Barnes City
A Circus Community That Briefly Became a City
Between Venice and Culver City, a circus once had a community named after its owner. In 1920, Al G. Barnes moved his circus winter quarters to a ranch along Washington Boulevard. A zoo followed, allowing visitors to see exotic animals even when the traveling show was away.Known as Barnes City, the surrounding community became an incorporated city in 1926 before joining Los Angeles in 1927. Its short history brought together circus showmanship, neighborhood disputes, and a struggle over who would govern this growing part of the Westside. |
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| (1920s)* – Entrance to the Al G. Barnes Circus winter quarters and zoo near Washington Boulevard and McLaughlin Avenue. The signs advertise Tusko the elephant and Lotus the hippopotamus. |
| Historical Notes
Before settling here, Barnes operated near the Venice Lagoon, where his expanding circus needed more space and drew complaints from neighbors. In November 1920, he purchased the 120-acre Sbacha Ranch between Venice and Culver City. The property provided room for animals, equipment, and the people who kept the traveling show running. In December 1923, Barnes opened a public zoo at Washington Boulevard and McLaughlin Avenue. It remained open while the circus toured, with animals left behind continuing to attract visitors. The entrance signs reflected Barnes’s talent for promotion, advertising his star animals with claims of exceptional size. |
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| (1930s)* – Thomas Brothers map showing Barnes City east of Venice and near Mar Vista and Culver City. The name remained on maps after the independent municipality had ceased to exist. |
| Historical Notes
The name Barnes City was used for both the circus community and the municipality that briefly governed the surrounding area. Barnes’s 120-acre ranch and the incorporated city were different in size and purpose. The municipality covered a much larger area, including neighborhoods whose residents had no connection to the circus. Changing boundaries help explain why historical accounts place the circus and zoo in Barnes City, Culver City, or near Venice. In 1925, Culver City annexed a strip along Washington Boulevard that included the zoo property. The remaining community incorporated as Barnes City the following year and later consolidated with Los Angeles. |
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| (1924)* - Aerial view looking northwest over the Al G. Barnes Circus winter quarters and zoo in the area known as Barnes City. Washington Boulevard runs diagonally across the center of the photograph, meeting McLaughlin Avenue near the left center. |
| Historical Notes
The aerial photograph shows the scale of the circus operation before development filled much of the surrounding land. Winter quarters served as a working base where animals were cared for, equipment was repaired, and preparations were made for the next touring season. Living near the circus did not appeal to everyone. Residents complained about animal noise and activities around the grounds. As the surrounding community grew, disagreements over the circus became part of a larger question: who would govern the area and regulate its businesses? |
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| (1924)* - Aerial view looking east over the entrance and grounds of the Al G. Barnes Circus winter quarters and zoo. Washington Boulevard crosses the foreground, while Sawtelle Boulevard runs southeast near the top of the photograph. |
| Historical Notes
Barnes supported incorporation as a way to preserve local control and resist further annexation by neighboring cities. Barnes City formally incorporated on February 13, 1926, but residents opposed to his influence soon gained ground. A new Board of Trustees was elected that April, and voters approved consolidation with Los Angeles in September. The consolidation became effective on April 11, 1927, ending Barnes City’s brief existence as an independent municipality. Incorporation had not settled the disagreements between circus interests and other residents. Instead, it became another chapter in the struggle over the community’s future. |
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| (1926)* - A bear rests a paw on the fender of a Chevrolet at Barnes Zoo. Photograph by Dick Whittington, courtesy of USC Libraries. |
| Historical Notes
This photograph belongs to a series Whittington made in 1926 for the Dan Miner advertising agency, pairing a Chevrolet with animals at the zoo. The unusual scenes suggest a promotional purpose, although the surviving descriptions do not establish exactly what was being advertised. After the 1927 touring season, Barnes moved his circus winter quarters to new grounds between Baldwin Park and El Monte. Earlier that year, he had announced plans to subdivide the Washington Boulevard property, saying it had become too valuable to continue using as circus quarters. The move marked the end of the Westside circus community, whose story survives in photographs and old maps. |
Research, writing, and image curation by Jack Feldman, Water and Power Associates, with editorial assistance.
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