The HSLB is fortunate to have two large galleries in which to showcase its collection. In creating the exhibits, we seek to present the city’s history through images, documents, objects and narrative that gives visitors a chance to understand the people, events and issues that have shaped the city.

War, Work & Women in the 1940s
The HSLB assembled this display of photographs and other materials from its archive to complement the Smithsonian Institution’s visiting Produce For Victory exhibition in January, 2010. War, Work & Women illustrates the ways that the war changed Long Beach. We hope that you will see how the war and military growth in the city accelerated the development of the aircraft industry, the airport and the harbor.

Suburban Architecture
The Suburban Architecture show was assembled in 2008 primarily through a collection contributed by Mrs. Phyllis Poper over the past fifteen years. Architects featured in the exhibit are Richard Poper, Joseph Halstead Roberts, Jess Jones, William Lockett and Palmer Power. The work spans the 1920s through the 1970s and captures the city’s expansion beyond downtown. There is particular emphasis on neighborhoods that were built following World War II and the family and baby boom that followed. The show presents tract drawings from areas in East Long Beach and Bixby Knolls, institutions such as Memorial Hospital, libraries, schools and Long Beach City College, along with individual landmarks such as the St. Regis Apartments. The exhibition was made possible by a grant from the Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Association