 Albee asked John Nolen to design a city on his land, but Albee did not have a chance to implement his city plan before he was approached with a proposal from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE) to purchase the land in October 1925.The purchase was motivated by a desire by the BLE to increase the union's assets and holdings in the area.The BLE Realty Corporation was organized to develop the area, and the Venice Company was created to market property.