Marina del Rey Historical Society

Visit our gallery in Fisherman’s Village!

13737 Fiji Way Suite C-3

The Marina del Rey Historical Society is proud to present TRIBUTE!
An evening to honor the years of service by Supervisor Don Knabe

DOWNLOAD SPONSORSHIP FORM
DOWNLOAD SEAT RESERVATION FORM

Space is limited and provided on a first come – first served basis
Payment must be received by September 1
Credit cards accepted
Please make out all checks and mail along with the forms to
Marina del Rey Historical Society
4030 Del Rey Avenue
Marina del Rey, CA 90292

Marina del Rey Historical Society
Founded September 10, 2007

The Marina del Rey Historical Society (MdRHS) was founded to collect and preserve historical documents, artifacts, publications, photographs, data and information relating to the development of Marina del Rey as exhibits and in retrievable electronic databases in order to keep the past alive for community pride and to create a unique resource of cultural and educational materials of historic value.

Currently our collection includes Marina del Rey, Playa del Rey, the Howard Hughes Airfield (Playa Vista), Venice, Ocean Park, Santa Monica, LAX (Mines Field) and San Pedro.

Since our collection is electronically filed, personal contributions (photographs, printed material, documents, etc.) can be scanned to our files and the originals returned to the donor. Credit for the contribution will be listed and included in the captions.

Marina del Rey Historical Society
Special fundraising for archival materials

DONATE TODAY TO SAVE YOUR YESTERDAY!

Marina del Rey recently turned 50. That means there are fifty years of history. The MdRHS is the depository for all things Marina del Rey. The Society has complete collections of The Argonaut, The Dinghy, photographs dating back to the 1800’s, and is the recipient of Greg Wenger’s extensive photography collection which encompasses the development, the building, the racing, and the events of MdR throughout those fifty years.

The Society has started a fund raising campaign for equipment and materials to archive and preserve this artifact collection.
If you have lived, sailed, raced, or biked in Marina del Rey… THIS IS YOUR HISTORY TOO! Please consider any donation amount so that the Society can move forward with building a researchable digital collection of our materials while preserving the originals for future generations.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE specifically to the archive fund
The Marina del Rey Historical Society
is a 501(3)(c) California nonprofit organization

The Society is also looking for material donations. Please call for more information.

slide scanner
photo scanners
high end Windows computers
- newer Intel i7 with Windows 10
- at least 12GB RAM
- at least 3TB internal hard drive
5TB and above external hard drives
Local Network Storage solution
USB cables
HDMI cables
large high definition computer monitors
archive quality slide sleeves
archive quality photo sleeves (all sizes)
fireproof filing cabinets

Don Knabe Tribute Sponsors

To become a sponsor please see information on the left.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE
to the general fund
The Marina del Rey Historical Society
is a 501(3)(c) California nonprofit organization

We can preserve and share because of your donations.
Please donate today.

PURCHASE OUR BOOK!

Marina del Rey Historical Society
Presents:
Images of America
Marina del Rey

Presenting from our collection:
a short photographic history of the area and development of Marina del Rey
Click on any image to launch a slide show with more information per image

Venice beach on the left, the future site of Playa Vista along Ballona Creek, and current Playa del Rey on the right

Marina del Rey

The name Marina del Rey first appears in a 1938 Feasibility Study

The name Marina del Rey

1964 Westways Magazine details the history of the area soon to be Marina del Rey

1964 Westways Magazine

More of the article from Westways Magazine January 1964

Overlay of a 1923 map of the future Marina del Rey

Overlay of a 1923 map

A hunter and his dogs huntng ducks in the 1880s Centinela Creek

1880s Centinela Creek

Venice Peninsula Oilfields in the 1930s. Flooded farmlands were tilled to promote drainage and grow crops.

Venice Peninsula Oilfields 1930s

1937 shot of Ballona Creek as an enclosed flood control channel

1937 shot of Ballona Creek

1938 The Venice Peninsula and future Marina del Rey

1938 The Venice Peninsula

December 11, 1957: Marina del Rey Dedication and Ground Breaking

1957: Marina del Rey Dedication and Ground Breaking

Marina del Rey begins with construction of the North and South Jetties

North and South Jetties

1959: Last views of the swamp prior to the harbor construction

1959: Last views of the swamp

1967 Seawall construction showing oil derricks on Venice Peninsula in the background.

1967: Seawall construction

Highway 1 still runs along the beachfront as the Main Channel is dredged. It will soon be routed around the harbor.

Highway 1

Dredging of the Main Channel & Basin A

Dredging of the Main Channel

Basins A, B, C & D Emerge

Basins A, B, C, & D

1961: Dredging of Basins D & E. Outlines of Basins F,G, & H in foreground.

1961: Dredging

Fuel dock is the first construction on Bora Bora Way.

Fuel dock

United States Coast Guard Station Marina del Rey under construction. Families drove on empty streets to get to the Pieces of Eight Restaurant where a “peg leg pirate” met you at the door.

USCG Station

1963: Fiji Way development

1963: Fiji Way

Villa del Mar Marina in 1963. Without the docks built out the boaters have the kind of room sailors wish they had today!

Villa del Mar Marina

“The Surge” in 1963 – Dinghy magazine story

1963 Dinghy magazine story

Pieces of Eight Restaurant (now Whiskey Red’s) Storm Damage from the 1963 Surge

Storm Damage

U. S. Army Corps of Engineers construct a scale model of Marina del Rey to study wave action after “The Surge”

Scale model of MdR

Temporary Baffles were build in the Marina in 1963 to protect the harbor from further storm damage. Businesses came back and boats went back in the water.

Temporary Baffles 1963

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter CG 82338 near the baffles

CG 82338

1963 Breakwater construction. Shows a great view of the actual wave action.

1963 Breakwater construction

The breakwater protection allowed the development of land “moles” and marinas to continue

The breakwater

1965 Map of Marina del Rey shows the Breakwater in place

1965 Map of Marina del Rey

Hughes Aircraft complex with the Pacific Electric Railway (the white arrow) running along a path that would be great to have today to mitigate traffic.

Hughes Aircraft

Just up the street from all the construction, the infamous Spruce Goose was build by Howard Hughes in 1944

Spruce Goose in 1944

Charlie Brown’s Restaurant (now Tony P’s) bordered by Admiralty Way in 1965

Charlie Brown’s Restaurant

1Congressman Roosevelt © attends the groundbreaking of Neptune Marina in 1965

Groundbreaking of Neptune Marina

California Yacht Club’s REAL Opening Day 1966

California Yacht Club

1969 Fisherman’s Village under construction. The frame of the Marina del Rey “lighthouse” protrudes into its space

1969 Fisherman’s Village

Warehouse Restaurant under construction even as CYC dinghys sit in the club’s mast up storage.

Warehouse Restaurant

Cyrano’s Restaurant under construction. The 2 story building down the street is South Coast Corinthian Yacht club. Its hungry sailors enjoyed the wafts of garlic dinners in the afternoons from Cyranos.

Cyrano’s Restaurant

Marina City Club’s first tower and footprint of two more. The walkway along the water leads to Mother’s Beach.

Marina City Club

MdR’s Mother’s Beach with volleyball nets, picnic and playground full of visitors

MdR’s Mother’s Beach

Ground breaking of Burton Chace Park, August 22, 1972. (from the left) Supervisor Burton Chace, Aubrey Austin, Art Will & Victor Adorian

Ground breaking – Burton Chace Park

Burton Chace Park under construction

Burton Chace Park

The Helmsman, donated to Burton Chace Park by the Helms Bakery. A beautiful wooden ship’s wheel is a favorite for climbing!

The Helmsman statue

Miss Marina del Rey & Court, 1967

Miss Marina del Rey & Court

Sally Field as the “Flying Nun”

Marina del Rey has always been a favorite background for Hollywood. Here is Sally Field as the “Flying Nun” shot in the Marina

Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra in Marina del Rey’s Main Channel shooting a 1966 movie Assault on a Queen

Jacques Cousteau

Oceanography’s favorite star, Jacques Cousteau, in Marina del Rey in 1965

The north-south commute along Highway 1 is diverted until this guy had an idea…

Commute along Highway 1 is Diverted

Marina’s “DooDah” Parade

Tall Ships come into the Marina to celebrate special occasions. On this day, a very new Cal 20 sails by.

Tall Ships

The Holiday Boat Parade has been the second Saturday in December annually since 1963

The Holiday Boat Parade

Marina del Rey celebrated 50 years in April 2015 with three days of events

Marina del Rey celebrated 50 years

Special Events for the Marina’s 50th Birthday Celebration including a harbor tour sponsored by the Marina del Rey Historical Society

Special Events

Tall Ships provided harbor tours