Title supplied by cataloger.; Photograph has a vertical crease the length of the picture on the right side. Built in 1905, the Ship Cafe, part of The Ship Hotel was the place to go in Venice, California. The restaurant was built on pilings and was designed to be a replica of Juan Cabrillo's Spanish galleon. It was one of the great attractions of the original Venice Pier. High priced cuisine was served in the main dining room as well as in private salons on the second deck. The staff was uniformed like 16th century naval officers. In 1946 the city council voted to tear down the Venice Pier, including the Ship Cafe. Albert Marco, born Marco Albori, was an Italian bootlegger who was active in Los Angeles during the Prohibition Era in the 1920s. Marco worked closely with Charles H. Crawford, who ran city politics along with Kent Kane Parrot, a powerful attorney involved in city politics. On June 28, 1928 Marco was arrested and put on trial for assault with a deadly weapon when he shot Dominic Conterno and Harry Judson. He was found guilty on two counts and was sentenced to two seven-year terms. He was paroled in 1933 and deported to Italy. He returned to Los Angeles in 1937 hoping to permanently stay in the United States, but he was denied and ordered to return to Italy. Photograph caption dated July 23, 1928 reads "Here is the entrance of the Ship Cafe, the scene of the mysterious shooting. After a rough and tumble fight in which Marco figured, two shots rang out and Conterno and Harry Judson, entertainer, fell wounded. Marco was standing in this entrance, and it was from this direction that the shots came, witnesses said."
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
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