WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SIGN?
No one knows. There are several theories as to what happened to the sign, one of the most famous being that it was sold for scrap metal during World War II.
Alexander believes the sign disappeared years after the end of World War II, perhaps sometime in the 1950s when the economic base of Venice had basically disintegrated after its consolidation with Los Angeles in 1925.
After L.A. city officials ordered the once vibrant Venice Pier be shut down in 1946, the surrounding business district slowly experienced an economic downturn because the loss of the pier meant a loss of tourists and the money they brought with them,Alexander said.
“There were a lot of things that had to close down and the city probably didn’t want to pay the electric bill on the sign,” Alexander theorized.
Von Hoffman long believed the sign was a victim of scrap metal until one day at the Abbot Kinney Festival when he came across a person who claimed to see 1950s dated photos of the sign. Curious, von Hoffman did some digging, eventually discovering two photographs dated 1955, both showed the VENICE sign hanging overhead.
“I imagine somewhere in a public works file, there is a work order about taking the sign down,” von Hoffman said. “So far, we haven’t revealed any eyewitnesses to that event.”
BRINGING HISTORY BACK TO WINDWARD The sign was never found, but a group of local preservationists weren’t happy with the loss of an important piece of Venetian history and began an initiative to restore the sign.
“I collect Venice memorabilia and always have been studying photographs that showed the sign,” said von Hoffman, who has lived in Venice for 20 years.“I was always anxious to find out what happened to it.”
The Venice Sign Restoration Project was officially launched in 2004, receiving a $10,000 boost from the Neighborhood Beautification Grant, thanks to then L.A. City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski. The remaining $10,000 needed to complete the project was raised by community members.
The project slowly grew in size, as locals joined in, including Daniel Samakow, owner of Danny’s Venice Deli on Windward Avenue, Simone Scharff and Ann Everest of General Real Estate Management, and Councilman Bill Rosendahl’s office.
The sign is seen as a step toward rebuilding the rich history of Windward Avenue, which local historians believe was torn apart after Venice was annexed to the city of Los Angeles.
“It’s going to connect people to the history of Venice and is going to be a moniker for the community, much like the Hollywood sign is for Hollywood,” said Samakow, one of the project’s leaders. “It’ll remind people of what Venice has been.”
Some hope that the return of the sign will lead to more restoration projects in Venice, bringing back architectural elements that have been removed.
“It means a lot because people are tearing down things in Venice and this is one of the few things that’s being restored,”Barnett said.
Venice Fest will be held on Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 23, 2007. Read the original PDF.