Tourists come from around the world to Venice, California to see all the colorful characters and eccentric artists that populate (and perform in) this area. So, a man strolling down the street dressed in Victorian formal-wear (complete with top hat, cape and cane) will generally not get a second look from the locals. It’s only when that man vanishes into thin air that the double takes begin.
Such is the case on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, between Venice and Main, where for at least the past three decades this strange phenomenon has been witnessed. Although this ghost’s identity is not known for certain, it is commonly believed to be the spirit of Abbot Kinney, himself.
Why this wealthy real estate developer from the turn of the last century strolls through that neighborhood is also unknown. In life, Kinney designed and built Venice as a themed resort destination for the wealthy, and a center for the arts in California, which is exactly what it became in the 1920’s, when silent movie stars made it their playground.
However, when the movie stars moved on, it became just another sleepy beach community, and eventually became incorporated into the City of Los Angeles. It was at this time that many of the canals where paved over and much of the Italian architecture destroyed. Perhaps, Abbot Kinney’s restless ghost wanders the streets because his most famous achievement in life did not come to fruition as he had intended.
