About Venice
Venice’s early beginnings
At the beginning of the 20th century developer and tobacco magnate, Abbott Kinney was inspired to imitate the famed medieval North Italian seaport as a seaside resort with miles of canals, piazzas and a block-long street of attractions under arched Venetian arcade store fronts. To his great disappointment, Venice Beach became the “Coney Island of the Pacific.”
In the 1920s after the city of Los Angeles annexed Venice it then turned its back on it as a failed land speculation where it gained the label as the “slum by the sea.” The neglect didn’t dimmish its attraction. Cheap rents and living by the beach attracted Beat writers and poets and eventually designers and visual artists followed. Ray & Charles Eames produced mid-century designs in their Bay Cities Garage on Abbott Kenney Blvd. In the 1960s Los Angeles was considered a cultural desert. Unsurprisingly it took time for a group of West coast artists including Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, Robert Irwin, Ken Price, Robert Graham and Judy Chicago centered around the Ferus Gallery to gain international recognition.
Surf & skate culture
Kate Braverman’s novel, Lithium for Medea set in the 1970s among the decaying beach houses along the canals of Venice gives a sense of the scene, “I always lived here, by the sea. I was a beach brat. I was born with salt in my eyes. … I’ve got waves inside. The ocean runs through me, man.”
Skateboarding was born in Venice, pioneered by the Z Boys who were sponsored by a local skateboard shop and the skateboard sport and culture grew into an international phenomenon. The bleak beach scene was also a natural for punk rock to flourish as it was a decade earlier for The Doors. Unfortunately, Venice’s reputation was further tarnished by the devasting effects of the crack epidemic of the 1980s that saw the rise of street gangs.
A new era
But by the late 1990s change was evident. Scattered among modest bungalows and low-rise apartment buildings bold, new residential architecture was being built; shops and restaurants sprang up that commanded wide interest; and the signs of gentrification reflected in increase property values. Much like the rest of Venice its Boardwalk has undergone much change since Abbott Kinney’s opening. In 2000 the City of Los Angeles renovated the Boardwalk tearing down the Venice Pavilion that was a make-shift skate boarder destination. It took another ten years, but eventually the city added the Venice Skate Park on the Boardwalk. This iconic beachfront promenade still has street vendors and performers, highly competitive basketball games, the Muscle Beach beachside gym and the addition of a bike and skater path, new restaurants and shops that draws tens of thousands. It’s also a great walk among some of the iconic murals of Venice such as Jim Morrison by Rip Cronk and Jonas Never’s Arnold Schwarzenegger along with dozens of others throughout Venice.
Since the 2000s the real estate market has gone into hyperdrive with the arrival of technology companies - Snap, Google, Headspace, among others - that have converted warehouses into offices throughout Santa Monica, Venice, and south to Playa Vista. Now known as “Silicon Beach” not only has the area’s commercial real estate been affected, but home prices as well have skyrocketed from market pressures of tech workers seeking places to rent or own.
Like all neighborhoods, Venice reveals the past and present in its architecture, but unlike most places those styles seem to collide with each other. Beach bungalows line pedestrian-only streets in the shadow of the few remaining ornate Italian Renaissance buildings along Windward Ave. The popularly known “Giant Binocular” building on Main Street by starchitect Frank Gehry, works by Eric Owens Moss and the firm, Morphosis stand among the neighborhood’s more modest wood clad homes.
Of the main shopping districts, Abbott Kinney Blvd. has grown into a city-wide destination. Every First Friday night of the month brings thousands to its retail, restaurants, bars, food trucks and art galleries. Main Street shops and restaurants somewhat reflects the beach that is only a few blocks away while Lincoln Blvd., part of the Pacific Coast Highway 1 (PCH) still retains some of its car cultural past.
As the title character, the Dude, philosophically observes at the end of the Cohen Brothers’ classic, The Big Lebowski, “Ah you know, strikes and gutters, ups and downs.” Not surprisingly, “the Dude abides” in Venice Beach.
Los Angeles Schools
Among the many factors in considering where to live, the proximity to quality school is vitally important. It’s not only important information for parents of school aged children, but for any informed buyer or seller who knows school location’s impact on property value and re-sale.
The school finder link provided is intended as a first step. Before purchasing or renting, parents of school aged children need to contact the district’s school for availability and registration requirements. When considering private schools, in addition to availability and registration requirements, commute times and transportation should be considered.
Public Schools
The Los Angeles Unified School District Resident School Identifier is a helpful tool to locate schools in your dream neighborhood. This website matches address within the school district to the corresponding elementary, middle and high schools.
Private Schools
Interested in learning more about Venice?
Get in touch with David Rosen to learn more about upcoming listings and local real estate trends.
