Episode 11. The Plunge and the Dance Hall at The Pike

In this episode, I talk more about the bathhouse which is also known as The Plunge and that Dance Hall. I talk about the significance of both types of entertainment and the significance both played in the early days of The Pike.

Transcript

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Hey, happy holidays folks. What a year? I hope you are fabulous has ever, I don't know about you, but I feel like I've made some major growth this year. And when I say growth, I'm talking about internally. I guess externally as well, this white hair on my peered seems to be coming back with vengeance every time I dye it and it grows out. It just seems to get wider once the dye fades. I don't know why they call it permanent dye. If it really only is temporary. Well enough about that. Are you making any new year's resolutions? I am. It's the same one I make every year, it goes like this. I'm going to be more mindful of what I consume. I'm going to go to the gym more frequently and eat healthier than the previous here. And I actually get better and better at this every year, which is why I feel like I have ascended, but who knew. A new year's resolution would be a lifelong journey. So. I was talking to my mom over dinner. The other night we went to Jay trainee's Italian restaurant here in San Pedro, and we shared the wedge salad, lentil soup and the lasagna.

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We were so stuffed after they could have rolled us out of there. Anyway, I was telling my mom that the next episode on the podcast is about the pike. She actually went there as a little girl. I'm going to try to convince her to do an interview with me. I learned she has some great tales of the pike from when she lived in long beach, back in the sixties and more to come on that. So Willmore city. As it was once known was bought out in 1888 by the long beach land and water company. Interestingly enough. And according to the city auditor's website, long beach was incorporated twice. Get this first, it was incorporated on February 10th, 1888, and shortly after the city was briefly dissident corporated, then it was reincorporated on December 3rd, 1897. It's name was changed from Wilmore to long beach in 1892. Thank God. And soon thereafter, it was known to the masses as a seaside resort. And as Southern Californians know, we escape the summer heat by crowding the shore and beaches. We love that cool ocean breeze off the Pacific ocean. One of the first attractions on the shoreline of long beach was the bath house, which opened in 1902. It housed a huge indoor pool. According to this online version of a historical postcard titled the plunge. Long beach, California bath house dated 1916. It reads, it featured 485 dressing rooms and 500 bathing suits available for rental. Uh, you can't even try it on underwear at Ross anymore. Let alone rent a bathing suit that somebody else wore. Uh, it housed a 60 by 120 foot heated salt water pool for both sexes. Um, Sorry folks. They did not have a third, uh, gender at this time. Um, and a 40 by eight foot pool for women only. And 22 hot saltwater baths. The plunge, um, which the bath house was later known was built inside this beautiful building, that mimicked aspects of the white house in the nation's capital. This Neo classical architecture also held within it, a convention center. And a ballroom for dancing. The plunge grew into a sprawling amusement area, which became known as the pike. Entertainments zones, like the pike were highly significant in the early 19 hundreds for several social. Cultural and economic reasons. New technologies such as electric lighting, mechanical, carnival rides and transportation. For example, street cars. Made it possible to create a vibrant entertainment districts that operated late into the night. They were among the few places where people from different social classes, ethnicities and backgrounds could mingle. Entertainment zones also reflected societal norms and inequalities of the time, which were highly visible. Entertainment zones provided affordable, accessible recreation, serving as a counterbalance to the stresses of urban life. The late Victorian era gave way to a more relaxed attitude toward leisure and public entertainment. The rise of consumer culture made entertainment, an integral part of everyday life. With entertainment zones, becoming sites for spending discretionary income. Entertainment districts stimulated local economies by attracting tourism. Creating jobs and encouraging the growth of surrounding businesses like restaurants and hotels. Citi's used entertainment zones to establish themselves as modern and progressive hubs, often competing to create the most impressive attractions. Iconic sites became sources of pride and identity for urban residents. When article read in 1902 places like Coney island in New York and the pike in long beach, California symbolized these trends, offering thrilling rides, sideshows, and spaces for public gathering that defined the eras, leisure culture. I want to talk a little bit about dance halls because prior to the invention of cell phones and Instagram, we spent a lot of time outside. And what entertained us back in the day, aside from amusement parks and swimming pools was different. Dance halls were one of the few affordable entertainment options available to working class people. They offered an accessible way to unwind and enjoy themselves after long workdays. Although some venues enforced strict dress codes. We're segregated by class and possibly the color of your skin. Now, I don't know the specifics of, the dance hall or ballroom, at the pike. But, um, if I find any information to address codes, class, and, Separation of, uh, Color. I'll let you know. But moving on dance halls helped popularize music styles, like ragtime, jazz, and later swing. Live bands and orchestras were often a highlight and the dance floor was a stage for a showcasing, the latest trends and music. Clothing. And dance moves. Dance halls were often profitable businesses supporting local musicians, fashion trends, dance shoes, and evening wear. And the broader nightlife economy. As cities grew, dancehalls became central to the urban nightlife scene, shaping the rhythms of modern leisure and entertainment. But dance halls were also controversial. Reformers and moralists criticize them as a breeding grounds for immorality and delinquency. Potential underscored, larger societal anxieties about modernization. Youth culture and shifting gender roles. In essence dance halls reflected the rapid societal changes of the 20th century, serving as spaces for recreation. Cultural exchange and social transformation. And as I mentioned in episode 11, the pike began with a modest boardwalk, the bath house for indoor swimming. Food vendors and basic amusement, which will be discussed in a later episode. So, so get this, I mentioned earlier that in July of 1902, the bath house in the Pacific electric railway opened on the same day. So the red electric Pacific trolleys delivered people on schedule from the city of Los Angeles and even from orange county. Um, I'm sure from other parts, but this is what I, when I read, in one article, Um, and the red street cars would stop at the corner of Pacific avenue and ocean Boulevard to let passengers off where the entrance to the pike sat. So the pike reinvented itself at least on four occasions by changing its name, to keep up with competition. It was originally called the pike. Than an amusement park was included with a carnival rides and a roller coaster was added. And this lent to the amusement park, acquiring the name. Uh, silver spray pier. Then new pike and finally, uh, Queens park, when the queen Mary was introduced. And so, um, we're going to leave it here, folks. And in the next episode, what we're going to do is we're going to tap into. How the pike grew some of the games we'll talk about. The carnival rides. We'll talk about the people that were there, the sailors, we'll also be talking about. What are other social issues we're facing? People. At this time. So a world war one, world war two. And again, want to wish all of you a very happy. Joyous, safe. Holiday season take care.

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Hey, thank you for listening today. If you enjoyed today's episode, please make sure to click download. Let me know if you have any stories to tell about the Harbor area. Email me@harborareapodcastatyahoo.com. That's Harbor area podcast@yahoo.com.

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Take care and remember to treat each other kindly.