Venice West Cafe

Venice West Cafe
Venice West Cafe, photo by Charles J. Fisher, 2009

Venice West Cafe, Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #979

Built: 1922  Declared: 03/19/2010

Constructed in 1922 and located on the Venice Boardwalk, this one-story vernacular commercial building is sheathed primarily in rough red brick with white glazed brick trim. In 1958, the poet Stuart Perkoff opened the Venice West Café, which was acquired by John Hagg in 1962, and became a symbol of the growing counter-cultural movement. Local artists displayed their work on the interior walls, and poets, such as Allen Ginsberg and Jim Morrison, read their work to intimate audiences. The café reflects the cultural and social history of the community for its association with the creation of a Bohemian counter -culture in Venice.