The L.A. Times had a nice article on Pacific Ocean Park a few days ago.
I had no idea that the park was so short lived and ended so poorly.
Pacific Ocean Park was built at the beach, on the border of Venice and Santa Monica.
As a joint venture between CBS and Santa Anita Park, it opened in the Summer of 1958
and promised great things. It was very popular, and even out drew Disneyland a few times.
httpwwwcardcowcom128084pacific-ocean-park-santa-monica-california
http://www.westland.net/venicehistor...oppier-map.htm
Check out this short video made when the park opened:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ7yugaQF-0
For the first few years, everything was going fine.
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However, by the mid-1960's, things had already started to decline. Several urban renewal projects in Santa Monica
blocked access roads to the park and attendance dropped off. Salt air and sea water made maintenance of the park expensive.
By 1967, Pacific Ocean Park closed for repairs and never reopened.
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httpswwwflickrcomphotosmanitobamuseum5661903139_zpsc0fcc041
Assets were auctioned off to pay creditors and the remains of the park sat there rotting away, until 1970 when a fire started.
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So, Pacific Ocean Park only lasted a decade, or so, before it literally went down in flames.
If you have about 15 minutes to spare, this moody surfer/skater film gives a view of what was left by the mid 1970's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmU1jSmJF_c
The L.A. Times article is here:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...27-column.html