Belles’ expansion plans also include a rooftop deck and permanence of its al fresco dining area.
Plans are in the works for Belles Beach House, a popular tiki restaurant and bar steps from the Venice Boardwalk, to stack more floors onto its ground-level, a project that would restore a key piece of the neighborhood’s history.
The boardwalk-adjacent retro eatery filed plans with the city’s planning department, calling for two additional stories that will stretch over the sidewalk along Windward Avenue. The project would be a restoration of Venice’s historic arcade architecture: walkways covered by rows of repeating arches supported by detailed columns. Originating from Abbot Kinney’s “Venice of America” resort, the design was integral to Venice in the early 20th Century.
The arcade largely remains along Windward Avenue, such as in buildings that house Gran Blanco, Venice Beach Mart and Cafe Collage, along with parts of the boardwalk. However, its preservation is fragmented, with other businesses including Belles lacking the design.
Belles’ expansion plans also include a rooftop deck and permanence of its al fresco dining area.
Representatives of the restaurant did not respond to an inquiry in time for publication, but a land use consultant associated with the project described it as being in the “very early stages.”
Documents attached with the filing include a 1990 letter to a city councilmember that outlined how to preserve the arcade area on Windward Avenue, describing Ocean Front Walk as filled with “scattered fragments” of its once “richly interwoven urban architecture.”
“The order and strength of the arcade as a unifying element within the center of the diverse fabric of Venice is both appropriate and pleasing.” states the letter, sent by the Venice Historical Society to then-councilwoman Galantar. “The arcade also provides climatic protection to pedestrians. Although rare in the United States, these covered sidewalks are found in many parts of the world and, in particular, Venice, Italy, the source of architectural inspiration for Windward Avenue.”
