Long Beach HISTORIC LANDMARKS - 3

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Blackstone Hotel. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 330 West Ocean Boulevard in the city of Long Beach, the Blackstone Hotel is a six-story hotel building featuring a simple, Renaissance Revival-influenced design. Of reinforced concrete construction, the Ocean Boulevard building has a U-shaped facade. Stringcourses set off the bottom and top stories. Single and paired double-hung sash windows with raised sills define the bays. A plain entablature culminating in an overhanging corn icecaps the building. Enhanced by landscaping, the Blackstone appears largely unaltered and in good condition. 

The Blackstone is important in that it exemplifies the development of highrise residential structures on Ocean Boulevard in the `twenties, defining the city's first highrise skyline. A reminder of the economic boom of that period, shaped by the city's prominence as a beach resort and fueled by the discovery of oil, the demand for new housing gave rise to residential highrise development downtown. Situated next to the Sovereign, it serves as a strong visual connection to the past and reflects the city's pattern of development. 
 

16.52.420 The Sovereign Apartments. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Sovereign Apartments. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 354-60 West Ocean Boulevard in the city of Long Beach, the Sovereign Apartments building is a ninety-five unit apartment building. Its eleven stories (plus two sub-grade levels accessed from the rear) are detailed eclectically, although an underlying division into base, shaft, and capital suggests the Renaissance Revival. Of reinforced concrete and tile construction, the rectangular structure is sheathed with stucco. The facade is symmetrical with a central focus provided by a five-window bay which runs the entire height of the building. Multi-paned arched windows flank the central entrance on the smoothly rusticated street level. Stringcourses circle the building above the first, fourth, tenth, and eleventh floors. Tripartite casement windows are located to either side of the central bay in each level and also open onto balconies at either side and in the center of the west elevation. A stepped parapet embellished with an arched motif culminates the design of the facade. Some alteration of the lower levels appears to have occurred (these are indicated to be store spaces on the 1950 Sanborn). The building is in good condition and accented by a tree-shaded front setback. 

The Sovereign Apartments, along with its neighbor The Blackstone, are strong visual reminders of oceanfront development in the 1920's. Built in 1922, the Sovereign was an "own-your-own" apartment building, the condominium of its day. The Sovereign contained ninety-five such units in a prime location. The luxurious apartment/hotel complex often boasted many amenities, with first-floor retailers catering to the needs of residents. Marketed by boosters of Long Beach as upper-class living accommodations, the apartment/hotels were a major part of the tourism industry as well as serving as housing for permanent residents. As an example of the Renaissance Revival style in its residential configuration on the ocean, and as representative of Long Beach lifestyle during a major period of growth and development, the eleven-story Sovereign appears potentially eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. 

B. General guidelines and standards for any changes. The "Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings" prepared by the Secretary of the Interior (Revised, 1983), as amended, are incorporated by reference, and the following additional guidelines and standards as recommended by the cultural heritage commission are adopted: 

Any alterations, modifications or repair of the above structure shall be done so in keeping with its historic character, and any alteration, modifications or changes shall follow the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings. 

No environmental changes shall be permitted to the exterior of the building unless a Certificate of Appropriateness has been applied for and approved by the cultural heritage commission or by the city planning commission, upon appeal, authorizing such environmental changes. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to restrict internal modifications to the building not visible externally except that the following significant design features of the lobby shall be preserved: the Batchelder tile fireplace, octagonal columns and ornate ceiling moldings. (Ord. C-6643 § 4, 1989). 

16.52.430 Windham House (The Lord Mayor's Inn). 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: Windham House (The Lord Mayor's Inn). 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. 

Located at 435 Cedar Avenue, Windham House is a four-thousand-square-foot, two-story, wood frame home located on two city lots in downtown Long Beach, California, three blocks from Long Beach City Hall and the Civic Center. It is a California Craftsman-style home designed in 1906 by George L. Hoodenpyl, a trained architect and prominent Southern California attorney who later served as city attorney of Long Beach. 

Windham House is a massive, square-shaped structure of deceptively unsymmetrical design, built upon a stone foundation which is carried upward in three massive stone columns with square capitals. 

The capitals support that portion of the second story over the recessed porch in the center and right side of the front. Siding material is wood board and wood shingle. A pyramidal roof caps the home. A hipped roof covers a small dormer sheltering an attic vent. Below this is a projecting triangular pediment with brackets which imitate rafters. The main roof overhang is supported by brackets, the eaves are essentially boxed, with dentil detail. Fenestration is unremarkable, but the first floor windows on the left are set in a slightly curved frame which hints of a bay window. The lower portion of the second story is slightly bellcast with rounded dentil details. 

The building is associated with Charles H. Windham, who was mayor of Long Beach in 1911. This home was built by him for his own use. 

This is an excellent example of a California Craftsman house, in a formal and monumental house. It is broad and massive, with a rough-hewn stone foundation. The same stone is used for the living room fireplace. It is covered in wood siding and wood shingles, with prominent structural framing and projecting rafters. The symmetrical central entryway creates a more formal appearance. This is a fully restored, high quality example of a vernacular Southern California housing type typical of the period 1900-1914. 

The granite porch, foundations and granite fireplace are unusual materials for the city of Long Beach, and represent a significant innovation in this building. 

This home was part of the original city residential district, and constituted one of a number of large private residences built in the early 1900's close to the downtown business and civic center of the city. It remains intact and well preserved, and is an excellent example of an historic mansion in the city. 

The large front door opens to a three hundred-square-foot foyer graced by a white oak staircase leading to the upstairs rooms. To the immediate left upon entrance is a formal living room with original log burning fireplace. The living room is separated from the formal dining room by two large oak pocket doors. To the immediate right upon entrance is a reception room also separated from the foyer by two large pocket doors and originally used as a music room; and the outer door off the foyer leads to a library. The original bookcase is missing but the evidence of its existence can be seen on the hardwood floor behind the present bookcase. Upstairs, there is a large landing area with access to the sunporch. Mayor Windham occupied the bedroom upstairs on the southeast corner. The original fireplace faced with yellow brick has been restored. A long window seat running the length of the room has been removed at some point in time. A similar window seat had been in the bedroom on the southwest corner. That bedroom was occupied by the youngest daughter, Margarita, and today the room is named in her honor. The other bedrooms were for the other Windham children. They are typical bedrooms of that particular period, having substantial closets and grouped windows. The northeast bedroom includes two casement windows in the east grouping. 
 

16.52.440 The Atlantic Studio. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Atlantic Studio. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 226 Atlantic Avenue in the city of Long Beach, this small scale commercial structure combines Art Deco and Gothic Revival design in a very unique and distinctive facade. Built in 1933, this is a relatively late example of Art Deco styling, constructed at a time when the style had already gained popular acceptance. The combination of Gothic Revival and Art Deco was sometimes used for "skyscrapers" of the late twenties and early thirties. Finding these styles on a small scale commercial building is unusual, and this building has a unique charm that is quite individual. 

The Atlantic Studio is an established and familiar visual feature of downtown Long Beach, having existed there in unchanged form for fifty-six years. Its unique and charming facade distinguishes it from other small commercial buildings. 
 

16.52.450 The Barker Brothers Building. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Barker Brothers Building. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 215 Promenade Plaza in the City of Long Beach, the Barker Brothers Building was the headquarters building in Long Beach for Barker Brothers, a major retailer of Los Angeles. It was a major downtown department store, selling furniture. It symbolizes the economic growth of the city, and the development of downtown as a business and retail center. 

The Art Deco architectural style was characteristic of 1929, the year it was constructed. Windows are grouped in vertical strips, divided by vertical piers and pilasters. Window spandrels contain a decorative motif, here a simple diamond. 

The Barker Brothers Building anchors a prominent corner in downtown Long Beach, forming a visual pair with its neighbor across the Promenade, the Insurance Exchange Building. Both are an Art Deco pair, and are reminders of the commercial and business center of Long Beach of that period. 

Finally, Barker Brothers' corner location at an important intersection of downtown Long Beach's major commercial streets makes it an established and familiar visual feature of the community. 
 

16.52.460 The Buffums Autoport. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Buffums Autoport. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 119-121 West First Street in the city of Long Beach, the Buffums Autoport is the only remaining remnant of the site of Long Beach's most prominent department store, Buffums, originally located at this site and demolished in 1980. The garage was added to the older store in 1940 in order to better accommodate the automobile, indicating the importance of automobile access to the retail trade. 

The garage is a classic example of the Streamline Moderne, from its design to the "Autoport" sign. The choice of this style was not only typical of its era, but thematically appropriate, as the imagery of the Streamline Moderne style derived from modern transportation. Horizontal lines, streamlined curves, sleek geometric forms, flat continuous surfaces typical of the style alluded to the speed of modern cars, planes, trains, and ships in motion. The elegance of this garage design is evident in the antenna-like pole on top of the semicircular projection, and the Moderne styling of the Autoport sign. 

The sophisticated and elegant architectural styling of a mundane function - a garage - is unusual and innovative, and should be an inspiration to the contemporary urban designers. 

16.52.470 The Security Pacific National Bank Building. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Security Pacific National Bank Building. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 102-110 Pine Avenue in the city of Long Beach, the Security Pacific National Bank Building represents the financial and commercial growth of the city of Long Beach during the boom of the twenties. Originally called Security Trust and Savings Bank, it sprang from the 1921 merger of that institution with the earlier consolidation of National Bank of Long Beach and the Long Beach Trust and Savings Bank. P.E. Hatch, former cashier of the Bank of Long Beach and President of the National Bank of Long Beach, became vice-president and general manager of Security Bank's local activities. Offices above the bank housed prominent local law firms Clock McWhinney and Clock and Denio, Hart, Taubman and Simpson, and other important businesses. 

Constructed in 1924, this is a classic Beaux Arts building of the twenties. Divided into three parts of base, midsection, and attic, it is clad in contrasting light marble and dark red brick and crowned with a classical cornice. The three-story base has a recessed entryway behind giant Corinthian columns. The ornament is classically derived. 

The Security Pacific National Bank Building was designed by prominent Los Angeles architects Curlett and Beelman, who had earlier designed the Farmers and Merchants Bank a few blocks away. Curlett and Beelman's distinguished career included the Pacific Coast Club, and notable buildings in Los Angeles, among them the Elks Building. It is a prominent visual feature of the downtown streetscape, due to its location on a prime corner, and to its striking and elegant architectural design. 
 

16.52.480 The American Hotel. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The American Hotel. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 224-230 East Broadway in the city of Long Beach, the American Hotel is one of the oldest surviving commercial buildings in downtown Long Beach, and the second oldest one documented. Built in 1905, it is evidence of the first phase of Long Beach's commercial development in the early 1900s. It exemplifies mixed-use development typical of that period, with commercial shops on the ground floor and residential use on the upper two floors. The Broadway facade shows characteristics of the Romanesque Revival style, popular in the 1890s. The broad, flat piers dividing the Broadway facade, the rusticated stone keystones and semicircular arches are typical of that style. This is a unique example of that style in Long Beach. 

The American Hotel is one of the oldest commercial buildings in downtown Long Beach. Along with the 1906 First National Bank of Long Beach Building at First and Pine (now being restored and renovated), and the recently renovated Masonic Temple at 228 Pine (1903), it is a rare surviving commercial building from the early 1900s. It commemorates the early commercial development of downtown Long Beach, which makes it worthy of preservation. 
 

16.52.490 The 312-316 Elm Avenue Commercial Building. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the Planning Commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The 312-316 Elm Avenue Commercial Building. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 312-316 Elm Avenue in the City of Long Beach, this building exemplifies the tremendous economic expansion that drove the city's growth in the twenties, spilling over even into the early years of the Depression. 

Constructed in 1930, this building is one of the finest Art Deco buildings in downtown Long Beach, an excellent and intact example of that style. Remarkably, all the original storefronts survive in the original design, with recessed entryways and colored tile bases. The facade is grouped into three sections by fluted piers. The second story windows are capped with chevrons, and covered with ornate Art Deco metal grilles. The design is entirely unaltered, and retains the freshness and exuberance of the Jazz Age. Its architecture quality deserves to be preserved. It is one of a number of small-scale Art Deco commercial buildings in downtown Long Beach which recall the city's economic growth in the twenties. This was the second major phase in the city's growth and development, the first one occurring in the early 1900s. 

16.52.500 First United Presbyterian Church. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: First United Presbyterian Church. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 600 East Fifth Street in the City of Long Beach, First United Presbyterian Church represents the history and development of religious institutions in the city of Long Beach. The Presbyterian denomination established its first foothold in Long Beach on this site, with the founding of its congregation and the construction of its original building here in 1905. The existing building, constructed in 1939, is an outstanding example of Gothic Revival style, a style particularly appropriate for churches, based on European examples of the Gothic style of the middle ages. This style was often used for churches in the first two decades of this century in the U.S.A. 

The great Gothic-styled wood beamed ceiling of the church sanctuary represents a unique type of Gothic Revival design within the parameters of that style. Additionally, the U-shaped landscaped courtyard evokes a cloistered configuration reminiscent of European precedents and the notion of "sanctuary" as an oasis within the city. 

The First United Presbyterian Church building represents an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood or community due to its unique location or specific distinguishing characteristics, its distinctive Gothic Revival architecture constitutes an important visual landmark on a prime corner of downtown Long Beach. 

16.52.510 Walkers Department Store. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: Walkers Department Store. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 401-423 Pine Avenue in the city of Long Beach, Walkers Department Store exemplifies the burst of retail development that occurred in the twenties as part of an economic boom in Long Beach. Several local department stores were established around that time (i.e., Famous, now Thrifty Drugs, Buffums, Barker Brothers), most of which are today out of business. Pine Street was then the primary shopping district of Long Beach. This building is associated with Long Beach's tremendous economic growth in the twenties, and the flourishing of local retail business. 

The architectural style of Walkers Department Store blends two distinct traditions: Art Deco and Renaissance Revival. The rectangular building profile, balance between verticals and horizontals, and solidity of a distinct ground floor base are Renaissance Revival characteristics. However, the vertical ground pilasters, grouping of windows, decorative window spandrels, and decorative motifs are Art Deco in nature. Constructed in 1929, the architecture of this building exemplifies the transition from a traditional style to a new modern style. Meyer and Holler, the architects, was a prominent Los Angeles firm whose most famous building was Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. They also designed two other Hollywood landmarks: Grauman's Egyptian Theater and the Security Pacific Bank. In Long Beach they designed the Fox West Coast Theater (demolished) and the Ocean Center Building. 

Walkers Department Store is part of the original Pine Avenue retail commercial district during the boom years of the twenties, representing the economic growth of Long Beach and recalling the predominance of Pine Avenue as downtown's major retail corridor. 
 

16.52.530 The Golden House. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Golden House. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 628 West Tenth Street in the City of Long Beach, the Golden House is one of the earliest built in Willmore City c.1886, and the oldest known remaining building in the City of Long Beach. 

It is associated with the life of persons significant in the past having been built by William Widney and later owned by C.D. Paine, F.W. Stearns and Stephen Townsend. 

This Carpenter Gothic cottage styled building is a particularly small-sized example of its style and may have been a "display" model, or built as a land sales office or depot prior to use as a residence. The cottage is of single-wall construction and is the last known example of this type of construction to have survived intact in the city. 

Golden House dates back to the early Willmore City days, pre-Long Beach and is of an architectural style that was not often used in the area. It may have been the first building in the then-newly developing west side of the townsite of Willmore City. Its single-wall construction was common to the time and provides information on lifestyles in early Willmore City. Wall coverings and ceiling materials which are labelled "Steinway and Sons, New York" also give information about the early life of the citizens, as do the variety of wall coverings, paint colors, and floor coverings which exist in the building. 

16.52.540 The Masonic Temple. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Masonic Temple. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 835 Locust Street in the City of Long Beach and constructed in 1927, the Masonic Temple was the headquarters of a major social institution, whose members included many prominent citizens of Long Beach. The building served as the headquarters for an important fraternal order, and was used by many other service clubs of Long Beach as well. 

The Greek Revival architectural style was one of a number of period revival styles popular during the 1920s. The severe Greek classical temple facade of this building invokes memories of classical antiquity. 

The building contains a number of large assembly halls typical of a fraternal social order. In this building, each haIl is decorated in a different exotic revival style: Egyptian, Roman, etc. The building also contains a fully equipped theater. 

The architects, Parker O. Wright and Francis H. Gentry, had distinguished careers in the City of Long Beach. They designed the Scottish Rite Temple, the First Methodist Church at Third and Linden, thirteen Long Beach schools and twenty-five schools in Southern California, and many residences and businesses. Due to its scale and its imposing architectural features, it stands out in its community as a unique and monumental building, and as such represents an established and familiar visual feature of its neighborhood. 

16.52.550 The Pacific Tower. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Pacific Tower. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 205-19 Long Beach Boulevard in the City of Long Beach, The Pacific Tower was the first twelve-story office building in Long Beach when built in 1923, and was the first "Own-Your-Own" office building in the United States. 

Attorney Joseph A. Ball's first private office was in the building as were the offices of attorneys William H. Cree, Walter Desmond, Jonah Jones, Jr., Clark and Thomas Doyle, C.V. Hawkins, F.A. Knight and Phillip H. Goddard, Donald P. Lane and Lewis P. Lane, George F. Kapp, and Stephen G. Long, Jr.; the offices of doctors F.C. Hertzog, R.L. Buffum, and Izak Alcazar; the offices of architects Horace Austin and C.H. Gibbs. These prominent citizens are just a few of Long Beach's pioneers who are listed in city directories with offices in this building. 

Naomi Celeste Tompkins, Vice-President of City National Bank at the time the building was built, was thought to be the only female vice-president of a national bank at that time. 

Government offices were located in the building and included The U.S. Coast Guard, State Board of Equalization, the U.S. Federal Housing Administration, State Board of Education, and U.S. Probation Offices. 

It is significant that the Times Mirror Company of Los Angeles owned the building. And, that the Western Headquarters of the AARP in Long Beach moved to this building in 1967 and named the building after their founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus. 

The Renaissance Revival style was the prestigious architectural style of the mid-twenties for major commercial buildings, hotels, and other significant structures. This building remains one of the most visually prominent and handsome buildings in downtown Long Beach. The architect, W. Horace Austin, was a prominent Long Beach architect who practiced from 1900 to 1942. His obituary called him the "Dean of Architects" in Long Beach. He designed the old City Hall (demolished) Horace Mann Elementary School, Wilson High School, the original Buffum's Department Store (demolished), the YMCA (demolished), the Long Beach Airport Terminal, the Press-Telegram Building, and many other buildings and residences. He was a resident architect on the Municipal Auditorium. In Santa Ana he designed City Hall, the Masonic Temple and the Bower Memorial Museum. The Seal Beach City Hall and Fire Station and the San Pedro Post Office and Customs House were also Austin designs. He worked in Bellflower, Perris, Riverside and Whittier as well. 

This twelve-story building complements the Insurance Exchange Building and the Barker Brothers Building along Broadway and, together, they anchor the corners of Long Beach Boulevard and The Promenade. 

16.52.560 St. Anthony's Church. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: St. Anthony's Church. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 540 Olive Avenue in the City of Long Beach, St. Anthony's Church is the major Catholic church of Long Beach, and the "mother" church from which this religious institution grew. First founded on this site in 1902, successive buildings mirrored the growth of the congregation and the development of the city. Outgrowing the first building which was dedicated in 1903, the second church of 1914 was destroyed in the 1933 earthquake. It was quickly rebuilt and dedicated in early 1934. The facade with mosaics was added in 1953. This building is associated with an important religious institution and with the history and development of Long Beach. 

The Gothic Revival style was popular in ecclesiastical architecture. This is a particularly rich and ornate version of that style, with the use of mosaic decoration reflecting an Italian heritage. The use of mosaic decoration on the church facade and the interior of the sanctuary represents unusual craftsmanship and innovation in Southern California. The mosaic work was executed by Italian craftsmen, and imported and installed on site. The coloristic richness of the facade achieved by this means lends decorative distinction to this building. 

The building is situated at the edge of a residential neighborhood, and has a strong visual presence there. Its scale, colorful facade and twin towers are strong distinguishing visual characteristics which make it a neighborhood landmark. 
 

16.52.570 St. Luke's Episcopal Church. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: St. Luke's Episcopal Church. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 703 Atlantic Avenue in the City of Long Beach, St. Luke's Episcopal Church has been a center of religious, social and cultural activities in Long Beach since a church was first built on this site in 1917. After being destroyed by the 1933 earthquake, the rebuilding of the church demonstrated the commitment of church leaders in the face of disaster. The Reverend Perry G.M. Austin, rector of the church during this time, mobilized nationwide support for the rebuilding of the church, including Eleanor Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, Felix Dupont, Judge Augustus Hand and Senator Walter G. McAdoo, among his donors. The cornerstone for the rebuilding was laid on March 19, 1934, just a year and nine days after the earthquake. The dedication on July 15th attracted an enormous crowd. Many prominent local citizens were members of the congregation. It exemplifies the cultural (religious), social and historical heritage of the city in relation to a major religious institution which has been located at this site since 1917. 

The architectural style, Gothic Revival, appears often on historic churches. This version of the style, English/Tudor Gothic Revival, exemplifies period revival architecture of the teens and twenties. 

The site consists of a complex of separate buildings unified in a rectangular plan around a central open courtyard. The inclusion of an open courtyard as a spatial feature uniting various buildings is reminiscent of a medieval cloister. The entry narthex is also reminiscent of an architectural feature found in early medieval churches. It represents an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood or community due to its unique location or specific distinguishing characteristic. Its prominent location at the corner of Seventh and Atlantic, and its single tower crowned with a tall copper spire, make it a visual landmark in the community. 

The building contractor, C.T. McGrew, had a long and distinguished career in the city, and constructed many buildings which have become city landmarks or are known as significant buildings, such as the First Congregational Church, the Pacific Coast Club, Belmont Methodist and Congregational Churches, and numerous business buildings. 

16.52.580 The First Church of Christ Scientist. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The First Church of Christ Scientist. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 440 Elm Avenue in the City of Long Beach and built in 1913, the First Church of Christ Scientist was Long Beach's first Christian Science Church. As such, it established an important religious institution in this city. Additionally, this church was one of the few downtown churches to survive the 1933 earthquake relatively undamaged and, therefore, is one of the oldest churches in Long Beach. 

This building is an excellent example of the classic Renaissance Revival style of architecture, derived from European models, which was popular during the early years of this century for monumental buildings of public importance. Its red tile roof is reminiscent of more vernacular Mediterranean or Spanish Colonial Revival architecture typical of this region. 

The architect, Elmer Grey, was an important Los Angeles architect who designed many buildings which today are considered to be landmarks: the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Pasadena Playhouse, and the First and Second Churches of Christ Scientist in Los Angeles, in association with Myron Hunt, he also worked on Occidental College. He also designed many notable homes and mansions. 

This landmark is part of a collection of monumental historic churches built in downtown Long Beach in the teens and twenties, and embodies a particular cultural theme related to the diversity and strength of these religious institutions in this city. Its monumental scale and impressive architecture features make it a visual landmark downtown. 

16.52.590 The Thrifty Drug/Famous Department Store. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Thrifty Drug/Famous Department Store Building. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 601-609 Pine Avenue in the City of Long Beach, the Thrifty Drug/Famous Department Store Building was originally built as the Famous Department Store Building in 1929. Located at a prime corner in downtown Long Beach, it demonstrates the economic growth of Long Beach in the twenties in the retail sector. The oil industry and tourism propelled the boom of the twenties in Long Beach, encouraging new commercial growth such as this new store. 

The building is one of the finest examples of Art Deco in downtown Long Beach, and is a strong visual presence on a prominent corner. Typical of the Art Deco style are the stepped back vertical piers, the vertical grouping of windows, and the chevron design motif. The 1937 top floor addition shows the influence of the International Style, but integrates skillfully in the older building. 

The architectural firm of Morgan, Wall and Clements created major landmark buildings in Los Angeles and Southern California, significantly influencing the urban design of the region. Their work includes the Wiltern Theater, the Samson Uniroyal Tire Factory in Commerce, the Chapman Buildings, the Owl Drug Company, the Mayan Theater, the Belasco Theater, the Pantages Theater, the Richfield Building (demolished) and many others. 

16.52.600 453 Cedar Avenue. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: 453 Cedar Avenue. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 453 Cedar Avenue in the City of Long Beach, this house is an important, high quality example of late Victorian residential architecture, built in the early twentieth century during the first period of extensive settlement in the city when its first residential neighborhood was developed. This neighborhood was located close to the downtown business quarter. The large scale and architectural grandeur of many of these houses indicate that they were built for prominent and successful local citizens. The house at 453 Cedar is an excellent example of this type of structure, and maintains its historical characteristics intact. 

The house is an excellent example of late Victorian architecture, with Colonial Revival overtones, constructed in 1905. Its tall proportions, double recessed porches, bay windows, and decorative fish-scale shingles in the front gable are typical features of the Victorian style. Colonial Revival elements appear in the second story balustrade, the classically shaped capitals of the rectangular porch supports, the molded entablatures dividing each story, the lintel with brackets inside the front gable, and the pediment shape of the gable. 

This is a major contributor to the city's first residential district, and should be preserved as evidence of the wealth, importance and social aspirations of those early residents. 

It is prominently sited on a corner, and because of its scale, architectural grandeur and tall proportions, constitutes a visually prominent landmark in its neighborhood. 

16.52.610 629 Atlantic Avenue. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: 629 Atlantic Avenue. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 629 Atlantic Avenue in the City of Long Beach, this large, late-Victorian residential structure is a visible reminder of an earlier period in Long Beach's history, when Atlantic Avenue was lined with large single-family residential homes. The homes built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries have been replaced by commercial structures and multifamily building as the street developed into a primary business corridor. This is one of the only structures to survive on Atlantic from the first residential phase of the street's history. Built in 1906, it is one of a number of similar buildings of the period downtown that formed Long Beach's first residential district. Thus, it is linked in architectural style and historical period with other similar residential structures which have survived over time, evoking the character and the geography of the first phase of Long Beach's residential development. This building has been a prominent part of the streetscape of a major Long Beach street since the early twentieth century, and has become even more unique over time as the street has developed with new construction around it. Today, its Victorian architecture is an established and familiar feature of the street and is unique in its linkage to the past. 

This is an excellent example of late Victorian architecture, with many of the features of the Queen Anne style. Its tall configuration of three stories, the cross gable roof, the asymmetrical composition, bay windows and decorative shingles are all hallmarks of that style. 

16.52.620 The Second Church of Christ Scientist. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Second Church of Christ Scientist. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 302 - 7th Street/655 Cedar Avenue in the City of Long Beach, The Second Church of Christ Scientist is a magnificent example of Italian Renaissance church architecture, with beautifully designed interiors. It is an important work of architecture, and testifies to the strength and pride of the religious institution which commissioned it, it evidences the growth of the Christian Science Church, which constructed this large-scale church in 1924 just eleven years after its first monumental church at 440 Elm. It is an excellent example of Renaissance Revival classicism, based on models from Roman antiquity. The freestanding two-story Corinthian columns of the open portico, framed by paired pilasters, the classical entablature and triangular pediment, and the central dome, are all hallmarks of that style. The lower story exterior facing simulates cut stone blocks. Three sides of the structure are symmetrical, with a central pediment. A photograph and description of this building is used in the important reference book on Southern California architecture, Gebhard and Winter's "Architecture in Los Angeles: A Complete Guide" (1985). It appears on page 478 as an example of Beaux Arts, City Beautiful Classicism. It is one of a group of historic churches downtown built in period revival styles on a monumental scale, evidence of the strength and contribution of religious institutions to the environment of downtown Long Beach. It is evidence of a cultural motif, based upon the vitality of organized religious institutions in Long Beach. Architecturally, most of these churches were designed either in Renaissance Revival or Gothic Revival styles. 

Its monumental scale, its simple and powerful architectural elements, and its prominent corner location give it a visual prominence in a lot scale residential neighborhood and make it a landmark of the community. 

16.52.630 The First Methodist Episcopal Church/Christian Outreach Appeal Building. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The First Methodist Church/Christian Outreach Appeal Building. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 503-15 East Third Street in the City of Long Beach, the First Methodist Episcopal Church/Christian Outreach Appeal Building is one of a group of monumental historic churches constructed downtown to serve the expanding religious needs of the growing City. This was the first Methodist Episcopal Church in Long Beach, built in 1924. 

The architectural design of this church is primarily Colonial Revival. The two main facades of the building, which is sited on a prominent corner downtown, are defined by a classical temple front in white, in relief on the brick facade. Between the engaged Doric pilasters are large arched windows, divided into two stories and subdivided into rectangles, arches and circles. The glass is original, and is tinted in subtle pastels. The corner doorway is a Classical Renaissance design with a triangular pediment. Other Colonial Revival elements are the corner quoining, the projecting cornice, the brackets supporting the cornice, the fanlight inside the main pediment. The use of red brick with white decorative accents is also typical of that style. 

The architects, Parker O. Wright and Francis H. Gentry, were important and influential architects with their office in Long Beach. They specialized in schools and public buildings, designing more than twenty-five schools in Southern California. In Long Beach, they were architects for the Horace Mann School, the John C. Fremont, Temple Avenue and the Seaside Schools. They drew the plans for the Burnett Library, for the Fire Stations Nos. 7 and 8, and the Fire Alarm Bureau. They designed the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple and the York Rite Masonic Temple, both designated City landmarks. Mr. Gentry, a structural engineer, was himself a member of the Masonic Club, as well as other civic organizations. 

The building's prominent siting on a corner location downtown, its large scale and elegant design, give it visual prominence downtown. It has been an established and familiar visual feature of the downtown community for sixty-five years. 
 

16.52.640 The Long Beach Airport Terminal. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Long Beach Airport Terminal. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 4100 East Donald Douglas Drive in the City of Long Beach, the Terminal is part of an airport that is significant as the first municipal airport in the Southern California region, preceding LAX by three years. Long Beach was a pioneering center of aviation in Southern California, with the accomplishments of men such as Earl S. Daughtery and Calbraith Henry Rodgers. Rodgers completed the first transcontinental flight from New York to Long Beach in 1911, Daughtery built airplanes, ran a flying school, encouraged the City to found a municipal airport and, in many ways, advanced the field of aviation in its early days. Long Beach Airport was originally called Daughtery Field. Two other Long Beach aviation adventurers, Clyde Schlieper and Wes Carroll, set a world's record in 1939 for the longest sustained flight -thirty days in the air. They departed and returned to Marine Stadium in Alamitos Bay. 

The Long Beach Airport has been a significant part of the City's economy since its founding in 1924, and an important factor in Long Beach's economic growth. The establishment of Douglas Aircraft Co. in Long Beach in 1940 (today, McDonnell Douglas) was primarily due to the existence of the Long Beach Airport. 

The Airport Terminal (1941) is a masterpiece of the early modern style, bridging the transition from the modernistic Streamline Moderne style of the `thirties to the geometric abstraction of the post-war International Style. It was an avant-garde work of architecture for its time, and is a unique building in the City of Long Beach. The architects, W. Horace Austin and Kennth Wing, Sr., were important Long Beach architects, each with a significant body of work in the City and the region. Austin's designs include the Long Beach City Hall, the Pacific Tower, the Woodrow Wilson and Horace Mann High Schools, the YMCA building, the original Buffum's Department Store (demolished), the Press-Telegram building, the San Pedro Post Office, the Santa Ana City Hall, the Bower Museum in Santa Ana and the Santa Ana Masonic Temple. Kenneth Wing designed the Harriman-Jones Clinic, the Southern California Edison building, the physical education building and cafeteria at California State University, Long Beach, and a number of schools, churches and fine homes. He was associated with Allied Architects in the design of Long Beach City Hall and Library, and the Terrace Theater and Exhibit Halls. He was also involved with the design of the original main building of the Memorial Medical Center of Long Beach. 

The use of ceramic mosaic floor tiles throughout the building was an innovative way to include extensive mural decoration as public art in a building with a lot of glass and other functional constraints. The themes and decorative style of the ceramic murals were unique and innovative. Although the imagery was representational, the stylized forms reflected modern post-war artistic trends. The symbolic elements were selected to enrich the experience of the traveler, and evoke a larger context for air travel with allusions to other forms of transportation and communication in the world. 

The Airport Terminal is the quintessential theme building of the airport, and its signature element. It should be preserved as reflecting the identity and distinctiveness of the Long Beach Airport. 
 

16.52.650 The Long Beach Museum of Art. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Long Beach Museum of Art. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 2300 East Ocean Boulevard, the Long Beach Museum of Art was built in 1912 as a summer home by Elizabeth Milbank Anderson, a wealthy philanthropist and heir to Jeremiah Milbank, who was a financier, a co-founder of the Borden Company, and a founder of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (in 1863, later extended to the Pacific Coast). According to Fortune magazine, "A number of Milbanks have been considerable figures in the industrial history of the U.S. and the family has also left its mark on the educational and medical institutions of the country." (May 1959) Elizabeth Milbank Anderson (1850-1921) was an energetic, strong-minded woman with a wide range of interests. She was a successful businesswoman, a philanthropist, and an art collector who traveled frequently to Europe. She established Milbank Memorial Fund in 1905, which gave grants to various medical and educational projects; this fund is still in existence. She donated a library to Greenwich, Connecticut, and gave three blocks of choice New York City land to Barnard College, upon which was built Milbank Hall. She built public facilities for the poor, such as a sports arena and public baths, and established a program of free school lunches. Her husband, Abram A. Anderson, was a well-known portrait painter and friend of Teddy Roosevelt. 

This large house was built on the bluff to take advantage of one of the City's prime assets - the ocean view. The house is a splendid and imposing example of the Craftsman Bungalow, a style popular in the period 1905 - 1915. It is similar to others of that style built around the same time near the ocean bluff along Ocean Boulevard and First and Second Streets in what is now the Bluff Park Historic District, and thus represents an early stage in the residential development of Long Beach. Later, in 1926, the home became the Club California Casa Real, an important social institution of Long Beach. It was owned from 1929 - 1944 by Thomas A. O'Donnell, a pioneer oil industrialist. During the Second World War, it was used by the Navy as the Chief Petty Officers' Club. In 1950, it was purchased by the City for a Municipal Art Center and was renamed in 1957 as the Long Beach Museum of Art. Thus, its succession of uses has mirrored important stages in the history of the City. 

The building is a classic example of the California Craftsman Bungalow, using the natural materials and rugged texture of wood shingles and clinker brick. The prominent gables, projecting rafter beams and horizontally are all typical of the style. The exterior of the main house and carriage house retain their original integrity and have not been altered. This style is echoed by several similar homes nearby in the Bluff Park Historic District. 

The Milwaukee Building Company was an influential architectural firm which did other work for the Milbank family and associates. Isaac Milbank, a co-founder of the Borden Milk Company and an oil investor, had a magnificent Craftsman summer home constructed for him in 1911 by the Milwaukee Building Company on a bluff overlooking the ocean in Santa Monica. At the same time, the Milwaukee Building Company constructed a similar home on the same street in Santa Monica for retired hotel proprietor Henry Weaver, who owned several Midwest hotels. 

The Milwaukee Building Company later became the Los Angeles firm of Meyer & Holler, an eminent firm which constructed numerous landmark buildings. Their most famous designs were the Chinese and Egyptian Theaters in Hollywood. In Long Beach, they designed the Ocean Center Building, Walkers Department Store and the Fox West Coast Theater (demolished). 

16.52.660 The Harnett House. 

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the planning commission, the city council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the city: The Harnett House. 

A. Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 730 Sunrise Boulevard in the City of Long Beach, the Harnett House was built in 1918 by one of Long Beach's pioneer families, who emigrated here from England in 1889 and first settled on a nearby farm. Many members of this family contributed significantly to the educational, civic and cultural development of Long Beach, most notably: Jane Elizabeth Harnett, head of the history department of Long Beach High School and Polytechnic High School, author of the first history of the City of Long Beach and participant in the City Charter revision; Tom Harnett, one of the founders of St. Luke's Episcopal Church; Edward H. Harnett, Director of Public Service and City Engineer for the City of Long Beach; Dr. Frank Harnett, Director of Municipal Recreation for the City of Long Beach 1933 - 1962 and founding Chairman of the Cultural Heritage Committee for the City. 

Harnett House has been in the continuous ownership of one family, a family which was one of the pioneer settlers in the City, arriving here from England in 1889. It is a large and excellent example of the Craftsman bungalow style, which was prevalent throughout the period c. 1900 -1920. The use of brick for the chimney, pillars and foundation walls, exterior walls clad in wood clapboard and shingles, prominent gable, three-part windows with multipane lights at the top, flat board window and door frames, and deep porch are all typical features of this style. This variation uses Tudor half-timber patterns inside the gables, an element sometimes found within the Craftsman style. 

Architect Kenneth S. Wing remodeled the house in 1944, expanding the rear portion of the house and kitchen. It is one of the largest and most impressive of a grouping of Craftsman bungalows existing in its neighborhood, which forms a potential bungalow historic district. The curving streets of Lime Avenue, Olive Avenue, Vernon Avenue and Sunrise Boulevard bounded by Atlantic on the west, Willow on the north, the PE Right-of-Way on the south and the City of Signal Hill on the east contain a number of Craftsman bungalows, both large and small, as well as other early architectural types, that may become a designated historic district. This is one of the most visually prominent Craftsman bungalow homes in the neighborhood.

Source: City of Long Beach   http://www.ci.long-beach.ca.us/