Ocean Park (Santa Monica), CA 90405 | map - approximate |
Opening: The Ocean Park Casino opened in the spring of 1903 at a cost of $35,000, a project of Alexander Fraser. The first version of the Ocean Park Pier had opened in 1898. The c.1904 image is from a postcard on the site Card Cow. A black and white version of the photo appears on another card on the site that they note has a March 1906 postmark.
The building had numerous spaces for restaurants and various other concessionaires. The location of the bandstand, and the space farther off to the left, would in 1906 become the site of the Auditorium Building, a structure that would incorporate a bandstand into
its facade. See that page for many more photos and postcards that show both buildings.
The Family Theatre at the Casino: The Family Theatre is listed in the 1907-1908 Henry's Official Western Theatrical Guide. Henry's gives an address of Pier Ave. and Ocean Front and tells us that the Southwest Amusement Co. was the lessee with a P. Ruppert as manager. They were doing four shows daily. The same information appears in the listings in the trade magazine The Billboard for 1907 and 1908. The 1908 Billboard list is on Google Books.
A front page story in the Santa Monica Outlook for August 2, 1907 advises us that the theatre, mentioned as being in the Ocean Park Casino Building,
is "one of the largest and best ventilated theatres on the Pacific
coast, always presenting the very latest of motion pictures and
illustrated songs and it can easily be seen that this popular theatre
has captured the hearts of the amusement loving public of the Santa
Monica Bay district..." An ad in the August 19 issue advised us that
"Others Like It, So Will You."
At the time, Southwest was also running the La Petite Theatre in the Auditorium Building. It was a firm operated by Billy Clune and C.M. Bockoven. By 1908 the company
was being dissolved and the various theatres were unloaded on other
operators. See the La Petite page for information on that theatre's three Ocean Park locations. Head to the bottom of the page on the Cameo Theatre for more about Southwest Amusement.
The Family Theatre didn't get a listing in the 1905, 1905 or 1912 Santa Monica city directories.
The Casino Building is seen to the north of Pier Ave. with its theatre called the "Casino Theatre" in this detail from plate 35 of the April 1909 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from the collection of the Library of Congress. That's the Auditorium Building, here called the Ocean Park Dancing Pavilion, to the south of Pier Ave. Ocean Park Promenade is along the right side of the image.
Alexander Fraser gave the pier a big upgrade for the 1911 season with increased space and many new attractions. During its 15 months of activity it was known as Fraser's Million Dollar Pier. The Starland Theatre, half way out on the pier, was one new attraction. See that page for views of the pier.
Closing: It's unknown when the Family Theatre closed.
The demise: The
Casino, as well as everything else nearby, burned in the September
3, 1912 pier fire. The pier, with new attractions, would be rebuilt in
time for the 1913 season.
1903 - A photo from the California Historical Society appearing on the USC Digital Library website.
c.1903 - A view in from the pier, perhaps taken at the building's grand opening. The photo is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.
c.1903 - A postcard based on the Los Angeles Public Library photo. It's on the site Card Cow and they note that this particular copy had a September 1904 postmark.
c.1904 - An image from a card with a 1907 postmark from the Ernest Marquez collection that's on the Huntington Library website. It's the same event as pictured in the image at the top of the page. Yet another slightly different photo of the same event is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.
c.1904 - A look toward the Casino from Pier Avenue. On the far right note the sign on the Casino advertising their attraction: "Southern Nubiles Minstrels." It's a photo in the Santa Monica Public Library collection.
c.1904 - A postcard based on the Santa Monica Public Library photo. It's on the site Card Cow where they note that this copy has a November 1905 postmark.
c.1905 - A view toward shore. The structure at the left in front of the Casino is the back of the bandstand. It's a photo from the Ernest Marquez collection appearing on the Huntington Library website.
c.1905 - A view west to the Promenade from Pier Ave. and Trolleyway. The photo, from the Los Angeles Public Library collection, was taken before the Auditorium was built.
1905 - A look north as construction is wrapping up on the Ocean Park Bathhouse. It would open July 4, the same weekend as Abbott Kinney's Venice of America. It's a photo from the California Historical Society appearing on the USC Digital Library website.
1905 - A detail from the USC photo. It appears that Ocean Park's first roller coaster is out on the pier.
c.1905 - A postcard view from the new Bathhouse building. The card is on the Card Cow site where they note that their copy had a 1911 postmark, sent after the view had seriously been changed by the addition of the Auditorium. In the foreground on the left a studio is advertising that you can get your tintype taken in minutes. Another photo studio is across the promenade on the right.
c.1905 - A view south toward the Casino through the new roller coaster. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.
c.1906 - A view east on the Pier toward the Ocean Front Promenade and Pier Ave. beyond. In the foreground on the left it's the Casino Building, here seen with signage for the Casino Cafe. On the right is the new Auditorium Building. The photo from the Connie Cramer Collection / Santa Monica Toastmistress Club appears on the Santa Monica Public Library website. Also see another version of the photo with less vertical cropping.
c.1906 - A postcard based on the uncropped version of the photo above. The card once appeared as a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page but has vanished from that platform.
c.1907 - A banner on the side of the Casino advertising "Continuous Performances" for 10 cents, presumably at the Family Theatre. Beyond the Casino is the Auditorium Building. It's a card in the author's collection, this copy with a February 1910 postmark.
c.1911 - The Casino is on the right in this view south on the Promenade toward Pier Ave. The card appears on Card Cow where they note that it has a January 1912 postmark.
c.1911 - Looking north on Ocean Front Promenade. On the left that's the north end of the Casino, followed by the Looff Hippodrome (a carousel) and the Dragon Gorge Scenic Railroad. Thanks to Lorie Vignolle-Moritz for sharing the card from her collection.
c.1911 - Another view toward the Dragon Gorge. It's another from the site Card Cow. If you care to browse on the site: Ocean Park cards | Venice cards | More cards can be seen on the Penny Postcards from California site: Santa Monica and Ocean Park | Venice |
c.1911 - A lovely card from Jeffrey Stanton's collection that offers a view from on top of the Fraser Pier's Grand Canyon Scenic Railroad. We're looking to the shore with the Thompson Company's Dragon Gorge Scenic Railroad taking up most of the image. To its right is the building for the Looff Carousel and, farther right, a bit of the Casino.
The card appears with Mr. Stanton's "Fraser's Million Dollar Pier," a fine article that's part of his terrific Venice History Site hosted on Westland.net. He discusses the 1912 fire in detail. On his map of the Fraser "Million Dollar" Pier - 1912 the Casino appears as #5. He is the author of "Venice California - Coney Island of the Pacific," available direct by check or money order for $59.57, including tax. He's at 12525 Allin St. Los Angeles 90066. His email: jeffreystanton@yahoo.com.
1912 - The pier in flames during the September 3 fire. It was rebuilt for the 1913 season with new buildings on the Casino and Auditorium sites. It's a card that was located by the late Chrys Atwood.
2019 - Looking out to where the Auditorium, Fraser Pier and the Casino once were. Behind us it's all condos. There's no more Ocean Park business district unless you go several blocks east to Pacific Ave. or Main St. Photo: Google Maps
More Information: See the page on the Ocean Park Auditorium, the building just south of the Casino. There you'll find many more views that show both buildings. The listings at the bottom of the Theatres Along the Coast survey page include some Ocean Park history references.
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