Posted by The Venice canals were originally conceived and built by developer Abbott Kinney in 1905, a man-made homage to the city of Venice, Italy.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the canals fell into disrepair (and remained that way for decades). In 1942, the City of Los Angeles legally withdrew the remaining North Venice Canals system from public use, sighting the severe deterioration of the embankments, sidewalks and deplorable water quality a health and safety hazard.
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Luckily, an association (The Venice Canals Association, or VCA) fought to restore the canals, and officially made it a Los Angeles Historical Cultural Monument in 1983. A subsequent renovation project spearheaded by the VCA finally began in 1992 to restore the canals for public use, and the waterway re-opened after construction was completed the following year.
Today the canals are a great hidden gem that, like so many other parts of Los Angeles, can truly make you feel like you’ve been transported to another part of the world. We’re damn lucky to have them.
Check out the aerial video clip below to see exactly what I mean.
An address and map of the area is provided after the jump if you want to visit the canals for yourself. Cheers!
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Carroll Ct & Eastern Canal Ct
Venice, CA 90293
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Any other cool spots in Venice you’d like to share with us? Let us know in the comments below!
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