Los Angeles County CA Archives History - Books .....South Santa Monica 1904-07 1908
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Book Title: Ingersoll's Century History, Santa Monica Bay Cities

SOUTH SANTA MONICA 1904-07.

1904.

     The dissolution of the Ocean Park Improvement Company, which had been the
controlling element in Ocean Park affairs, was announced February 3rd, 1904, and
was an event of importance in South Santa Monica. By this arrangement, Mr.
Kinney, who had owned a one-half interest in the company, sold to his partners
all of his interest in the property of the company, both lands and buildings,
between Navy and Kinney streets in Santa Monica, thus giving Fraser, Jones and
Gage the entire control of the Santa Monica holdings, including the Pier avenue
improvements. Mr. Kinney received in exchange all title to the holdings of the
company south of Navy street. As a result of this move, Mr. Kinney planned
Venice, while Messrs. Fraser and Jones devoted themselves to the development of
their Pier avenue interests. Another result was the raising of prices for all
lots belonging to the Improvement Company from $45 per front foot to $60.

    It had already been announced that the Los Angeles-Pacific had purchased Mr.
Kinney's interests in the proposed electric line that was to have been built
through Ocean Park. They had also previously purchased the right of way owned by
Fraser, Jones and Gage, thus giving them additional lands and right of way. The
railroad company at once began making improvements which were greatly
appreciated by the residents of this district. The building of the plank walk
between their tracks was a great boon to people who had been compelled to wade
through deep sand to reach the cars. The erection of stations and improvements
of the trolley way gave the town a new street and the company also graded and
improved a tract east of the line and put it on the market.

    In 1901 Captain Donahue brought a gasoline launch to Santa Monica which was
operated from the wharf at Pier avenue, carrying fishermen and pleasure seekers
on trips up and down the coast. This little craft had been the source of much
pleasure to beach residents and visitors and it was with regret that they
learned of her total wreck which occurred March 23rd, 1904, off the Short Line
beach.

    June 30th the new Holborow, located in the handsome three-story brick put up
by Maier and Zobelin, was opened to the public. This was then the finest hotel
south of the Arcadia and was very popular.

1905.

    In February, 1905, occurred one of the heaviest storms ever known on the
Santa Monica bay coast. This washed out a large section of the Pier avenue wharf
and later in the month another storm completed the wrecking of the pier. As a
consequence, the outfall sewer of Santa Monica was badly wrecked and the
beginning of sewer troubles followed. Another storm in March carried away 700
feet of the wharf and destroyed a mile of the beach walk. According to the terms
of the agreement made between the city and the company who built the pier on the
piles intended for carrying the outfall, Messrs. Kinney and Ryan were to keep
the pier in repair for twenty years. The interest of Messrs. Kinney and Ryan had
now passed into the hands of the-Ocean Park Improvement Company. A dispute as to
who should stand the expense of the repair resulted in the sewer matter
remaining unsettled. In the meantime a company was formed to build a new pier
and it was proposed also to build another pier from the foot of Marine avenue. A
permit for the Marine avenue pier was let to M. R. King, and later the idea of
the horseshoe pier developed. A seaside theater was opened for the first time in
the Pavilion at Pier avenue.

    The First National Bank of Ocean Park was organized in April, with J. M.
Elliott, W. D. Longyear, E. J. Vawter, Jr., J. W. Lincoln, A. Fraser, C. H.
Mullen and E. J. Vawter, Sr., as directors. E. J. Vawter, Sr., was president, J.
M. Elliott, vice-president; Thomas Meldrum, cashier. June ist, the Commercial
State Bank opened for business, with Lon A. Pratt, president; Warren Gillelen,
vice-president; J. W. Lawrence, cashier.

    Considerable feeling was aroused by an attempt to remove the postoffice from
Pier avenue to Marine street and then make it the official office of the new
town. A postoffice inspector was called in to straighten out postoffice matters;
but after a conference with all parties interested, it was finally decided that
the Ocean Park postoffice be left as it was and the new postoffice be named
Venice. On the completion of the Masonic Temple, a handsome three-story brick
building, located on Marine avenue, the postoffice was again changed, despite a
vigorous protest, to a handsomely fitted up room in this building. But this was
still within the limits of Santa Monica.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Ingersoll's century history, Santa Monica Bay cities: prefaced with a brief
history of the state of California, a condensed history of Los Angeles County,
1542 to 1908: supplemented with an encyclopedia of local biography and
embellished with views of historic landmarks and portraits of representative
people.

Los Angeles: Luther A. Ingersoll (1908)


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