The Centennial Of Venice

A tobacco mogul, Abbot Kinney, broke ground on what he hoped would be ‘the Venice of the West’ in September, 1904. The community was dedicated on July 4th, 1905, but it never became quite what Kinney expected. Venice Beach epitomizes a Bohemian lifestyle, even if it has become more gentrified in recent years. It’s the centennial of the ground-breaking for Venice, and guest Host Patt Morrison takes a walk down memory boulevard with a couple of people who know Venice well including John Maynard, Assistant Professor of History at CSU Bakersfielsd and author of the book, Venice West: The Beat Generation in Southern California, and Elayne Alexander, historian with Venice Historical Society and author of several books on Venice history.

A tobacco mogul, Abbot Kinney, broke ground on what he hoped would be ‘the Venice of the West’ in September, 1904. The community was dedicated on July 4th, 1905, but it never became quite what Kinney expected. Venice Beach epitomizes a Bohemian lifestyle, even if it has become more gentrified in recent years. It’s the centennial of the ground-breaking for Venice, and guest Host Patt Morrison takes a walk down memory boulevard with a couple of people who know Venice well including John Maynard, Assistant Professor of History at CSU Bakersfielsd and author of the book, Venice West: The Beat Generation in Southern California, and Elayne Alexander, historian with Venice Historical Society and author of several books on Venice history.