Tucked away from the busy Venice Beach Boardwalk is this incredibly weird and interesting apartment building with an overly decorated front, El Bordello Alexandra.
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It’s just couple steps away from Venice Beach Boardwalk. Once you know what street to walk to, Westminster Avenue, this stand-out complex is hard to miss. Not just how bizarre it is, but just look how gold it is!
And once you’re there, you’ll be amazed, mystified, intrigued and amused.
The artworks can be very intimidating for some.
It is outrageously decorated with contrasting themes. There are demons and angels, gargoyles, fairies, mermaid men? and centaurion, knights, dragons, and other imaginary and mystical creatures …
Here’s a fun fact. Bordello is a slang for a house of prostitution. El Bordello Alexandra was humored to be as such, what once a heroine den, and is now, like previously said, an art-filled (inside and out) private residential building.
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Last Call…
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Here are some of the most unusual, unique, weird, odd, out-of-this-world, one-of-a-kind, outlandish, and fun places in California…. visit Unique California.
My apology for the inactivity from my part. Rommel will get his groove back in no time. 😀 Just had a big important exam last week.
THE SOPHOMORE SLUMP RECOMMENDS:
Book: The Third Policeman by Flann O’brien. Is the earth shaped like a sausage? Humor and mystery will stun you at the very end!
Music: Vampire Weekend (self-titled). Just when Indie Pop is losing its fame, Vampire Weekend comes in and gave us the most effective and successful of its kind, both in POPularity and as redeeming Indie Pop-ish innovator.
Movie: The Social Network. Sometimes you gotta be mad to be a genius. Real-life character of Mark Zuckerberg and director, David Fincher, proved that. In my view, this is one of the best in combining musical score and cinematography.
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Categories: California, Unique
The Sophomore Slump 
Wow. I would be afraid to go in. Did you? Very interesting building!
I am sure you did well with your exam. I am glad that you are back. Helen
How I wish 🙂 , but public can’t go in.
Is it relatively new or has it evolved into its present state over decades?
Hope all went well on/with your exam!
The property was bought 10 years ago. The owners asked artists and decorators to make the building unique in keeping with how Venice is.
I just love seeing these bizarre places you find. Hope the exam went well? 🙂
The exam was fine. It’s just something to find out where I stand with the job that I do.
Very very interesting indeed 🙂
Thanks for the comment and visit, AB.
Those are some awsome gargoils. Cool pics
Thanks pepaulmier.
Very interesting and very different! Good luck to your exam, Rommel. Happy to see ya 🙂
You are the master of finding these unique places!! Hope your exam went well. 🙂
California got lots of it! Can’t wait to go this weekend to see another unique place – an arcarde area built by a 9-nine year old.
Now that’s a strange one! I haven’t seen it, but next time I’m in Venice I’ll think about it…it might be too creepy for me. LOL! And there is plenty I find a little odd in Venice Beach….but this may be top of the list! Hope you do well on your exam. Good for you!
Then I don’t suggest visiting at night. The complex lights up with red glooms. I love the Binocular Building by architect Frank Gehry. It’s very close to the Boardwalk.
I think I shall have to make a special trip down south just to see this! I love that last shot! Perfect ending.
Just keep it in mind when you stroll down the Venice Beach Boardwalk. 😉
Oooh, love those gargoyles, they do look quite menacing though. Perhaps I have had too much of cartoon gargoyles in my head, those are the only ones I’ve seen before so far…:) Also, for a brief moment, I thought that the cute doggie was part of the decorations too…hahaha..good one that one.
Lastly, thanks for the feature! Great to know that someone has been entertained by my failed travel moments…I should look into putting up more positive ones though. But then, the ones that remain in my mind always seems to be the failed ones…hahaha…anyway, good luck for the exams…:)
Don’t! I love those posts. 😀
I shall try to get into more trouble when I next travel then…all for your (everyone’s) reading pleasure…;)
Hmm… I’ve missed seeing this somehow.. I will have to stop by next time we are driving through Venice.. I’m sure that the kids will be amused. In Italian ‘bordello’ refers to a big mess so I hear that word a little too often when my husband is looking at the mess that the kids have created everywhere! Have a great day..
I don’t tieshka. I looked online for bordello translations. It all translates to a brothel. Your husband has such great Italian humor. 😀
Creeepy!!! Hahahaha! It’s quite unique and interesting though I think it also looks kind of creepy! 😀
Yeah. People with kids just cruise by it … 😀
The pictures say it all. It is bizarre and even grotesque.
Oh God Rommel can you list the places you haven’t been to??!! lol
And were you trapped in Devil’s den or what? 😀
Funny you asked that. I am at the end of my rope with my Cali travel destinations. The only ones I have yet to go and see are the ones that require long travel or longer stay.
Well those destinations will be visited by you soon hopefully and we will get to have a virtual visit too through your photographs 😀
I can’t believe my eyes and, yet, I can’t look away. It’s ghoulish, grotesque and downright ugly but I continue to stare. Okay, it’s okay, I’m okay now. I can’t imagine living in a building like that without having nightmares. Don’t these people ever watch TV? 😆 Whew! Rommel, the things you do find! Love it! Best part about the building is the adorable pit bull! 😉
Ahhh so you’re one of them you would look away but stare back at something like this. 🙂
I tend to do that when I’m shocked or surprised! 😆
it’s better to explore at night. if they hang around, it’s a shatter chance!
It looks really good at night. Extra creepy. 😀
so atypical.
good luck to your exams! 🙂
What a fascinating building ~ and you photos were great, especially having the pit bull shot placed in with all the other statutes and ghouls 🙂 A great eye you have there, and your ability to find these incredible places is pretty amazing. Well done!
Yup! I’m so glad I didn’t miss that dog mixed amongst all the displays. I got attention to detail that day. 🙂
That’s fabulous! Great shots of it too. Amazing artwork.
Ahhh Glad you see it as an artwork. Some have different initial reactions because of its freaky nature and well, oddity.
I guess I could see why. Thanks for showing us around, Rommel!
Who’s the new owner?
A couple, Tony Wells and Brittany Stevenson. They wanted to recreate this piece of Venice history.
You find the most interesting places and I’m sure Venice Beach gives one lots of material. 🙂
You got that right. The graffiti, Binocular Building, the Freak Show, the clown statue on a drug store and visible on the road, and this apartment. Not to mention people there in general 😀
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Wow pretty crazy place, have definitely never seen it before. Thanks again for the visits and kind words on my blog. Keep taking adventures with your camera and sharing, you always seem to find some great pics and interesting places!!
Crazy always find me as I do too inversely. 😀
Hmmm. I doubht that I would tolerate living with all that stimulation.
Oscar
Not to mention keeping the place clean and dusted.
Weird is the right word. A fun place to visit. I have never seen a men mermaid before. I am curious, what job do you do?
I’m afraid I cannot divulge that information. I’ll go to your blog one day and answer it. 😉
Without me asking again? Why do you have to be so mysterious 😀
Because mystery loves company. Ahihihi 😀
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Wow, Im so glad that SoCal has you to blog about this unique one of a kind place! Thank you for sharing, Rommel.
And I’m so glad I have SoCal with me. 😀 Just giving back the good stuffs it’s provided me. 😉
How bizarre is this? 🙂 🙂 Love the lady in the helmet!
The shot with the dog is the best one!