|
Real Estate Appraisers and Appraisals In
Los Angeles County, City of Venice
| Venice is best known
for its canals and beaches, but it also has a somewhat Bohemian residential
area as well as a colorful boardwalk. Venice and neighboring Santa Monica were
hosts for a decade to the Pacific Ocean Park (POP), an amusement and
pleasure-pier built atop the old Lick Pier and Ocean Park Pier by CBS and the
Los Angeles Turf Club (Santa Anita). It opened in July 1958. They kept the
pier's old roller coaster, huge airplane ride, and carousel, but converted its theaters
and smaller pier buildings into sea-themed rides and space-themed attractions
designed by Hollywood special-effects people. Visitors could travel in space on
the Flight to Mars ride, tour the world in Around the World in 80 Turns, go
beneath the sea in the Diving Bells or at Neptune's Kingdom, take a fantasy
excursion into the Tales of the Arabian Nights on the Flying Carpet ride, visit
a pirate world at Davy Jones' Locker, or visit a tropical paradise and its
volcano by riding a train on Mystery Island. There were also thrill rides like
the Whirlpool (rotor whose floor dropped out), gondola ride, and a double
Ferris wheel. Sea lion shows were performed at the Sea Circus. Since attendance
at the seaside park was too low to operate during the winter, and there was
competition from Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, and Marineland, it was sold
after two seasons to a succession of owners, who let the park deteriorate. And
since Santa Monica was redeveloping the surrounding area for high-rise
apartments and condos, they made it difficult for patrons to reach the park.
They forced it into bankruptcy in 1967. After the park suffered a series of
arson fires beginning in 1970, its rotting structure was demolished by 1974.
Another aging attraction in the 1960s was the Aragon Ballroom that had been the
longtime home of The Lawrence Welk Show, and later the Cheetah Club where rock
bands like the Doors performed. It burned in the 1970 fire. The district around
POP is known as Dogtown, which was home to pioneering skateboarders the Z-Boys,
as profiled in the documentary film, Dogtown and Z-Boys. |
|
