California Beaches Blog

Long Beach, Calif.–The city built practically from the ground up after a massive earthquake rocked its foundation and very being in 1933 was lucky to have some buildings survive the quake, including the Villa Riviera in downtown Long Beach.  Constructed just four years before the 6.4 earthquake hit the sea port (caused by the Newport-Inglewood fault zone centered off coast,)  this 16 story French Gothic building with fierce looking, decorative gargoyles is quite an eye-catcher.  Only a portion of the gargoyles remain from the molds of 30 concrete creatures that initially were designed to grace the building, but when you see them, you’d swear they have personalities, even though logic tells you they can’t be real.

A dog, bear, eagle and griffin are all that remain of the original gargoyles which were bludgeoned by the residents of the building who couldn’t stand having their ocean views blocked.  They took sledge hammers and began whacking away at the ornamental treatments till most the gargoyles were demolished.

An historical committee of the homeowners association restored the few gargoyles and refurbished the building exterior in 2007. While that committee has considered re-creating and adding gargoyles to the Villa Riviera once again, the current configuration that has been in place for decades offers one of the most fascinating architectural points of interest in a city with strict guidelines for its downtown buildings deemed of historical significance.

Overlooking the streets of Long Beach where the annual Grand Prix takes place, once an 11 story banner for a liquor beverage appeared on the side of the Riviera building as an advertisement targeting attendees of the car race event. The city threatened legal action if the banner wasn’t removed immediately, and it was.

The building itself has offered a glimpse into history, when several years back some of the residents discovered secret wall passages hiding artifacts of the Prohibition. In its tower which once offered the best vistas in all of Los Angeles second only to L.A. City Hall, military guards kept watch during WWII for enemy attacks.

Long Beach’s historic buildings are protected and preserved thanks to incredible documentation that honors their past with guidelines for colors of paint and modifications that are permitted structurally for buildings that are around 75 to 100 years old. While that may seem young to the rest of the world, in California where earthquake abound, such structures are looked at as pieces of history adding relief from boring stucco- Mediterranean buildings with their white wash and red tile roofs.  Location: 800 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA. How much does it cost to buy a piece of paradise in this building? Villa Riviera condo prices currently seem to be in the $250,000 to $400,000 range.