The Lost Canals of Los Angeles: How Venice Beach went Wrong
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- Опубліковано 15 бер 2023
- Discover the fascinating history of America's Venice Beach in this video. Join us as we explore the life of Abbot Kinney, learn about the snowstorm that led to its creation, and the coin flip that changed Venice Beach forever. Discover the construction of the famous beach, how the canals worked, and why they became a nightmare. Find out what remains of the canals today and join us on a journey to retrace the lost canals under Venice Beach, Los Angeles roads.
Chapters:
00:49 Abbot Kinney: The Man Behind the Dream
03:13 The Snowstorm that Led to Venice Beach's Creation
04:27 A Coin Toss that Changed Venice Beach Forever
05:19 Building Venice Beach: The Grand Construction
06:55 The Venice of America: Grand Opening Day
07:25 Exploring the Canals of Venice Beach
08:50 The Nightmare of the Venice Beach Canals
10:45 What's Left of the Venice Beach Canals Today
13:25 Rediscovering the Lost Canals of Venice Beach
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IT’S HISTORY - Weekly tales of American Urban Decay as presented by your host Ryan Socash.
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» CREDIT
Scriptwriter -Ryan Socash
Editor - Karolina Szwata,
Host - Ryan Socash
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» NOTICE
Some images may be used for illustrative purposes only - always reflecting the accurate time frame and content. Events of factual error / mispronounced word/spelling mistakes - retractions will be published in this section.
My grandmother was there when Venice Beach and canals were being built. We lived in West LA and she had many stories from the era.
Tell us a story bro. Thank you. 😊
We didn't build the canals or the city it was already there.
Wow, I lived in Venice for 4 yrs and didn't even know who Abbot Kinney was! And I had no idea of the past splendor. Thanks you did an excellent job!
Most transplants aren't aware of the rich history that VB has. I met some who lived blocks from the walking streets, but didn't even know they existed. Glad you were able to learn about this.
Happy Hour at Whalers!!! The best!!!
My Dads best friend was a fireman in Venice. I remember him giving me a ride on the fire truck back in 1987!!!
Different times. Back when it was a little seedier, not in a 2020 tranny-rona infestation. More like OG gangsters: bloods, cholos and suicidals (Yes…. Suicidal Tendencies the band were part of a punk/skate gang from the Westside)
I miss that LA. I was in Hollywood in 2005 when Hollywood/Highland was developed. They never looked back and it’s never been the same.
The magic is gone ..
@@BVonBuescher my birth year.
Did you know who Suicidal Tendencies are?
Videos like this are why I love UA-cam. And specifically this channel.
I once rowed a gondola through the canals of venice with Tyra Banks as my passenger. The best episode of america's next top model. Great memories.
Another "canal city" that might interest you is Holyoke, Massachusetts. It was a planned city that was built on the banks of the Connecticut River in the 1830's at a point where it went downhill and around a bend. The tremendous velocity of the river water there was channeled into three canals that provided enough water power to eventually run 37 paper mills on its banks. There is even a tunnel system under Holyoke that routed the river water that current residents don't even know about. Dependence on water power was ended in th 1890's when the mills became electrified. Between 1870-1940, Holyoke was legitimately called the Paper City of the World, although its population never exceeded 70K. The canals were just industrial garbage dumps by the 1950's, and are still unused. They were never filled in. I often thought that this now Post-Industrial city should have somehow converted them into Venice-like canals. The "invented city" of Holyoke MA has the type of weird history that you seem to love and present so well.
We didn't build any of it, it was inherited. The Freemasons have destroyed as much of it as possible to match the narrative.
Holyoak !? I didn't know that.
And now, Venice Beach is just a freak show.
One of the saddest things was the filling in of the end of Long Beach marine stadium after 1932 so they couldn't use it for the '84 and 2028 olympics. Also, there used to be a Pacific Electric railroad to the stadium.
I grew up in marina del Rey in the late 80’s and early 90’s and really wished I would be able to live there as an adult one day. Boy, things have changed.
Thank you for such a well presented history of Venice Beach! Growing up in LA in the 90's, it wasn't much special. The boardwalk has always been seedy and we mainly went there to buy bongs and beedis. I still don't love Venice today, but I appreciate the vision of Abbot Kinney and its place in the history of LA.
Makes sense. It's just like your entire state. A failed vision.
@@InsaneBimmer I hate the taxes, politics, and corruption here. But there's no doubting this is the most beautiful state with a vibrancy matched by few other areas. My father and grandfather were lucky to have lived here in its peak
@@californian2344 and yet you guys keep voting the same party in over and over and over... Blows my mind... Highest gasoline taxes for roads and you guys just got rated with the worst roads in the country. But keep voting for that same party it's working wonders so far
The city of Utrecht in The Netherlands has had part of its historic canals paved over in the ‘60s to make room for roads and subsequent cars.
In the last five years they made it an effort to restore the canals to their former glory only with a modern take on them.
Lots of green along the banks, more space for pedestrians, shopping facilities and even room for a much smaller road.
They made it a very beautiful riverfront.
Looking at those pictures of the former canals of Venice Beach, now streets, I can imagine they do the same with a same type of project. I’m mean, judging by the pictures the room is there.
Just the willpower and funds to do so.
Livorno in Italy is like that. It’s not really a tourist destination, not much interesting there, and WW2 damaged the place extensively at that. So they do nothing with the canals and you come across them more by surprise than intention.
I wish. But it won’t happen. It’s so difficult to develop in California. Crazy to think Venice CA was at one point a working class neighborhood!
Knowing how Los Angeles is... people would litter and poop in it, the water would be unsafe to touch, drink, and swim in within a month, will also smell like a landfill.
naw in cali we only got funds to destroy the same road it took them years to build to build it again gotta pretend the money going somewhere
Good video. My grandmother bought a beach house on the strand just a few blocks from the main channel for the marina, and I spent many an hour exploring all over the area and playing in the grand canal channel right across Pacific. She was on Voyage St, and this was in the mid 60's. I remember going to the canal neighborhood, and the smell. It was a pretty seedy place as well. Her house was built in the early 20's and I have a picture of it surrounded by all the oil derricks that used to dominate the landscape at that time.
Wow! I ran around there as a teenager in the mid 80s when it was upscale
You can see Mitch Buchannon's house from Baywatch. On Sherman canal
Wow. Amazing information. I grew up in So-Cal and hung out at Venice Beach many times from the 80's through just a few years ago when I moved to the upper Midwest. I knew Venice had the canals and was once trying to mimic Venice, Italy, but I had no idea about the rest of this interesting history.
Great video! When I moved to Venice I had problems sleeping in my country. I remembered my first nights I couldn’t believe how great I slept. Later, I read a book of Venice and knew Abbot Kinney also had this problem sleeping. I don’t know what it is, something in the air but I fall asleep like a baby!
Wow. Same. I’ve always slept in my car there and sometimes I would get terrible sleep in my car. But every time I slept in SoCal near beach. Wouldn’t matter if I had light shining in i zonked out
It's the smog...
I've been to the actual Venice. It, too, was built on a lagoon. If you are trying to recreate Bella Venezia, then the stinky water at low tide is gonna be part of the experience.
Perhaps that was what they were originally trying to solve for. I could easily see a discussion about the smell at low tide, where their "solution" is to not let the water level drop too far.
From the south so truly no clue but why is low tide stinky?
Yes, there are signs in Venice (the Italian version) warning not to bathe in the water.
Stinky water and duck poop but yeah
Very nice. I grew up in Venice from 1963 to 2011. Excellent video. Thank you.
Amazing history of Venice beach !
Thanks for this video and the information in it.
I grew up in Westchester and Playa Del Rey. The Marina and Venice were obviously a big part of my life for recreation and I also lived on Abbott Kinney Blvd at Washington back when it wasn't trendy and it wasn't a very good neighborhood, in the early 1990s.
I've always tried to learn as much as possible about the history of Westchester, Playa Del Rey, Marina Del Rey, Venice, Inglewood, Culver City, and your video had some info that I had not known before.
Keep up the good work.
Amazing video! Didn't know any of this. More LA videos please 🌴
Interesting to learn that Marina del Rey was once an oil field!
I wanted to do an episode on that topic alone.
@@ITSHISTORY Please do
Great video! Looking forward to more LA history videos 🌴
Solid solid video! Thank you bro
Beautifully done video. I live in Venice section across from Marina del Rey. I am so impressed with your research and presentation. Count me in as newest subscriber with full notifications!
For more content on this place German in Venice is the best!
I honestly never questioned where the name Venice Beach came from, this was super fascinating
You really know your history of Los Angeles. Thank you very much for all the information. I live in Los Angeles born and raised thank you keep up the good.
The 5 canals that remain off the Grand Canal were not part of Abbot Kinney's vision. They were constructed in 1910 by developers wishing to cash in on the success of Kinney's work.
True but it was designed after the canals in Amsterdam
Abbot Kinney had no vision; the guy might not even have existed. The cities we inherited were thousands of years old and built by the giants.
@@togowack
Look out! A giant is about to step on you and flatten you like a pancake!!! 🤣
@@togowack LOL! Yeah, they just vacuumed sand into the sixth dimension, leaving behind the canals, right?
@@jasminelindros8923 They had gigantic machines that were not susceptible to gravity. We have petrified parts of them in tailings (mountains) appearance as rock. Great swaths of the earth were strip mined from the grand canyon to parts of Russia. Out of the earth they mined about everything of value leaving relatively tiny scraps for us afterwards.
I was born in Pasadena in 1951 and grew up primarily in ----- Sierra Madre. What a shock to see that there was actually a huge hotel there so many years ago (well, maybe not, with all the amazing 'estates' in that part of SoCal) --- from the mountain in the background of the picture, I believe the hotel must have been slightly west of the city of Sierra Madre, maybe as far as the bluffs above Pasadena High School, or perhaps even on Grand Street in Sierra Madre itself, but who knows! Anyway, we have often been to Venice Beach, in search of those famous canals. Thanks for the story. I have not been there for years (and won't go due to the vast numbers of drug-addled 'homeless' that live everywhere in SoCal now). Calif was once 'the golden state', and it really was. I doubt that we can ever go back to that grand place that it was, but at least we can imagine through videos like this. And, visit soon, because as everyone knows, we are 'way overdue for the big one' --- Venice Beach just might be a couple hundred feet under the Pacific Ocean one of these days....
I just found this channel. Binge watching while knitting. 😊
My beach house is in marina del Rey… right on the beach. There used to be oil wells all up and down the beach. Every so often we feel our house shake. I swear it’s related
Well Yes you are on top of sinkholes
Probably.
Sinkholes are sinking those houses
I live in the Walk Streets neighborhood of Venice and often walk down to the canals. Special place.
I love Venice 😢
Fascinating! Tanks for sharing! Crazy thing about the canal was the smell and being used to dump trash! And during the 60's and 70's which were basically a ghetto!
Copiague NY has a smaller version and even had gondolas running threw it. It's called the little Venice
Through lol
I'm a 20 year Venice resident and I love the history of this small beach town.
Drum Circle; Sundays. Venice Beach🥁🇯🇲🌺
I have participated in the drum circle twice :) :) :)
I have been there a few times and I have wondered why those canals were there. Interesting history.
woa, cool history. I never knew venice was BIGGER. That would be cool. Its such a cool sight and place to visit
I want the Venice Italy experience...... Wading in raw sewage each high tide or strong storm........ Then almost had it but filled in the canals
I went on a date walking around the canals years ago. Lovely memories.
The Venice Canals around Christmas is probably the most romantic thing in Los Angeles tbh.
Abbot Kinney is absolutely in the dream blunt rotation
My grandfather was chased away from Venice in the early or mid 1920s. I think he was very young but he also didn't fit the class of people that visited Venice at that time. There's many stories about the Venice canals being occupied by outlaw bikers sometime in the 50s through the late 60s. Police had a difficult time with them and would go there often. Some people were even murdered there. Hells Angels had a chapter in Venice and they're shown acting in a movie that was filmed throughout Venice in 1965 or 1967. The opening credits even announce their acting in the beginning of the movie. Satan's Slaves were founded at a bar somewhere between Santa Monica and Venice in the early 60s. I don't think it was safe or even nice back then. But my parents lived in the old, white apartment home on the corner of Rose and 4th in 1965. They said it wasn't dangerous around there but they weren't comfortable either. There were already gang wars between blacks and cholos way back then over drugs.
I lived out there many years ago and while I knew parts of its history, I never knew as much as I do now, thanks to your video. I haven't visited Venice in several years but I know it's still a hot mess out there..
'Cylon'! Oh, I love your mispronunciations, it's always a laugh. I initially didn't understand why you embrace them, but now I understand. Comedy relief.
New subscriber. Great show.. thanks!
Welcome aboard!
The Venice canals were a wonderous place back in the 50s & 60s. And I hold many fond memories of the kind people that once lived there. The canals are always changing. Maybe in 100 years kids could ride their bikes or skateboards along the canals again.
BTW there is a street in Venice named Abbot Kenny Blvd. It happens to be a trendy place to dine and shop.
Yes, Abbott Kinney Blvd is named after the man who "built" Venice Beach.
When I lived on Abbott Kinney Blvd. it was newly named being called Washington Place before around 1990 or maybe a couple years earlier. When I lived on Abbott Kinney Blvd. the area that is so trendy now was rundown, old ratty buildings, Brandelli's Brig, back then known as The Brig, wasn't a cool place to have drinks with valet parking. It was a dirty bar that mostly low life, junkies and gangsters hung out at and it was a rough crowd ifnyou weren't a local and even if you were a local you didn't really want to spend time in there. The whole street was hookers, homeless, gangsters, junkies and crime. It was a no man's land between the Marina and Venice Boardwalk. There were no restaurants or trendy shops. My girlfriend and I both carried guns on us in those days, late 1980s 1990s we both worked in bars and nightclubs in rough parts of LA and lived on Abbott Kinney where you never knew who might be hanging around looking to rob someone or have some homeless person crashed out in the driveway or in the parking area or at the liquor store across the street. I moved away in '95 and came back in 2012 and couldn't believe what happened to Abbott Kinney Blvd. . It was shocking.
Thanks for making this historical video. If you want a gondola boat ride, go to Naples, near Long Beach, California, for a trip through its canals.
I’d love to see that in Greenpoint Brooklyn and LIC Queen. More areas have canals and dry docks that can be converted
Kinda reminds me of an exposition held in Cincinnati in the 1880s or something. They turned the Miami-Erie canal into a "Venetian Canal". It too eventually was drained in the 20s and a never used subway was built in it and above it became Central Parkway.
Being born, raised, and currently living here, I can tell you that although it's not everyone's favorite place, there's nothing like it.
Please do video's of my Chicago's Gems & mysterious spots !
My Son lives 4 blocks from the Beach. Love to visit from Long Island NY.
I look forward to time travel. 1923 was Classic Venice Beach in its prime. Nice to visit but would rather live today and in the future.
I live in LA and love taking a walk down Abbot Kinney Blvd to people watch and window shop and get a good cup of coffee. Lots of interesting people and one of the trendier parts of LA. I also like to walk around and look at all the interesting and eclectic architecture and check out the shaded footpaths down to the beach. Lots of artists call Venice home. The Venice boardwalk is always full of interesting people and I like to watch the roller skaters pull their moves to old disco at the outdoor skate rink and all the expert skate boarders at the skate park. There's also some very interesting graffiti the city allows on the palm trees near there. The houses on the canals are well-kept and quaint. IMO Venice is one of the more interesting parts of LA. Of course there's some sketchy elements but that comes with the territory. Great place to spend a Saturday. Thanks for the in depth history of the place!
I've often wondered about the back story of Venice, CA. now i know.
Ryan, I enjoy your videos. How do you research and find the content?
So basically he destoryed much needed wetlands
Needed for what: stagnant water, disease, criminal activities? Actually, Marina del Rey took most of the wetlands. Go ask all those residents to leave.
The Los Angeles River’s outlet to the sea naturally shifts. Until civil engineering intervened. The natural Ballona Creek was an outlet for the LA River
Not exactly. The LA river flows from the San Gabriel Mountains and through downtown LA and then West/Southwest down through South Central (the 110 freeway follows its route) then through to the outlet of Los Angeles Harbor (San Pedro and Long Beach). Ballona Creek was and still is fed primarily from Baldwin Hills where there is an underground spring, I believe. There was a dam in Baldwin Hills to control the floodwaters into Ballona Creek and other smaller streams until the late 1950s when the dam broke and there was a huge flood that caused major damage to the neighborhoods below. There is a great video that is I believe the first live news coverage filmed from a helicopter of a disaster that KTLA channel 5 with legendary news reporter Stan Chambers in the helicopter reporting as the dam was starting to leak water. It's beginning of modern news reporting using helicopters and live coverage for the first time ever.
But, Ballona Creek is not a branch of the LA River.
@@13_13k …. My statement was where the LA river discharges today is ensured as a result of civil engineering. As a natural river the outlet is wherever the path of least resistance goes. In a natural state when enough sand and silt is deposited at the mouth a river shifts course. Also a high spring runoff will alter the course to the sea. The Army Corps of Engineers ensures the LA river will stay put. Ballona Creek has always had its own separate drainage. I’m not confused about that. The Baldwin Hills Reservoir disaster was in 1963
Ryan that was amazing and super insitefull I had little knowledge of Venice other then Venice Beach so thank you the It’s history lesson.And another great video.
I ♥️ canals.🙋
Wow. Wow. Wow.
Nice sideways comment regarding tent city situation
I think it was a fair observation. I travel to LA pretty often and stay in that area, it’s couldn’t believe how many people were sleeping in cars. Very sad.
@@ITSHISTORY Yeah, there were always homeless people in LA but covid made it a lot worse. I never saw tents outside of Skid Row until covid hit.
I just had one of those moments where I was taken back to Jeff Daniels in Dumb and Dumber.
😂
Someone also tried this in Marin California in Santa Venetia.
informative
LA sure likes paving everything.
Cylon, Ceylon, heh. Battlestar Galactic tea!
Started on new York, then Chicago, was waiting on LA
I remember the area before Marina Del Rey was built. Today I have a boat moored in A basin. There is a Canal right off Via Marina that abbuts the main channel of MDR.. it is a shame that the Canal is full of garbage and algae.. Abbott was a genius .. thanks for a great video of years ago.
Was hoping for a mention of Touch of Evil (1958) when Venice stood in for a run-down Mexican bordertown. Urban renewal was far in the future at that point in time.
What's with the hat?
I grew up in the area in the 1970's. It was in full on decay, with trashed canals besides virtual slums. The city of LA helped the area's decline quite a bit with rent control. One of the leftovers of the Venice era was at Venice high school, which was a large mural of Venice inside the main building. It made a nice backdrop to the daily knife fights in the cafeteria. Oh well. Venice looks better now, or it DID, before the homeless encampments along the beach. My stepfather got rich by buying houses there and flipping them later when Venice finally turned around.
Another segway about Marina Del Rey (the marina of kings!) was that it was built with the main sea access canal leading straight out to the ocean. This led to sailboats having to tack back and forth in the canal to get out to sea and being screamed at, or screaming at, the power boaters who went straight down the canal. Basically the designers of Marina Del Rey may have been kings, but they sure weren't sailors.
Marina del rey. We lived there for 30 years. My fathers ashes went into the water off the harbor. Good times.
I love this area it looks amazing and can only imagine how it once was. Ive never been there, never been to usa at all, but i love exploring this part in GTA Online. I guess its the only way i will see this area :)
Venice is the most equatorial stretch of natural land man made land and beaches on the planet as well as its representation of social and economic status this place is the meaning of diversity of all life 🙏🏿⚛️
I work at Fire station 110 in Marina del Rey. I ride my bike to work from Pico/Main Street down to Abbot Kinney and across Washington. To think that I ride my bike around windward circle now is crazy to me. How sad that nothing stays the same. I bet the people of Venice never thought their pier and roller coaster would be gone one day. I think the same thing about Santa Monica pier. Will it be gone in 100 years? I love my community. It’s just shameful how the lawmakers have allowed the homeless to completely ruin this once thriving area of Southern California.
The hat is back!
I love the Venice Marina del Rey area i live in culver city but worked a lot in the Marina close to Venice beach.The only thing that has kept me away from that area for that past couple years is the homeless problem in the area.Even going out on my jetski aint fun anymore because Marina del rey is one of the worst polluted harbors, i see it every spring/summer feces in the water trash dead animals u name it I've seen it...
Very interesting. I gotta tell you Venice is gross. Worse after the homeless problem.
It was rundown even in the late 1950s. That is why Orson Welled chose to film Touch of Evil there. Let me tell you coastal California has always been expensive but for a section like Venice to get and say nasty really tells you something.
I agree. I've been there several times and I don't like it at all. My husband is fascinated by it so he wants to go whenever we visit southern CA.
Maybe gross now but it was charming in bohemian way in the 60's when I lived there, old Beats and new hippies. Doors, acid, and decent folk.
@@ShamusWoosley Beatniks, ACID, Summer of Love, body odor - is what got us into this mess.
California is the dumping ground of it's homeless of the other 49 states largely due to the climate. It's like complaining that water is wet.
They cleaned up venice over a year ago
How nice would it be if they would have made these bigger over time instead of filling them all in
Originally called Ballena Creek {Whale Creek} by the Californios who obseved the Gray Whales stopping by on their migratios and even birthing in the Santa Monica Bay, later changed to Bologna Creek to keep with the new Venice, Italy theme.
It isn't Balogna Creek, it's Ballona Creek.
@@13_13k In the 1960's there were Bologna Creek signs up where it crossed PCH. I grew up in Manhattan Beach and bicycled there frequently.
Just saying hi I'm never this early 🎉😊
Just a note that your map is labeled incorrectly when it says "Griffin Park". It's Griffith Park. :)
Lived there for 26 years
Is Ryan cold? If so, does he not have heat? Or is he saving on heating bills? I wish I knew.
My hair cut wasn’t fresh enough so I wore a hat. Funny enough, the studio was also extremely cold!
How is the odor currently being controlled in the remaining canals? Has water circulation been increased?
I'm researching Abbot Kinney for a project, and I've become confused. This video says he visited Venice in 1891, but other articles have stated that he visited Venice whilst he was studying abroad in Europe; all before 1873. Where did you get the information from regarding his first visit in Venice being 1891?
I always knew Venice in CA was supposed to be like Venice, Italy. However, I didn’t know how much ACTUALLY got done. I thought it was a project never fully finished due to the san gabriel flood in early 1940’s. I know they aren’t uber close BUT generally any time a “disaster” occurs, the negative affects can be felt usually upto about 50miles surrounding thus new things might need to planned to allow for people fleeing the “disaster zone” and/or other areas see what happen and create new plans so their area won’t have the same issue
Another great video but why are you hiding your IG model hair? Can't do that.
I'm in cape coral FL. More canals than Venice.
Interesting, sounds like an episode idea!
Yea, but in typical american fashion, its entirely suburban. There's no point in visiting
thanks for explaining the weird canal area in GTA 5 LOL
Venice Beach peaked in 1920 and it all went downhill after that!
They should of kept Venice Beach like it was in the 1920s....the Amusement Park would of been a hit today...it would of been cool to see it as it was in 2024...wow😮
"I did not know that Ed!"
Wow, humans sure know how to screw up everything they touch…
Does anyone know if any of the original gondolas still exist (maybe in private collections) or were they all destroyed?
As far as I know, they're gone. Saltwater doesn't treat wood well.
I wonder if this what inspired the Gondola rides in Long Beach California
& when you come back your car is gondola...😢
I wonder if this is what inspired the gondola ride's in Venice Italy.
💚
there is a bit of long beach with canals
You forgot to mention lots and lots of urban campers in the intro.
"ell of a mullet you got there , Ryan, or are you channeling Rocket J. Squirrel? Cheap Champagne on ice may have contributed to his slumber after he was living it up @the Hotel California