Editing Marina del Rey, California (section)

==History==
{{main|Ballona Wetlands}}
Prior to its development as a small-craft harbor, the land occupied by Marina del Rey was a [[salt marsh]] fed by fresh water from [[Ballona Creek]]. The area was frequented by the [[Tongva]], who used plank boats, known as ''[[te'aat]]s'', to traverse the waters and to paddle out to the [[Channel Islands (California)|Channel Islands]]. Fishing and shellfish harvesting were common. The village of [[Guashna]] was a major regional trade center between villages on the islands and the mainland.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-07-09 |title=The Real Southern California: Marina del Rey's Ballona Wetlands |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/the_real_southern_california_m |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727132113/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/the_real_southern_california_m |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 27, 2022 |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=Travel |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rochlin |first=Michael Jacob |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/43657353 |title=Ancient L.A. and other essays |date=1999 |publisher=Unreinforced Masonry Studio |isbn=0-9648304-1-8 |location=Los Angeles |pages=69 |oclc=43657353}}</ref>

With the increasing arrival of European settlers, Moye C. Wicks thought in the mid-19th century of turning the [[estuary]] and the wetland of Playa del Rey into a commercial port.<ref name="LAT2016-08-27">{{cite news |last=GARNER |first=SCOTT |date=August 25, 2016 |title=Neighborhood Spotlight: Marina del Rey sets a course for a comeback |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hp-neighborhood-spotlight-marina-del-rey-20160827-snap-story.html |access-date=17 August 2018}}</ref> He formed the Ballona Development Company in 1888 to develop the area, but three years later the company went bankrupt. The area became frequented by duck hunters, including their hunting club, as well as by birdwatchers of the Los Angeles [[Audubon Society]] and the southern chapter of the Cooper Ornithological Club. [[Burton W. Chace]], a former councilman of the City of Long Beach who later became a member of the [[Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors]], referred to the area as [[mud flats]], but the area would today more properly be referred to as an estuary and [[wetland]].

[[Port Ballona]] was made by [[Louis Mesmer]] and Moye Wicks and then sold to [[Moses Sherman]]. Sherman purchased {{convert|1000| acres}} of land around the Ballona lagoon and Port Ballona in 1902 under the name the [[Beach Land Company]]. Sherman and Clark renamed the land "[[Del Rey, Los Angeles|Del Rey]]." Port Ballona was then renamed [[Playa Del Rey]]. The port was serviced by the [[California Central Railway]] opened in September 1887, this line later became the [[Santa Fe Railway]], that later became the [[Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad]]. The rail line ran from the port to [[Redondo Junction, California|Redondo junction]]. A [[streetcar|street car]] tram line was made to the Port by the [[Redondo and Hermosa Beach Railroad]] company, that had incorporated on February 21, 1901. This company was part of the Los Angeles Pacific Railroad owned by Sherman. The tram line opened December 1902 departed downtown at 4th and Broadway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.erha.org/lap_corphist.htm|title=Los Angeles Pacific Corporate Histories|website=www.erha.org}}</ref><ref>[http://delreync.org/node/32 delreync.org, Del Rey Neighborhood Council, Marina Del Rey History ] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714192720/http://delreync.org/node/32 |date=July 14, 2014 }}</ref>

{{further|Redondo Beach via Playa Del Rey Line}}

In 1916, the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] revisited the idea of a commercial harbor, but declared it economically impractical. In 1936 the [[U.S. Congress]] ordered a re-evaluation of that determination, and the Army Corps of Engineers returned with a more favorable determination; however, the Marina del Rey Harbor concept lost out to San Pedro as a commercial harbor and development funding went to the [[Port of Los Angeles]] instead.

[[File:Lighthouse concession stand, Marina Del Rey harbor, California LCCN2011634531.tif|thumb|Lighthouse concession stand at Fisherman’s Village]]

In 1949, the [[US Army Corps of Engineers]] submitted an elaborate $23 million plan for a marina with mooring space for over 8,000 small-craft boats. In 1954, [[President Eisenhower]] signed Public Law 83-780, authorizing the study of the creation of the Marina as a federal project. After seven years of legislative wrangling, Public Law 87-402 renamed the Playa Del Rey Inlet and Harbor as Marina del Rey, implicitly enshrining the authorization of the project into law.<ref>{{cite book | author=United States. Department of State | title=United States Statutes at Large | publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office | year=1962 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QxxA19Y5PS0C&pg=PA3 | access-date=2020-08-08 | page=3}}</ref>

Groundbreaking began shortly afterward, during the early years of the [[Kennedy administration]].

With construction almost complete, the marina was put in danger in 1962–1963 by a winter storm. The storm caused millions of dollars in damage to both the marina and the few small boats anchored there. A plan was put into effect to build a breakwater at the mouth of the marina, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors appropriated $2.1 million to build it. On April 10, 1965, Marina del Rey was formally dedicated.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-12-mn-2321-story.html Los Angeles Times: "Marina del Rey Development Rose Out of Mud (First Of Two Parts)] November 12, 1989</ref> The total cost of the marina was $36.25 million for land, construction, and initial operation.

Los Angeles County then solicited bids for the harbor and port development and sold 60-year leaseholds to willing developers.<ref name=Argo>[http://argonautnews.com/former-prominent-marina-del-rey-developer-abraham-lurie-dies-at-86/ The Argonaut: "Former Prominent Marina Del Rey Developer Abraham Lurie Dies at 86"] July 8, 2010</ref><ref name=LATimeBank>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-13-we-925-story.html Los Angeles Times: "Biggest Marina Developer Files for Bankruptcy : Finances: Abraham M. Lurie seeks court protection as he battles his Saudi partners for control of his extensive holdings" by Jeffrey L. Rabin] June 13, 1991</ref> Real estate developer [[Abraham M. Lurie]] was the single largest leaseholder responsible for the building of three hotels, two apartment complexes, 1,000 boat slips, and several shopping centers, offices, restaurants; his holdings also included the last undeveloped piece of waterfront land in Marina del Rey.<ref name=LATimeBank /> He eventually ran into cash flow problems and sold a 49.9% interest to Saudi Arabian Sheik [[Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim]], a brother of [[Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim]] and a brother-in-law of [[Fahd of Saudi Arabia|King Fahd]]; the investment soon turned sour. After a protracted and aggressive lawsuit, Lurie lost his entire interest in 1993 in the development to Abdul Aziz.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-05-01-me-29640-story.html Los Angeles Times: "Saudi Wins Court Fight Over Marina : Real estate: Billionaire gains control of nearly 20% of county-owned Marina del Rey. Ruling ends Abraham Lurie's involvement" by Jeffrey L. Rabin and Ron Russell] May 01, 1993</ref>