The Windward Piers

The Windward Piers. Venice-of-America. , Wood for the first pier to be erected off Windward Avenue arrived August of 1904 and construction began in earnest. A 1,600 foot t-shaped pier rose out of the quiet swells of the Pacific Ocean in anticipation of Venice-of-America's grand opening day. , Town founder, Abbot Kinney, petitioned the government to build the first private breakwater to protect his new structure, but eyed his creation anxiously as winter began her assault on Santa Monica Bay. On cue, a mammoth storm ravaged the pier on March 12, 1905, sparing only a few pilings. The following day, permission for the breakwater was received and the doge of the canaled city hired 600 men to rebuild his wharf. Goal finally attained, the Abbot Kinney pier was resplendent at the grand opening of the city on Independence Day 1905. , Weeks after Kinney's 1920 death, as if in protest, this major element of the founder's dream burned to the water line. Undaunted, the Kinney Company engineered a more modern pier, which jutted out from Windward Avenue from 1921 until 1947 when it was finally demolished by order of the State of California. , Venice Beach Poets Monument , The Venice Beach Poets Monument was created as part of the City of Los Angeles 2000 renovation of the Ocean Front Walk at Venice Beach. The monument was curated by Fred Dewey (director 1996-2009) of Beyond Baroque literary/arts center, based in Venice. Built by the city, the monument to Venice poets includes poetry fragments from 18 poets on four Venice Beach locations.