A week before winter officially begins, and Southern California is having its first cold spell. Mid-day temperatures on this sunny Sunday are down in the mid-50s, with a breeze making it seem even colder here in Venice. Still, this being a SoCal beach community, young men and women are out riding bikes on 3rd Avenue, while teens glide down the gentle incline on skateboards. The street is a gentrification potpourri of two-story stucco apartments and spacious Spanish-style homes with tile roofs. At the top of the hill, however, is a brown brick three-story rectangular building that seems somewhat out of...