Marineland of the Pacific

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Marineland of the Pacific was a public aquarium and tourist attraction located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula coast above the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles County California, USA. It operated from 1954 through 1987, when it was purchased by the owners of SeaWorld, who moved Marineland's popular Killer Whales to their San Diego facility and then abruptly closed the Marineland.

1 The early years
2 The Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich purchase
3 After HBJ
4 The Terranea Resort
5 Television and film
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] The early years

When it opened in 1954, Marineland was the world's largest oceanarium. Opening one year before Disneyland, many considered it California's first major theme park. The park was best known for its performing Orcas or "killer whales". It was also noteworthy for its Baja Reef concept, a first-of-its-kind swim-through aquarium featuring a wide array of sea life. Besides entertainment, Marineland also contained educational and research facilities.

Marineland was home to Orky and Corky, two of the most famous Orcas on exhibit at any oceanarium at the time. They should not be confused with the original Orky and Corky, who did not live long in captivity and had no calves. Marineland was also home to a pilot whale ("Bubbles"), dolphins, sea lions, harbor seals, sharks, and a variety of other related sea creatures.

[edit] The Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich purchase

The facility was purchased by Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich (HBJ) in December 1986, at the time the owner of the SeaWorld ocean park family. Orky and Corky were moved to SeaWorld's San Diego facility where Corky2 continues to perform under the stage name "Shamu".

Contrary to their promises of keeping the park open, HBJ closed the park six weeks later to great controversy. The closing of Marineland may have been in part to the high concentrations of Barite in the surrounding area.^{[citation needed]} This mineral is known to have an adverse effect on Pilot Whales. Many local residents protested the closing of this park.

[edit] After HBJ

Much of the infrastructure was left abandoned for nearly twenty years. For example, Marineland's landmark 414-foot high tower remained standing until 1995. The Marineland Restaurant continued operating through 2004 as the "Catalina Room" (because on a clear day you could see Catalina Island), with the restaurant hosting numerous weddings. Several other structures remained through 2006.

In 1995, developer York Long Point purchased 480 acres of coastal land that included the Marineland location for $24 million [1].

[edit] The Terranea Resort

After several years of false starts, development began in 2005 on a new resort the $320 million Terranea Resort, a project by Lowe Destination Development, which will include a hotel, privately-owned "casitas", and full spa and resort facilities. Originally projected to include a golf course, the resort will instead be associated with Donald Trump's Trump National Golf Course (formerly Ocean Trails), located three miles southeast along the coast.

In early 2006, two small temporary sales offices replaced the abandoned gas station at the park entrance and the large concrete sign along Palos Verdes Drive South (with a tower resembling a whale's tail) was altered to feature the Terranea logo and artist's rendering of the resort. In July 2006, principal construction work on Terranea commenced, starting with the complete demolition of what remained of Marineland.

The Point Vicente Interpretive Center, located a half-mile north on the same road, reopened in July 2006 and has a small number of items related to Marineland in an exhibit, including a "Save Marineland" pin and various publications from the park.

[edit] Television and film

While still in operation, the park was prominently featured in several television shows, including two episodes of "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Hart to Hart," as well as "Sea Hunt". Marineland was also the location for an episode of the Lucy Show in which Lucille Ball falls into an animal exhibit.

Since its closing, scenes for several feature films have been shot at the location, including all three "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, "Charlie's Angels," "Inspector Gadget," "Fun With Dick and Jane," "Pearl Harbor", "The Aviator", and "Life As A House" (the suburban neighborhood exterior was entirely constructed from scratch on the site, as it was for "Fun With Dick and Jane").

Several TV shows have also used the site for their filming needs, including regular use by NBC's Fear Factor. The location was also used for "MTV's Motel California".