12017 Venice Boulevard

616012017 Venice Boulevard, 1961. Coast Realty Archive photo.
616112017 Venice Boulevard, 2020. CLUI photo.
This commercial storefront building along the retail strip of Mar Vista was constructed in 1952. It was Arco Electric, an electrician’s shop, until 1961, when the building was listed for sale. It became a nursery school, then in 1963, it became a beer bar. By 1968, the structure was vacant, and reopened as a pool hall and dance hall, which is how it has continued to be used, including as The Bikini Bar, and El Zacatecas Bar, with bikini go-go girls, pool tables, live music, and beer. Around 2019 it became the ArtBarLA, a gallery, bar, restaurant, gathering and performance space that hosts artist talks, DJs, bands, and “over the top shows from burlesque to magic, and beyond.” Next door, on one side, is a Japanese language and culture nursery school, and on the other, a mixed martial arts self-defense school.