Venice Canal Historic District

Abbot Kinney envisioned these canals as a literal American Venice, digging them in nineteen oh five to recreate the canals of Italy in Southern California. He imported gondolas and hired singing gondoliers to navigate the saltwater marshes he had transformed into a refined seaside resort. While most of these original waterways were filled in to accommodate automobiles during the nineteen twenties, the surviving neighborhood remains a quiet labyrinth of arched bridges and narrow, car-free walkways lined with beach cottages and lush, private gardens.