The Venice fishing pier located south of the Santa Monica Pier has a planned re-opening for summer.
The concrete fishing Pier on Venice Beach was closed in 2018 following an electrical fire that damaged wooden portions of the Pier structure. The City of Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Parks approved a 4.3 million dollar project to repair the damages and improve the Pier’s substructure for years to come. The repair project will be completed in phases, the first of which now underway. The work, which includes repairing the Pier ramp damaged in the fire, deck soffits, and pilings as well as some cosmetic upgrades above the pier deck, is expected to continue through May of 2021.
The Venice Fishing Pier is located on Venice Beach at the end of Washington Boulevard. The 1,300 foot long concrete pier was first opened in 1964. This is not the first time the Venice Pier has needed to close for repairs and refurbishment. The pier was closed for nearly a decade after suffering damage from the same 1983 El Niño storms that ravaged the much older Santa Monica Pier to the north.
In another similarity to the Santa Monica Pier, the Venice Pier is a popular spot for local fisherman to reel in local catch. No fishing license is required at the public pier, but all other limits and seasons are enforced.
The Venice Fishing Pier was preceded by many piers along the Venice coastline that have long since been demolished or otherwise washed away. These include the Kinney Amusement Pier that featured a scale-model train, aquarium and amusement park rides; the original Venice amusement pier burned in 1920 after only 10 years in operation. It was followed by Pacific Ocean Park (where Pacific Park gets its name today) and a rebuild Venice Beach Amusement Pier.
Venice Beach, which is situated immediately south of Santa Monica State Beach, is a unique community in Los Angeles locally known for off-beat characters, a bustling boardwalk filled with curious shops, and historic canal-homes. The neighborhood was a planned community of Los Angeles visionary developer Abbot Kinney whose name is synonymous with the area’s primary dining and shopping corridor.
Photo by @visitcalifornia