The Venice Canals are the surviving remnant of a fantastical 1905 seaside resort called 'Venice of America.' Their story spans ambition, decline, a controversial 1929 fill, and a hard-won preservation that turned a faded neighborhood into one of Los Angeles' most beloved landmarks.
Developer Abbot Kinney - who made his fortune in tobacco - dreamed of an American Venice. In 1905 he opened 'Venice of America' on former marshland, with a network of saltwater canals modeled on Venice, Italy, gondolas ferrying tourists, an arcaded business district and a long pleasure pier. At its peak the grid covered far more ground than today's district.
For a few glamorous years the canals were the centerpiece of a thriving resort. But the automobile boom of the 1920s made the slow waterways feel outdated, and public opinion turned against them. After Kinney's death in 1920 the resort declined.
In 1929 Los Angeles voted to fill most of the canals and convert them into paved streets. Many of those streets still trace the old waterways - Lion Canal became Windward Avenue, Coral Canal became Main Street, Venus Canal became San Juan Avenue. Only six canals survived.
The six surviving canals were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and named Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 270 in 1983. After decades of decay, a full restoration of the seawalls, walkways and bridges was completed and the canals reopened in 1993, sparking the neighborhood's revival.
Six canals remain: Carroll, Linnie, Howland and Sherman run east-west, crossed by Eastern Canal and Grand Canal running north-south. They are lined with a remarkable mix of early bungalows, Mediterranean Revival homes and bold modern architecture - a living piece of Los Angeles history.
The canals were built in 1905 by developer Abbot Kinney as the centerpiece of his 'Venice of America' resort, modeled on the canals of Venice, Italy.
They were built in 1905 and largely filled in 1929, leaving six. Those six were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and fully restored, reopening in 1993.
By the late 1920s the canals were costly to maintain and unpopular with motorists; in 1929 the city voted to fill most of them and turn them into streets. Only six were spared.
Six historic canals survive: Carroll, Linnie, Howland and Sherman (east-west), crossed by Eastern Canal and Grand Canal (north-south).