One surprise in Los Angeles is the Venice Canals real estate. In 1905 a romantic world traveler and tobacco baron named Abbot Kinney invented a Los Angeles suburb he called "Venice of America." He envisioned all of the world coming to Los Angeles to hear gondoliers singing love songs. He hired a Boston landscape architect to draw up plans for 16 miles of canals. His Grand Canal was 900 feet long and 30 feet wide. The canals were lined with Venetian style buildings. It made sense to people who never imagined the automobile would replace the horse.
March of Progress Swallows Venice Canals Real Estate
Kinney died in 1920 and by 1929 the automobile had clearly won. Most of the canals were filled in that year and converted to paved roads. "March of Progress to Engulf Venice Canals," the Los Angeles Times reported. The paper called the canal fillings "a sacrifice to progress." A few of the canals remained but by 1940 most of them were crumbling. Real estate for sale in Venice Canals tumbled in price. By the 60s the Canals was a bohemian neighborhood. The Doors rehearsed here. The Venice Canals were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Until the 90s Los Angeles was more interested in creating new than preserving old.
Attractions Near Venice Canals Real Estate
The Venice Canals real estate market began to climb in 1992 when the remaining canals were drained and relined and new sidewalks were built. The neighborhood is a short walk from the beach and the never ending spectacle of the Venice boardwalk. The boardwalk is one the major tourist attractions in Los Angeles. You can see and buy almost anything on the boardwalk from break dancers to mimes. Jugglers and Jimmy Hendrix impersonators wander through the crowds. You can buy tee shirts here you can't find anywhere else or hire someone to sign your name on a grain of rice. Part of the value of real estate for sale in Venice Canals is the youthful and upscale neighborhoods east of the beach. The shops are always trendy, the restaurants are excellent, the clubs are lively and the scene is always edgy and interesting.
Real Estate For Sale in Venice Canals
In the last decade Venice Canals real estate has become some of the most desirable in Los Angeles. Original bungalows in the neighborhood have been extensively modernized and renovated. Some have been torn down and replaced with large modern homes. One of the renovated bungalows on Linnie Canal, which now resembles an English cottage, was recently listed for $1,595,000. A modern home on Linnie Canal near Abbot Kinney Boulevard was listed for $2,375,000 in December 2010. The median sales price for Venice Canals real estate properties is about $1.6 million. By way of comparison, the median sales price for all homes in Venice is $925,000 and the median sales price for homes in Beverly Hills is $1,610,000.
