The Pacific Electric Company was given a right of way through the area, and it became part of the popular "Balloon Route" tours. For many years, Playa Del Rey was a popular seaside resort, but a series of disasters in the 1910s resulted in the collapse of one of the piers, the demolition of the flood gates in order to alleviate a flood in nearby Venice, and the clogging of the boat course with sand brought in by the tides. In 1924, the pavilion and hotel burned down. The lagoon was destroyed when Ballona Creek was channelized in 1938 by the Army Corps of Engineering, and when the entrance channel to Marina del Rey was cut out in the 1960s. Since then, Playa del Rey has remained largely residential.
Collection
Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection
Type
Geographic Location
Playa del Rey (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Language
eng
Return to list