22 DIGS.NET | 2.19.2021
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The slender rectangle that calls S. Venice
Boulevard, Washington Boulevard, Ocean Avenue and
South Strongs Avenue boundaries encompasses the
historic Venice Beach canals. Built in 1905 by tobacco
magnate Abbot Kinney, whose name now garlands the
area's busy main thoroughfare, the canals were originally
designed as a resort that brought the famed Italian
city's captivating aura to the shores of Los Angeles—a
fairytale flavor it retains to this day. While many of the
canals' original miles were filled in during the mid-1920s,
those remaining form a serene oasis in the middle of the
bustling oceanfront neighborhood. Within this magical
space one finds 2800 Dell Avenue, a generous corner lot
that sits at the foot of one of the picturesque bridges that
wind over the waterways.
Encircling the house, the intricate custom black steel
front and side gates and black steel wall designed by
Kevin McCauley of McCauley Design & Building and Red
Crow Building Company is the first indication that what
lies within is, like the bucolic neighborhood itself, both
unique and enchanting. "I consider every home I create
as a work of living art," says McCauley. For him, however,
beauty is more than on the surface. His dedication to fine
craftsmanship is immediately apparent. It's there in the
sturdy gates that channel the symbol for infinity; and in
the calming symmetry of the stepping stones pointing
their way towards the home, even extending to the area
outside of the carport. It's also in the Swedish pine tar
and linseed oil exterior, whose black finish, inspired by
that used on the homes and boats built by the Vikings,
