Back in the early 1910s people began erecting small beach cottages in Long Beach. Many of them were built by summer visitors who bought a vacant lot where, at first, their families camped. The cottages came later. The next round of development came from people attracted to Long Beach by the discovery of oil. Within 30 years Craftsman bungalows and Spanish Revival homes dominated in the now older neighborhoods within walking distance of the beach.
After World War II, small homes for returning G.I.s were rapidly built just north of and nearby Long Beach city limits. By the time of the 1960s Mid-Century Modern came along, also inland from the beachfront communities, but still within minutes when driving a car.
Gentrification in elegant old buildings
By the 1970s most of the old office buildings downtown became vacant. Long Beach fell out of favor. The old downtown city center went into steep decline. In the last twenty years, however, these buildings–old department stores and old hotels–have been converted to lofts.
In the 1980s some new office buildings went up downtown and condos sprouted along the beach. In the mid-2010s, K&B Homes actually built a new development of their standard type of mass-produced homes near an old oil field with gigantic pumps nearby. And near downtown new condo and apartment complexes now line the streets, appealing to young people who commute via the Metro Blue Line into jobs in downtown Los Angeles.
So pretty much any style of architecture you want will be found in Long Beach –except for Victorian. During the era when Victorian homes were being built in central Los Angeles, Long Beach was simply a long sandy beach that few people visited. How it has changed!
The 7 miles long beach with the Queen Mary in the distance.
Here are links to pages about some historic residential architecture of Long Beach and the neighborhoods where you can find them.
California Craftsman Bungalows
