One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Google Will Take Over Gold's Gym in Venice
Google muscled its way into more Venice Beach real estate and will take over Gold's Gym, the local landmark and "mecca of bodybuilding," in July 2014.
Larry Field, the owner of the Gold's Gym building and other surrounding property, confirmed the rumors to L.A. Weekly yesterday. Google will take up Gold's as well as a few nearby buildings, about 200,000 square feet total, in the compact neighborhood only blocks from the Venice boardwalk.
Ed Conners, the former owner of Gold's, was loose-lipped about his disappointment that the new owners would let this happen. He told Muscle Week a few days ago that Google wants to gobble up more real estate in the area and wall it off to create a beachside campus similar to its headquarters in Mountain View.
"It's a shame if they [Gold's Gym International] are going to let a piece of history just disappear but sadly I think that's what is going to happen," Conners said in the interview.
Google made its first move into Venice last year when it took residence in the Binoculars Building (adjacent to Gold's), made famous by its giant binoculars sculpture designed by architect Frank Gehry. Venice and Santa Monica have become a hub in recent years for tech startups, earning the nickname Silicon Beach.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
