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# Familiar face returns
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/familiar-face-returns/
- Published: 2007-06-23T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T01:16:18.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Community, Venice, #archive-import

*Electrified sign restores Venice history to a place of prominence*

VENICE A fixture in old black and white photos of Windward Avenue, hanging above the heads of the women in Victorian dresses and turn-of-the-century automobiles was an electric trestle sign, simple in design, iconic in nature.

The plain yet charming VENICE electric sign dangled above Windward Avenue for nearly 50 years, welcoming those who walked below to the world famous boardwalk and pier, until one day it mysteriously disappeared.

Almost half a century after the departure of the neighborhood heirloom, a replica sign now hangs exactly where its predecessor once presided.

This Sunday, the Venice community will rejoice in the return of the beloved historic icon with a day-long celebration, concluding with the lighting of the electric trestle sign.

The celebration, dubbed “Venice Fest,” will coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Venice Chamber of Commerce. Held on a block of Windward Avenue from Pacific Avenue to the boardwalk, the event will feature performances by the Venice High School marching band and hometown band, Venice, said Daryl Barnett, festival organizer.

The second iteration was installed on Tuesday and was tested Thursday night,attracting a small crowd of curious onlookers, many of whom never knew the history of the sign.

It was an emotional experience for some. Elayne Alexander was standing on Windward Avenue on Thursday night when the sign lit up the night sky, causing the former president of the Venice Historical Society to burst into tears.

“I could picture myself back in time and I knew what it felt like, what those people saw, those ladies in long dresses walking down the dirt street with the gentlemen riding horses,”Alexander said on Friday.“It just all came back to me.”

The original sign made its debut on July 4, 1905 when Abbot Kinney first introduced the world to Venice-of-America, as the neighborhood was called back then.

The Coney Island of the West Coast, the Venice of the United States — Kinney’s dream of a grand city by the Pacific Ocean had come true.

“The sign marked the gateway of the original Venice Pier,” said Todd von Hoffman, the project manager who spearheaded the return of the VENICE sign. “It’s where the remnants of Kinney’s dream can still be seen.”

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/062307-02_01.jpg)

of Venice Community Trust WIRED UP: Workers this week installed an electric trestle sign spelling out ‘Venice’ in white block letters across Windward Avenue. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 23, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/062307.pdf?ref=smdp.com)