Welcome to the Historical Society of Long Beach exhibition, Water Changes Everything. Water? Why water? It is everywhere, a major component of our environment, but perhaps a subject not really at the forefront of our daily consciousness. For many it remains reliably at our fingertips, literally available day or night. Some take this life-giving resource for granted.
The photographs, descriptions, tables, graphs, and artifacts placed on display demonstrate the importance of water over time. These items are also a powerful historical record of the effect of water on local communities. Our intent is to illustrate the ways in which water—the Pacific Ocean,the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers, their tributaries, and ground water—shaped Long Beach. From recreation to commerce to lifestyle, water has been a significant element of each. We hope you come away with a greater appreciation for water and its pivotal role in our lives.
Hunter-gatherers settled along the Los Angeles-Santa Ana floodplain several thousand years before the present. In the Eighteenth century, Spanish and Mexican cattle ranches replaced native villages. As the ranches gave way to American settlement in the years after 1850, even more water was needed to
support the rising population. At first, adequate amounts of water came from flowing rivers and wells. Soon deeper wells were required to find underground water as pumping lowered the water table.
Welcome to the Historical Society of Long Beach exhibition, Water Changes Everything. Water? Why water? It is everywhere, a major component of our environment, but perhaps a subject not really at the forefront of our daily consciousness. For many it remains reliably at our fingertips, literally available day or night. Some take this life-giving resource for granted.
The photographs, descriptions, tables, graphs, and artifacts placed on display demonstrate the importance of water over time. These items are also a powerful historical record of the effect of water on local communities. Our intent is to illustrate the ways in which water—the Pacific Ocean,the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers, their tributaries, and ground water—shaped Long Beach. From recreation to commerce to lifestyle, water has been a significant element of each. We hope you come away with a greater appreciation for water and its pivotal role in our lives.
Hunter-gatherers settled along the Los Angeles-Santa Ana floodplain several thousand years before the present. In the Eighteenth century, Spanish and Mexican cattle ranches replaced native villages. As the ranches gave way to American settlement in the years after 1850, even more water was needed to
support the rising population. At first, adequate amounts of water came from flowing rivers and wells. Soon deeper wells were required to find underground water as pumping lowered the water table.
Private water companies supplied twentieth century Long Beach with water, but poor service led local voters to create a municipal water department in 1911. To continue providing the town with adequate water, the Long Beach Water Department purchased additional water bearing land.
Southern California is an arid region, subject to cyclical droughts and flooding. The historical record is quite clear, dramatic flooding was often
followed by drought. In the case of prolonged drought, the underground water supply is not sufficiently replenished by rainfall and melting snow from local mountains, creating water scarcity. As Long Beach grew from a seaside village of about 2,000 people in 1900, to 17,000 in 1910, and more than 55,000 in 1920, leaders realized that additional water supplies were needed. That is when Long Beach joined the Metropolitan Water District, which was building a massive delivery structure to bring water from the Colorado River. The system became fully operational in 1941, thus providing member cities, including Long Beach, a guaranteed allotment of water for the future.
Flooding is also a problem in the region. Floods in 1914 and 1916 closed the newly developed port and harbor of Long Beach, dumping four million cubic yards of silt and debris into San Pedro Bay. Disastrous floods two decades later in the 1930s convinced civic leaders to turn to the federal government for help.
Local communities sought to address these two major problems created by nature’s recurring cycles of either too much water or not enough water by partnering with the federal agencies..
Private water companies supplied twentieth century Long Beach with water, but poor service led local voters to create a municipal water department in 1911. To continue providing the town with adequate water, the Long Beach Water Department purchased additional water bearing land.
Southern California is an arid region, subject to cyclical droughts and flooding. The historical record is quite clear, dramatic flooding was often
followed by drought. In the case of prolonged drought, the underground water supply is not sufficiently replenished by rainfall and melting snow from local mountains, creating water scarcity. As Long Beach grew from a seaside village of about 2,000 people in 1900, to 17,000 in 1910, and more than 55,000 in 1920, leaders realized that additional water supplies were needed. That is when Long Beach joined the Metropolitan Water District, which was building a massive delivery structure to bring water from the Colorado River. The system became fully operational in 1941, thus providing member cities, including Long Beach, a guaranteed allotment of water for the future.
Flooding is also a problem in the region. Floods in 1914 and 1916 closed the newly developed port and harbor of Long Beach, dumping four million cubic yards of silt and debris into San Pedro Bay. Disastrous floods two decades later in the 1930s convinced civic leaders to turn to the federal government for help.
Local communities sought to address these two major problems created by nature’s recurring cycles of either too much water or not enough water by partnering with the federal agencies..
Over the next five decades the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District built dams, debris basins and other structures to contain and control the flow of floodwaters. The riverbeds and banks of the region’s flood control channels were paved with concrete to create a more efficient flow to the sea. Dramatic challenges played out within the context of the continual growth of the city and its efforts to use the environment to create a vital and sustainable economy. The harbor was dredged, re-made, built up, and filled in to create a modern world port. Extensive rock breakwaters protected the new infrastructures from severe storms. Alamitos Bay underwent a major transformation in the 1950s as the San Gabriel River was re-routed, the bay dredged and enlarged, and a small boat marina built to meet recreational needs and facilitate tourism. This re-making of the city around water resources continues to the present day. Today our planet and the City of Long Beach face, perhaps, our greatest challenge: Climate Change. The potential for loss of life, infrastructure, and housing is devastating. For the first 140 years of the city’s existence, the Pacific Ocean was largely a benevolent source of recreation and commerce. That will rapidly change if the governments, scientists, and citizens are unable to change policies, attitudes, and actions
Over the next five decades the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District built dams, debris basins and other structures to contain and control the flow of floodwaters. The riverbeds and banks of the region’s flood control channels were paved with concrete to create a more efficient flow to the sea. Dramatic challenges played out within the context of the continual growth of the city and its efforts to use the environment to create a vital and sustainable economy. The harbor was dredged, re-made, built up, and filled in to create a modern world port. Extensive rock breakwaters protected the new infrastructures from severe storms. Alamitos Bay underwent a major transformation in the 1950s as the San Gabriel River was re-routed, the bay dredged and enlarged, and a small boat marina built to meet recreational needs and facilitate tourism. This re-making of the city around water resources continues to the present day. Today our planet and the City of Long Beach face, perhaps, our greatest challenge: Climate Change. The potential for loss of life, infrastructure, and housing is devastating. For the first 140 years of the city’s existence, the Pacific Ocean was largely a benevolent source of recreation and commerce. That will rapidly change if the governments, scientists, and citizens are unable to change policies, attitudes, and actions
Exhibition Sections Early History
Recreation Water Department Founding & Sources Population Growth Disasters Topography Women of Water Where Does My Water Come From? Water & Energy
Exhibition Sections Early History
Recreation Water Department Founding & Sources Population Growth Disasters Topography Women of Water Where Does My Water Come From? Water & Energy
Early History
Before a City
Humans have always searched for reliable sources of water. As hunter-gatherers wandered south from the Bering Strait into North America some thirty thousand years ago, water was the key to survival. The settlement of western North America by human communities lasted over twenty thousand years, amidst a constant search for favorable living conditions. Seven to eight thousand years ago, humans began settling the valleys and coastal areas of Southern California. Reliable fresh water supplies, a mild climate, animals in reasonably large numbers, and access to the boundless wild fisheries of the Pacific Ocean made it a veritable paradise. Spanish explorers visited the coast in the 1540s but did not begin settlement until eighteenth century. Missions, presidios, pueblos, and ranchos appeared, sited near water sources that placed them in direct conflict with native peoples. Two Ranches, Rancho Los Alamitos and Rancho Los Cerritos, later became part of the City of Long Beach. Early History Image: Long Beach area map with 1885 water ways, shoreline, and structures layered with 2018 water ways, shoreline, parks, and street scape. Compliments of Larry Rich, the City of Long Beach, Office of Sustainability.
Early History
Before a City
Humans have always searched for reliable sources of water. As hunter-gatherers wandered south from the Bering Strait into North America some thirty thousand years ago, water was the key to survival. The settlement of western North America by human communities lasted over twenty thousand years, amidst a constant search for favorable living conditions. Seven to eight thousand years ago, humans began settling the valleys and coastal areas of Southern California. Reliable fresh water supplies, a mild climate, animals in reasonably large numbers, and access to the boundless wild fisheries of the Pacific Ocean made it a veritable paradise. Spanish explorers visited the coast in the 1540s but did not begin settlement until eighteenth century. Missions, presidios, pueblos, and ranchos appeared, sited near water sources that placed them in direct conflict with native peoples. Two Ranches, Rancho Los Alamitos and Rancho Los Cerritos, later became part of the City of Long Beach. Early History Image: Long Beach area map with 1885 water ways, shoreline, and structures layered with 2018 water ways, shoreline, parks, and street scape. Compliments of Larry Rich, the City of Long Beach, Office of Sustainability.
The discovery of gold in California, in 1848, soon attracted hundreds of thousands of thirsty newcomers, who overwhelmed the existing population. By the 1860s, a cycle of drought and floods destroyed livestock and crops. Yankee investors took control of the ranchlands and began subdividing the land to accommodate new arrivals and to increase their wealth. Immigration accelerated following completion of the first transcontinental railroad, and a second competing line made it even more accessible and inexpensive for others to move west. Some settled on the coastal floodplains at Rancho Los Cerritos and Rancho Los Alamitos, between the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers. They founded settlements that would become the City of Long Beach, originally incorporated in 1888.
Image: The Long Beach Rowing Team lined up at Marine Stadium. February 27,1936 P-4078-A
The discovery of gold in California, in 1848, soon attracted hundreds of thousands of thirsty newcomers, who overwhelmed the existing population. By the 1860s, a cycle of drought and floods destroyed livestock and crops. Yankee investors took control of the ranchlands and began subdividing the land to accommodate new arrivals and to increase their wealth. Immigration accelerated following completion of the first transcontinental railroad, and a second competing line made it even more accessible and inexpensive for others to move west. Some settled on the coastal floodplains at Rancho Los Cerritos and Rancho Los Alamitos, between the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers. They founded settlements that would become the City of Long Beach, originally incorporated in 1888.
Image: The Long Beach Rowing Team lined up at Marine Stadium. February 27,1936 P-4078-A
The Los Angeles River
Imagine a Los Angeles River filled with trout and lined with native willow trees and sycamores, a large, coastal wetlands teaming with fish, birds and mammals, and a wide flood plain rich in nutrients deposited by thousands of years of floods. This was the Long Beach experienced by the native Tongva Peoples at the time the Spanish explorers arrived on southern California’s pristine sandy shores. Before urban development, the vast majority of the Los Angeles region’s rainfall was absorbed into local groundwater basins and aquifers. Today, most of it is sent swiftly to sea. Our concrete rivers and flood control channels do a remarkably efficient job of preventing major floods, swiftly transporting rainwater to the ocean. However, this system also deprives Southern Californians of their historic local fresh water
Image: The Kirkman-Harriman Pictorial and Historical Map of Los Angeles County in 1860 and 1937. Shows Native American villages, highways, and historic sites.
Compliments of Larry Rich, the City of Long Beach, Office of Sustainability.
The Los Angeles River
Imagine a Los Angeles River filled with trout and lined with native willow trees and sycamores, a large, coastal wetlands teaming with fish, birds and mammals, and a wide flood plain rich in nutrients deposited by thousands of years of floods. This was the Long Beach experienced by the native Tongva Peoples at the time the Spanish explorers arrived on southern California’s pristine sandy shores. Before urban development, the vast majority of the Los Angeles region’s rainfall was absorbed into local groundwater basins and aquifers. Today, most of it is sent swiftly to sea. Our concrete rivers and flood control channels do a remarkably efficient job of preventing major floods, swiftly transporting rainwater to the ocean. However, this system also deprives Southern Californians of their historic local fresh water
Image: The Kirkman-Harriman Pictorial and Historical Map of Los Angeles County in 1860 and 1937. Shows Native American villages, highways, and historic sites.
Compliments of Larry Rich, the City of Long Beach, Office of Sustainability.
A City Emerges
The area grew rapidly and by the turn of the twentieth century, Long Beach was a thriving city. Private companies drilled into local aquifers to provide domestic water service and local boosters began to develop the coastline with a municipal pier and an amusement zone on the beach. The state’s first municipal pier, and pavilion, were built for concerts and events to encourage visitors to stroll and fish. On July 4, 1902, the new Pacific Electric Railway, “Red Cars”, brought visitors from all over Southern California. Before long, “The Pike” beachside amusement zone expanded, featuring a roller coaster and carrousel. Investors built modest seaside hotels, as well as the luxurious Hotel Virginia on the bluff overlooking the sand. Ambitious local landowners dreamed of a port alongside the one Los Angeles was building in San Pedro. Offering free land, they attracted the Craig Shipbuilding Company from the Great Lakes. They dredged channels and built piers to accommodate additional tenants. On June 24, 1911, the Port of Long Beach was officially founded. Development accelerated when the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, and the outbreak of World War I, increased oceangoing traffic and military activity – including the U.S Navy’s Pacific Fleet. Local shipyards and port businesses supported the fleet with new vessels and necessary repair, fuel, and supply services. By the end of World War I, Long Beach was poised for a dynamic future.
A City Emerges
The area grew rapidly and by the turn of the twentieth century, Long Beach was a thriving city. Private companies drilled into local aquifers to provide domestic water service and local boosters began to develop the coastline with a municipal pier and an amusement zone on the beach. The state’s first municipal pier, and pavilion, were built for concerts and events to encourage visitors to stroll and fish. On July 4, 1902, the new Pacific Electric Railway, “Red Cars”, brought visitors from all over Southern California. Before long, “The Pike” beachside amusement zone expanded, featuring a roller coaster and carrousel. Investors built modest seaside hotels, as well as the luxurious Hotel Virginia on the bluff overlooking the sand. Ambitious local landowners dreamed of a port alongside the one Los Angeles was building in San Pedro. Offering free land, they attracted the Craig Shipbuilding Company from the Great Lakes. They dredged channels and built piers to accommodate additional tenants. On June 24, 1911, the Port of Long Beach was officially founded. Development accelerated when the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, and the outbreak of World War I, increased oceangoing traffic and military activity – including the U.S Navy’s Pacific Fleet. Local shipyards and port businesses supported the fleet with new vessels and necessary repair, fuel, and supply services. By the end of World War I, Long Beach was poised for a dynamic future.
Recreation
By far, the most visible and consequential body of water for Long Beach is the Pacific Ocean’s San Pedro Bay, forming the city’s southern border. The unbroken coastline and mild weather beckoned visitors and investors alike. By the 1880s, the Magnolia Pier, an impressive oceanfront hotel, and summer band concerts graced the shoreline.
Col. Charles Drake arrived from Arizona in 1901 to retire. Recognizing the city’s potential, instead of retiring, he bought much of the oceanfront, opened a bathhouse, and built a boardwalk along the beach. Eventually he strung the walk with lights and convinced others to open dancehalls, carnival rides, and food stalls. On July 4, 1902, the Pacific Electric Red Cars began service between Los Angeles and Long Beach. An astounding 60,000 people arrived to enjoy the beach and holiday festivities. There could be no dispute: Long Beach had become a tourist destination, and the groundwork had been laid for the amusement zone that would come to be known as “The Pike.”
Soon developers built more hotels, theaters, restaurants, and retail shops to entice more visitors. Some envisioned a luxury hotel. In 1908, the Virginia Hotel opened its doors. Its opulence and grandeur lived up to the dream. In 1932 the Municipal Auditorium, encircled by Rainbow Pier and its multi-colored lights, debuted on land reclaimed from the sea. Residents as well as tourists enjoyed expanding recreational activities. Swimming, fishing, and strolling on the pier were popular pastimes, while hotels and other seaside businesses provided jobs.
Image: Recreation Divers plunge from the high dive into
the calm waters at the popular Colorado Lagoon. 1935 P
Recreation
By far, the most visible and consequential body of water for Long Beach is the Pacific Ocean’s San Pedro Bay, forming the city’s southern border. The unbroken coastline and mild weather beckoned visitors and investors alike. By the 1880s, the Magnolia Pier, an impressive oceanfront hotel, and summer band concerts graced the shoreline.
Col. Charles Drake arrived from Arizona in 1901 to retire. Recognizing the city’s potential, instead of retiring, he bought much of the oceanfront, opened a bathhouse, and built a boardwalk along the beach. Eventually he strung the walk with lights and convinced others to open dancehalls, carnival rides, and food stalls. On July 4, 1902, the Pacific Electric Red Cars began service between Los Angeles and Long Beach. An astounding 60,000 people arrived to enjoy the beach and holiday festivities. There could be no dispute: Long Beach had become a tourist destination, and the groundwork had been laid for the amusement zone that would come to be known as “The Pike.”
Soon developers built more hotels, theaters, restaurants, and retail shops to entice more visitors. Some envisioned a luxury hotel. In 1908, the Virginia Hotel opened its doors. Its opulence and grandeur lived up to the dream. In 1932 the Municipal Auditorium, encircled by Rainbow Pier and its multi-colored lights, debuted on land reclaimed from the sea. Residents as well as tourists enjoyed expanding recreational activities. Swimming, fishing, and strolling on the pier were popular pastimes, while hotels and other seaside businesses provided jobs.
Image: Recreation Divers plunge from the high dive into
the calm waters at the popular Colorado Lagoon. 1935 P
East of downtown, Belmont Pier replaced Devil’s Gate, a rocky coastal landmark. The canals of Naples Island emerged and Marine Stadium hosted rowing events for the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. After the games it remained popular for speed boat races, water skiing and other sports. Colorado Lagoon enticed children with a sandy beach and no fear of riptides or crashing waves.
During the-1950s, downtown began to lose business to a suburban exodus and shopping centers in Los Altos and Lakewood. The Pike’s popularity declined as Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm offered new forms of family fun. Shops and restaurants on Second Street in Belmont Shore remained popular and Alamitos Bay boasted boat slips and ocean access for sailboats.
By 1960, Rainbow Lagoon was filled in, the first phase of a massive land reclamation project to reenergize downtown’s waterfront. The Long Beach Arena opened in 1962, and in 1967 the Queen Mary steamed into port. A new performing arts complex replaced Municipal Auditorium in 1977, Shoreline Village and Downtown Marina opened in 1982, and the Aquarium of the Pacific debuted in 1997. Today, the Convention Center draws millions annually, the Pike has reemerged as restaurants, hotels, theaters and shops, and Pine Avenue has become a destination with eateries, breweries and live music. With determination and ingenuity, Long Beach remains a place people come to visit, live, and enjoy its unique charms and coastline.
East of downtown, Belmont Pier replaced Devil’s Gate, a rocky coastal landmark. The canals of Naples Island emerged and Marine Stadium hosted rowing events for the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. After the games it remained popular for speed boat races, water skiing and other sports. Colorado Lagoon enticed children with a sandy beach and no fear of riptides or crashing waves.
During the-1950s, downtown began to lose business to a suburban exodus and shopping centers in Los Altos and Lakewood. The Pike’s popularity declined as Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm offered new forms of family fun. Shops and restaurants on Second Street in Belmont Shore remained popular and Alamitos Bay boasted boat slips and ocean access for sailboats.
By 1960, Rainbow Lagoon was filled in, the first phase of a massive land reclamation project to reenergize downtown’s waterfront. The Long Beach Arena opened in 1962, and in 1967 the Queen Mary steamed into port. A new performing arts complex replaced Municipal Auditorium in 1977, Shoreline Village and Downtown Marina opened in 1982, and the Aquarium of the Pacific debuted in 1997. Today, the Convention Center draws millions annually, the Pike has reemerged as restaurants, hotels, theaters and shops, and Pine Avenue has become a destination with eateries, breweries and live music. With determination and ingenuity, Long Beach remains a place people come to visit, live, and enjoy its unique charms and coastline.
In 1904 the Pine Avenue Pier was rebuilt with steel cylinder pilings, two decks offering bait and tackle sellers, food and drink vendors and a pleasant stroll for tourists and locals. KD (D)218
Visitors stroll on the first Pine Avenue Pier, the first municipally funded pier in the state. It debuted with much fanfare on May 27, 1893. Note the view towards the budding city. 1894 P-2140
In 1904 the Pine Avenue Pier was rebuilt with steel cylinder pilings, two decks offering bait and tackle sellers, food and drink vendors and a pleasant stroll for tourists and locals. KD (D)218
Visitors stroll on the first Pine Avenue Pier, the first municipally funded pier in the state. It debuted with much fanfare on May 27, 1893. Note the view towards the budding city. 1894 P-2140
People frolic in the waves below the bluffs circa 1949. Large waves indicate this scene took place before the easternmost Long Beach breakwater was completed in 1949 2018.042 Rissinger
People frolic in the waves below the bluffs circa 1949. Large waves indicate this scene took place before the easternmost Long Beach breakwater was completed in 1949 2018.042 Rissinger
Bathhouses on the beach, looking east from Belmont Pier. Signs advertise places to change clothes or rent bathing suits. Circa 1930 P-823
Bathhouses on the beach, looking east from Belmont Pier. Signs advertise places to change clothes or rent bathing suits. Circa 1930 P-823
Busy beach scene, taken from behind the Pacific Coast Club,850 E Ocean Blvd. Late 1920s P 4417
Busy beach scene, taken from behind the Pacific Coast Club,850 E Ocean Blvd. Late 1920s P 4417
Tourist guide book cover featuring Long Beach businesses and attractions, celebrating the opening of the Ford Motor plant at the Port. April 1930 xx.40.015
Tourist guide book cover featuring Long Beach businesses and attractions, celebrating the opening of the Ford Motor plant at the Port. April 1930 xx.40.015
Teens board a small coaster ride during Kids Day at the Nu-Pike. Circa 1960 P 1322-4(30 E2)
Teens board a small coaster ride during Kids Day at the Nu-Pike. Circa 1960 P 1322-4(30 E2)
A young girl on the undulating
merry-go-round at the Nu-Pike.
Circa 1960 2018.042.30 Rissinger
A young girl on the undulating
merry-go-round at the Nu-Pike.
Circa 1960 2018.042.30 Rissinger
Municipal Auditorium
Rainbow Pier and the Municipal Auditorium In 1928, plans for a new Rainbow Pier commenced adjacent to, and east of, the Pine Avenue Pier. The Rainbow Pier was built atop a granite breakwater, the pier built for automobiles in the shape of a giant horseshoe. The pier extended from Pine Avenue to Linden Avenue, lined with street lamps that gleamed with the colors of the rainbow! The breakwater at Rainbow Pier served a fundamental purpose: it allowed engineers to reclaim land from the sea and construct an all-new reinforced concrete Municipal Auditorium.
The massive, nine-story tall, neoclassical Municipal Auditorium debuted in March of 1932. Surrounded by landscaped grounds and the Rainbow Lagoon on three sides, it stood proudly as the new centerpiece of the beloved Long Beach.
With a grand inset archway over its entrance, positioned to line up directly with American Ave (Long Beach Blvd today), it was a sight to behold for all drivers arriving at the beach. Financed by the W.P.A. and designed by local artist Henry A. Nord, a 462,000-piece tile mural adorned the fifty-foot tall by thirty-five-foot wide archway. The mural can be seen today at the north end of the Promenade at Harvey Milk Park. Over the next four decades, the “Muni” Auditorium – as locals called it – hosted conventions, home and auto shows, concerts, high school graduations, and other functions.
By 1957, the Rainbow Lagoon had been filled in with soil, as plans progressed to build a modern sports complex. The Long Beach Arena, opened in 1962, was connected to the Municipal Auditorium by a modern concourse. The Municipal Auditorium was demolished in 1975 in the name of progress. Today, the Performing Arts Center occupies the site where land once met sea.
Municipal Auditorium
Rainbow Pier and the Municipal Auditorium In 1928, plans for a new Rainbow Pier commenced adjacent to, and east of, the Pine Avenue Pier. The Rainbow Pier was built atop a granite breakwater, the pier built for automobiles in the shape of a giant horseshoe. The pier extended from Pine Avenue to Linden Avenue, lined with street lamps that gleamed with the colors of the rainbow! The breakwater at Rainbow Pier served a fundamental purpose: it allowed engineers to reclaim land from the sea and construct an all-new reinforced concrete Municipal Auditorium.
The massive, nine-story tall, neoclassical Municipal Auditorium debuted in March of 1932. Surrounded by landscaped grounds and the Rainbow Lagoon on three sides, it stood proudly as the new centerpiece of the beloved Long Beach.
With a grand inset archway over its entrance, positioned to line up directly with American Ave (Long Beach Blvd today), it was a sight to behold for all drivers arriving at the beach. Financed by the W.P.A. and designed by local artist Henry A. Nord, a 462,000-piece tile mural adorned the fifty-foot tall by thirty-five-foot wide archway. The mural can be seen today at the north end of the Promenade at Harvey Milk Park. Over the next four decades, the “Muni” Auditorium – as locals called it – hosted conventions, home and auto shows, concerts, high school graduations, and other functions.
By 1957, the Rainbow Lagoon had been filled in with soil, as plans progressed to build a modern sports complex. The Long Beach Arena, opened in 1962, was connected to the Municipal Auditorium by a modern concourse. The Municipal Auditorium was demolished in 1975 in the name of progress. Today, the Performing Arts Center occupies the site where land once met sea.
A beach path was completed in 1988 connecting downtown to southeast Long Beach. Cycling, volleyball, speedboating, wind surfing and sun bathing remain popular pastimes in Belmont Shore. Circa 1990 2010.054.13969B
A beach path was completed in 1988 connecting downtown to southeast Long Beach. Cycling, volleyball, speedboating, wind surfing and sun bathing remain popular pastimes in Belmont Shore. Circa 1990 2010.054.13969B
Kayaks are a familiar sight in Alamitos Bay and Naples’ canals. This image was used by the Convention & Visitors Bureau to promote the city in the 1980s. 2018.054.1375
Kayaks are a familiar sight in Alamitos Bay and Naples’ canals. This image was used by the Convention & Visitors Bureau to promote the city in the 1980s. 2018.054.1375
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