Return to list

Lagoon and midway, Venice, California

 
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
Lagoon and midway, Venice, California
Description
View of the grand lagoon, Venice, California, looking towards the east. Boaters ride in small rowboats on the lagoon. Tourists dressed in early 20th century style clothing stroll on the banks of the lagoon. The Midway Plaisance, an amusement park, appears behind the crowd on the right side of the image. A boathouse and an arched bridge marking the entrance to the Grand Canal appear in the background.
Format Extent
1 postcard : Color ; 9 x 14 cm.
Subject
Amusement parks--California--Los Angeles; Amusement rides--California--Los Angeles; Canals--California--Los Angeles; Boats and boating--California--Los Angeles; Boathouses--California--Los Angeles;
Note
Originally part of the Ocean Park district of Santa Monica, Abbot Kinney's vision of Venice in America was developed starting in 1904, complete with a canal system and singing gondoliers. Canal construction began in 1904, and in 1905 construction of an amusement pier began. Kinney's Midway Plaisance was built on the south bank of the lagoon which later became the Venice traffic circle. It opened in January of 1906 and operated until 1908. The name was taken from an amusement area in the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair. It was torn down in 1910 and replaced with the Races thru the Clouds roller coaster. Venice formally disincorporated from Ocean Park in 1911, and in 1925, Venice was annexed to the city of Los Angeles. By 1929, many of the canals had been filled in and paved as roads due to health and engineering problems.
Collection
Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection
Type
Geographic Location
Venice (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Language
eng
Return to list