Fire Station #9
Fire Station Number 9 at 3917 Long Beach Boulevard is facing demolition due to a mold issue. Originally referred to as the Cerritos Fire Station, Long Beach architect William Horace Austin designed the building. It was constructed by the Works Progress Administration and opened on May 15, 1939. The Tudor Revival style building has been identified as eligible for historic designation and retains many of its original features, such as half-timbered gables and a hose tower capped by a hip roof. To learn more about how to preserve this historic asset, contact us at preservation@lbheritage.org.
Dolly Varden Hotel
The Dolly Varden Hotel, 335 Pacific Avenue, built in 1929-30, is in danger of demolition. It is pretty much intact and can be nominated as a historic landmark. Although a city-commissioned report states that the building lacks historical significance, we have identified a number of errors in the report. We will be advocating for adaptive reuse of the building. Contact us at preservation@lbheritage.org to learn more or help us preserve this wonderful resource!
Acres of Books
Construction is nearly completed on the Broadway Block and Acres of Books was mostly demolished as part of this new development. Bertrand Smith’s Acres of Books was a legacy business that occupied the building located at 240 Long Beach Boulevard for nearly fifty years. It was declared a Long Beach Historic Landmark in 1990, but the business announced its closure in 2008 to make way for the initial Broadway Block proposal. Those plans never materialized and after years of exploring viable development options for the site, the approved plans retain only the primary facade of the historic building. The existing street-facing facade was built following the 1933 earthquake. This is a huge loss and not a good example of adaptive reuse or historic preservation. Long Beach Heritage will continue to advocate for best practices in preservation and economic development to help our city thrive.
Community Hospital
Local architect Hugh Davies designed this wonderful Spanish Colonial Revival building, which opened in 1923 and was designated as a local landmark in 1980. Davies worked with other notable local architects, Montierth & Strickland and Power & Daniel, on the Modern addition that was completed in 1959. With the future of the former hospital unclear, Long Beach Heritage will continue to monitor the situation.
Port of Long Beach Admin Bldg Mural
Architect Warren Dedrick designed the Port of Long Beach Administration Building, completed in 1959, and it served as the headquarters of port activity until 2014; the building was demolished. Long Beach Heritage successfully worked with the Port of Long Beach over several years to relocate the ceramic tile mural, created by artist Paul Souza for Gladding McBean, that graced the primary facade of the building. A campaign to relocate the mural was fully funded, with removal of the tile completed in October 2018. The mural remains in storage until a new location is secured.