
Visit our
Marina del Rey Historical Exhibit &
Gallery in Fisherman’s Village!
Tuesday – Sunday Noon to 4PM
13737 Fiji Way Suite C-3
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
424-391-6976
TAKE A LOOK AT OUR EXPANDING PHOTO ARCHIVES!
THIS MONTH’S FEATURED IMAGES
The Marina del Rey Historical Society
is a 501(3)(c) California nonprofit organization
NEWS – EVENTS – MORE
Marina del Rey History Exhibit
Marina del Rey Historical Society's History Gallery, located in Fisherman’s Village just steps from the Marina Lighthouse, presents on ongoing exhibit of Marina del Rey history, including more than 100 years of historical photos, DVD presentation, books, memorabilia,...
read moreLA’s MarinaFest Boat Show & Discover Marina del Rey
The annual MarinaFest Boat Show is combining forces with the annual Discover Marina del Rey event. LA's MarinaFest Boat Show will be on Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20. MarinaFest includes an in-water boat show, harbor tours, food, music, booths, and tall ships....
read moreMarina del Rey History Gallery at Fisherman’s Village is expanding
An expansion underway at the Marina del Rey History Gallery will include additional room to accommodate more exhibit space, research area, and gift shop. Completion and grand reopening is expected mid-May. Meanwhile, the Gallery is open during construction, Tuesday...
read moreVolumes of Early MDR News Clippings Emerge
An extraordinarily comprehensive history of Marina del Rey Harbor’s early years, as told by the collected newspaper clippings of that era, has been made available to Marina del Rey Historical Society (MDRHS). The eight-volume large format scrapbook collection includes...
read moreMdRHS Will Celebrate Our Tenth Year!
September 2017 SAVE THE DATE! On September 10, 2017, Marina del Rey Historical Society will celebrate its 10th year. As we grow our own history, the Society will be celebrating our first decade as caretakers of the history of Marina del Rey. Save the date, event...
read moreOld Fashioned Day In the Park presents vintage yachts and classic cars
July 29, 2018 Classic Yacht Association's 42nd annual classic vintage yacht and car show, "Old Fashioned Day in the Park", will take place on Sunday, July 29, at Burton Chace Park, 13650 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey CA 90292. Show hours are 10am to 3pm....
read moreHughes After Howard
A history of Hughes Aircraft Company was presented by past president D. Kenneth Richardson, at the Playa Vista Library, this past April 15. Richardson is author of the book “Hughes After Howard” . Marina del Rey Historical Society co-sponsored the event with Hughes...
read moreMarinaFest 2017
The annual festival in Burton Chace Park took place on May 20-21, with a boat show on the guest docks, free historic harbor tours, samba dancers, dozens of area vendors, inflatable kids attractions, and wine & beer garden. Marina del Rey Historical Society...
read moreARTsea 2017
Combining art, music, dance and food on Marina del Rey "Mother's" Beach, the inaugural ARTsea event this past June 10th was successful and well attended. Marina del Rey Historical Society participated with a history exhibit and hundreds of complimentary copies of...
read moreMarina 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
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.
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
1964 Westways Magazine details the history of the area soon to be Marina del Rey
1964 Westways Magazine
Venice Peninsula Oilfields in the 1930s. Flooded farmlands were tilled to promote drainage and grow crops.
Venice Peninsula Oilfields 1930s
December 11, 1957: Marina del Rey Dedication and Ground Breaking
1957: Marina del Rey Dedication and Ground Breaking
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The north-south commute along Highway 1 is diverted until this guy had an idea…
Commute along Highway 1 is Diverted
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
The brig Irving Johnson and Topsail Schooner Amazing Grace provided a mock battle thrilling all in the area
Irving Johnson & Amazing Grace