Venice in Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Venice West Cafe

Photographed By Craig Baker, July 28, 2021

1. Venice West Cafe Marker

Inscription. Commercial Vernacular style. 1922 building, 1958 cafe. Declared 2010, Historic-Cultural Monument No. 979, Cultural Heritage Commission, City of Los Angeles.

Erected 2010 by City of Los Angeles. (Marker Number 979.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1922.

Location. 33° 59.65′ N, 118° 28.779′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Venice. Marker is on Dudley Avenue just west of Speedway, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 321 Ocean Front Walk, Venice CA 90291, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Mishkon Tephilo (approx. ¼ mile away); 1110-1116 Abbot Kinney Boulevard (approx. 0.6 miles away); Roy Jones House (approx. 0.6 miles away); Ocean Park Branch Library (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Windward Piers (approx. 0.6 miles away); Shotgun House (approx. 0.7 miles away); Venice-of-America Gondola (approx. 0.7 miles away); Venice of America House (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.

Regarding Venice West Cafe.

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Stuart Perkoff, a well-known Beat poet, began publishing his work at the age of 20, moved to Venice with his family in 1952, and became one of the most visible street poets of the Beat Generation. In 1958, Perkoff purchased this building with hopes of providing a visible alternative to other Beat hangouts. Venice West Cafe became both a coffee shop and popular Beat sanctuary. Lawrence Lipton's 1959 novel The Holy Barbarians brought publicity to the neighborhood and introduced "Venice West" to the world.
In 1966, the landlord sought to evict the coffee shop after experiencing trouble renting out spaces adjoining the noisy cafe. This, along with pressure from the Ocean Front Improvement Association who was attempting to gentrify the area, ultimately forced then-owner John Haag to close his doors.

Additional keywords. Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 656, Binoculars Building, Chiat/Day Building, Frank Gehry

Photographed By Craig Baker, July 28, 2021

2. Venice West Cafe Marker

Venice West Cafe Building and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Baker, July 28, 2021

3. Venice West Cafe Building and Marker

Venice West Cafe Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Baker, July 28, 2021

4. Venice West Cafe Building

Viewed from Ocean Front Walk.

Located Nearby: Binoculars Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Baker, 2021

5. Located Nearby: Binoculars Building

At 340 Main St, designed by Frank Gehry in 1991, with art by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Now occupied by Google. Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 656.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 3, 2021, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 411 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 3, 2021, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 5. submitted on August 4, 2021, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.