Marineland of the Pacific. Palos Verdes, CA. - Abandoned Places

Marineland of the Pacific was an aquarium on the Palos Verdes peninsula (south of Los Angeles, north of Long Beach). At the time of its opening in 1954, it was the largest oceanarium in the world. The park closed in 1987.

The ruins of Marineland will soon be replaced by a "luxury resort." I visited this location a few times last summer, but as of September, construction crews surrounded the few remaining structures. I imagine most of this is gone by now...



The first structures visible from the parking lot are part of the Marineland Inn. This round building is the motel office.



Each of the 10 rooms faces the ocean.


The doors and windows have long been boarded up, but the view is still amazingly detailed.


Designed by William Pereira, the Marineland Restaurant and Porpoise Room (bar/lounge) consists of two connected circular buildings.





At the front of the park, this may've been where visitors queued to enter.



Continuing along the winding path...


An owl! (Not something I see very often in LA)


Across an empty field, a building containing machinery and sinks/troughs.


And an office with a stylish chair.


Random electrical equipment.


The most interesting part of the park was the imitation reef, where visitors could don flippers and swim with sea creatures, or simply observe them safely from behind glass or above the surface.







Steps to enter/exit the reef.


These were made of concrete and fiberglass.


In the changing-room near the reef.


Looking through the changing-room toward a booth containing a very large grill. (Marineland -- where you can watch the whales and eat them, too!)


The Cliffside Theater appeared to be newer than the rest of the buildings.





I'm not sure why this building's roof says "GOLF". It was surrounded by swarming bees, so I didn't get close enough to investigate further.



A view from the edge of the cliff.


Looking back toward the theater.


I loved the design of this water fountain, but didn't quite capture the shapes and angles in the photo.


And finally, the entrance to the parking lot.


View larger images on my flickr set.

Marineland Links:
Marineland of the Pacific Historical Society
Article about Marineland's history