The End of the Fun Factory
Yesterday, October 13, 2019, the Redondo Fun Factory opened its doors for the very last time. It had been announced only two days before that the 13th would be its final day. Growing up and living only a few minutes away from the Fun Factory, It’s oddly devastating.
Just a few weeks ago, I wrote a story about its strange existence. When I was writing that story, I had hope the Fun Factory would somehow be saved. Back in 2017, the Fun Factory announced it would close in 2019. I never thought it would actually happen, I truly believed it would pull through.
If you’re reading this, you might be asking yourself why I care so much about an idiosyncratic and junky arcade. I have endless memories coming here with my grandpa and my friends. The times would change and we got older, but the Fun Factory was always there and always remained the same as the last time we had visited.
It is also the circumstances of its closure that has me fuming. The city of Redondo Beach bought out the Fun Factory’s lease to make some sort of luxury redevelopment in its place. It reminds me of why I got into photography in the first place. If you have been following me for some time, you know that I am a history lover. You also know that I have spoken about how Los Angeles loves to plow over history.
Los Angeles doesn’t know how to embrace its past. For a period of a time, I found myself photographing old buildings and researching significant historical places in Los Angeles to make sure I could photograph them in case they disappeared.
If something in Los Angeles is not found worthy enough, they get rid of it. Think of Chavez Ravine and Dodger Stadium, built over what was a Mexican- American community and all the houses on Bunker Hill that are now commercial buildings and hotels. The Fun Factory, a place I have a personal connection with, is now part of that list.
I was not sure if I wanted to go to the Fun Factory for one last time. In the end, I decided I had to say goodbye and take some final photos. I called up my friends and off we went. It was filled to the brim and chaotic. It made me happy to see it having a few last shining moments. We laughed and cried. We played games and won prizes. It felt like being a kid again.
The picture above was taken in 2017 on my film camera shortly after its closure was announced. The Fun Factory was the largest arcade on the West Coast. The Redondo Beach Pier was its home for 50 years. Not bad for being in Los Angeles. That’s a lifetime.
