Crossing Venice and La Cienega
Ralph Cantos Collection
A morning rush hour train rolls across the bridge at Venice and La Cienega in this Pacific Electric Western District image from January 1949.
Ralph Cantos Collection
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Picture of bridge accross Venice and
La Cienega Boulevard. I remember taking one with my grandma. She looked after me while my parents were at work. We would meet my grandpa at the boardwalk between Venice and Santa Monica. My grandpa liked playing chess at chess place. Can you tell me what year this line was dismantled? I was looking high and low to find this photograph
as we lived across the wash from Davis Tires.
Venice Short Line rail service was abandoned on Sept. 17, 1950, according to “Interurbans Special 60”. Electric railway operation will be restored about half a mile away when the Expo Line light rail opens later this year.
wow you cant even pick out one thing that is the same in that picture.i didnt know how ornate the viaduct was,i always thought the line was at-grade,when did they dismantle the viaduct?
It stood for at least ten or 12 years, as I remember it, and I was only 3 in 1950.
The bridge over La Cienega Blvd was removed about 1963 as construction of the “space age” Santa Monica Freeway reached Venice Blvd. The bridge had sat unused for almost 14 years. At the same time, one auto traffic lane was added to Venice Bl in each direction.
I was actually doing research on the 1 remaining Pacific Electric overpass/bridge at the intersection of Grand Canal and Venice Blvd. here in Venice, CA. I have been told that it was the first bridge in LA as it was needed to send the redcar right into Santa Monica from downtown LA. Nothing is being done to protect the bridge and it may be endangered by a proposed housing project in the parking lot it sits in the middle of. Does anyone have any info on this?
WOW! Lived in the area for a few years in the seventies and never knew it was there. Is it older than the West Blvd bridge located just East of Vineyard? If all else fails, get some nice clear shots to document it for the future.
I lived at 6036 Comey Avenue, we could see the bridge from out home. Mom and Dad referred to it as the “viaduct”…don’t know why?? I took the red car downtown and to Venice Beach many times with my Mom and Dad. In Jr. High, 1955, the trains were not running but I would walk the bridge every day on my way to/from school! I watched them try to tear it down in 1963 (I was at LA City College) and I remember the workers saying it was built like a “brick sh– house”…took them longer than they expected!