Pagodas at Westminster and OFW, around 1980 Photo by Gary Gallerie

The Fenced-Off Pagodas Today

By Greta Cobar
Big “cleanup” is planned for Ocean Front Walk (OFW) ahead of the summer 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup and summer 2028 Olympics. Money is being poured in, similar to the OFW Refurbishment Plan ahead of Los Angeles hosting the Democratic National Convention of 2000. That’s when the Venice Pavilion was torn down and the five sets of pagodas lining OFW were rebuilt. The set of pagodas at Westminster was dismantled by the city and should be restored.

At the December Committee of the Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) meeting Sean Silva, Venice Deputy for Councilmember Traci Park, reported that new funding for the restoration of the pagodas has been secured and the goal is to have them fully restored by summer 2026. “Another area of universal support is for the restoration of the historic pagodas consistent with the 1940s architectural plans and specifications. Thirty-two total umbrellas exist and would be replaced per the original plans,” according to the Refurbishment Plan that outlined the proposed changes for OFW in 2000.

Contrary to the plan as written, the end result proved to be quite different from the original pagodas, which were much larger and had wooden benches that could accommodate more people. A current reduction in the number of available places to sit underneath the pagodas is the ongoing trend of removing benches and fencing in the pagodas on OFW.

Because the city did not comply with its own plans of restoration in 2000, illegally and without public consent changing a historical part of OFW, it should now be made mandatory that the current proposed remodel of the pagodas restore them to the exact design of the 1930s.

Original Venice pagodas built in 1930s on OFW

Six sets of pagodas were originally built and were called pergolas. Sometime in the 1990s the set of pagodas at Westminster, literally a stone throw away from the bench on OFW and Horizon that was just removed on November 21, was demolished, once again due to “vandalism.” (See Benches article, back page) “Since Westminster has been known to be a troublesome street, the design team is not recommending replacement of that original pagoda” according to the Venice OFW Refurbishment Plan of 2000. At the time of the removal of the Westminster pagoda there was considerable speculation that it was taken down to deny Black residents of Oakwood, who often use Westminster to access OFW and the beach, to have a place to sit.

“Old is not historic” said Silva about the pagodas at the November 3 2025 OFW Committee of the VNC meeting. He went on to allege that because they lack historical status, the city has more flexibility to renovate. This is exactly what we are afraid of and are preparing to fight against.

“There are a lot of things in L.A. that are historic that are not yet designated,” said Amanda Seward regarding the pagodas. Seward is an attorney who participated in the successful efforts against the giant housing corporation Apartment Investment and Management Company (Aimco) to preserve Lincoln Place apartments in Venice. She authored the California State Historic Resource nomination, which was approved by the State Historic Commission in 2005 and prevented the complex from being demolished.

A motion that included preserving the historically sensitive design standards of the pagodas, giving them historic-cultural monument status, and keeping them open to the public was on the agenda of theDecember 16 VNC meeting. Brian Averill, VNC President, single-handedly made the decision to skip over that specific agenda item, and it was not heard, discussed or voted on.

A motion requesting that City Council District 11 move to have the pagodas designated Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monuments was passed by the VNC Preserving Public Places Committee on November 7, 2024. Unfortunately they still do not have historic landmark status.

In April 2022 the VNC Board unanimously passed a motion to have the pagodas restored “in keeping with their historic design, features and color, including to recreate the distinctive missing spires.”

“Right now we are waiting for quotes to restore the pagodas. New wood, paint, etc. They would be restored as is,” according to an email sent to the Venice Arts Council by Sonya Young-Jimenez, Recreation and Parks Superintendent, on December 3, 2025. If this sounds similar to what was promised during the restoration that took place in 2000, it’s because it is.The 2000 remodel wound up with pagodas and seating areas that are radically different from what was built in the 1930s. As the saying goes, “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”

At the November 6 2025 Town Hall meeting held at the BAR Jewish Center on OFW, Councilmember Traci Park stated that the pagodas at Dudley were fenced off because of neighbor complaints. Meanwhile it is well-known around town who that one neighbor living on Dudley is, and that her lobbying Traci Park is also the reason why there isn’t any more music played at that location.

The city is aiming for peaceful and family-friendly events at FIFA and the summer Olympics. However protests, boycotts and picket lines are already being planned along OFW during the events if the city does not take into consideration public input regarding the proposed remodel of the five sets of pagodas on OFW. Although officials have mentioned the project at several public meetings, public input has not been requested or accepted so far and no information concerning the project has been made public.

A Freedom of Information Act Request (#25-17675) regarding the proposed remodel project of the pagodas was submitted to Recreation and Parks on November 28 2025. No response had been received as of December 16, 18 calendar days later. According to California state law, government agencies must respond to public records requests (under the California Public Records Act) within 10 calendar days.

Emails requesting information about the specifics of the plan to remodel the pagodas were sent to Councilmember Traci Park and her Communications Deputy Jonathan Davila and Communications Director Peter Brown on November 14, November 21 and December 5. Neither one of them provided any response as of December 16.

Since our elected officials, whose salaries we are paying, walk all over us while going to the bank, an attorney might be needed in order for us to restore our pagodas to the grandeur that we and our millions of visitors deserve. If you can help, let us know.While none of the FIFA events will take place in Venice, a significant surge in the number of visitors is expected during the summer of 2026. In 2028 Venice is scheduled to host the Olympic Triathlon and the Paratriatholn with OFW as a backdrop, in addition to being the starting point for the Marathon and the Road Cycling events of the summer Olympics. Let’s welcome everyone and provide the historical setting that Venice of America is famous for worldwide.

The Doors chilling under an original Venice pagoda