Tag:
Long Beach History
Culture & Commentary
Easter Walk Long Beach will continue this weekend, carrying decades of Herstory—and the timing is important
The 28th annual Easter Walk Long Beach will continue its tradition of uplifting those in need, celebrating queerness, and connecting businesses with patrons—all in a pair of heels.
Food & Drink
Long Beach’s BLACK Bar to shutter end of April; sold to owners of Breakfast Bar
BLACK Bar Long Beach will be shuttering at the end of April, marking an end to the women-owned space that has defined the corner of Broadway and Hermosa Avenue for nearly a decade.
Events & Festivals
Yes, there’s a free disco party aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach (costume contest included)
The free disco’n’funk party aboard The Queen Mary and inside the Observation Bar will be on Thursday, April 10 from 8PM to 11PM.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: The gentleman’s club that opened with a five-day long party and bankruptcy
My ongoing series, Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings, places, and things that have either been demolished, are set to be demolished, or are in motion to possibly be demolished—or were never even in existence. This is not a preservationist series but rather a historical series that will help keep a record of our architectural, cultural, and spatial history.
Food & Drink
Long Beach bar O’Connell’s has been serving 4th Street for over 90 years
To understand Long Beach's love of drinking is to understand O'Connell's on 4th Street where it meets Temple Avenue.
Food & Drink
Crystal Thai Cambodian is Long Beach’s Cambodian home kitchen
Crystal Thai Cambodian—the tiny dining space at 10th and Orange in Central Long Beach, just south of the formal border of Cambodia Town—has been serving the Cambodian and Long Beach communities for over 15 years.
Food & Drink
20 years in, Auld Dubliner is an immigrant’s social and spacial sonnet to both Long Beach and Ireland
With an immigrant's love (and longing) for their home, Long Beach was introduced to the Irish pub in a way that few cities have the privilege of experiencing.
Food & Drink
A farewell to Congregation Ale House—and a history of Long Beach’s long support of independent beer
Congregation Ale House, Downtown Long Beach's staple independent beer pourer and pub, is officially no longer.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: The municipal auditorium that hosted everyone from Judy Garland to Elvis Presley
The Long Beach Municipal Auditorium was 8,000-person exhibit hall that would host everyone from Elvis Presley to Judy Garland.
Urbanism & Development
Stoner Residence: Nonprofit urges Long Beach residents to save a Naples mid-mod masterpiece
It is dubbed the Stoner Residence, a mid-century modern masterpiece from Ray Kappe. And the conservationist nonprofit Docomomo—using its Southern California chapter—is leading a charge to save the space from demolition.
Culture & Commentary
Snoop Dogg—after years of teasing—announces Dr. Dre-produced ‘Doggystyle’ homage album, ‘Missionary’
Snoop Dogg has been teasing "Missionary"—the Dr. Dre-produced album that is meant to be an homage to Snoop's 1993 masterpiece and debut, "Doggystyle"—for years....
Urbanism & Development
Historic 115 Pine Ave. building in Downtown Long Beach to be converted to housing
The iconic, 1906 French Renaissance Revival gem that is the Enloe Building at 115 Pine Ave. is set to be converted to 70 housing...
Culture & Commentary
Raven and the Wolves—Long Beach’s underrated art gem—continues its rightful legacy of forging tattooing into the fine arts world
The Raven and the Wolves is one of the city's most underrated art gems—and it goes far beyond the tattooing.
Events & Festivals
Nearing 15 years, the Long Beach Urban Farm Dinner continues to uplift our best chefs
The Long Beach Urban Farm Dinner—founded by Primal Alchemy owners Chef Paul and Dana Buchanan—is about to have its 14th dinner come Sunday, Sept. 22 at Organic Harvest Gardens.
Culture & Commentary
A Signal Hill Model T race? Yes, there’s a Model T race up Signal Hill about to happen
The race where Model Ts attempted to climb up Signal Hill? It had been a tradition that once ran from the 1950s until the late 1970s. And in honor of Signal Hill's centennial, the race returns on Sept. 14.
Food & Drink
Open Sesame re-introduced Lebanese food to Long Beach 25 years ago—and it is still going strong
For restaurateur and Open Sesame owner Ali Kobeissi, knowing his Lebanese staple in Belmont Shore is about to surpass a quarter of a century of serving the community makes him "feel quite old."
Culture & Commentary
West Long Beach staple Gemmae Bake Shop officially takes over a fire station in Bixby Knolls
After months of negotiations with the City—including its Cultural Heritage Commission—it official. Filipino staple Gemmae Bake Shop will move into the now-abandoned Fire Station 9 in Bixby Knolls.
Culture & Commentary
An ode to Golden Burgers—and the immigrant-led diners that have long defined Long Beach and L.A.
Golden Burgers was a staple at the northeast corner of 4th Street and Junipero Avenue for over four decades. Part of the definitive SoCal...
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: The funky, weird ‘worm in a sock’ that was The Loop in DTLB
Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings—like the former Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool, spaces, and cultural happenings that have have largely been erased, including the forgotten tales attached to existing places and things.
Food & Drink
Pancho’s Long Beach isn’t under new ownership; it was formally passed to family
Pancho's Long Beach—the Mexican restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway just south of Clark Avenue—recently posted a notice of change in ownership. That prompted some concern that the family had somehow but pushed out of the business. But fear not: Pancho's Long Beach is very much remaining in the hands of the Flores family.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: The mid-mod masterpiece that was the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool
Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings—like the former Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool, spaces, and cultural happenings that have have largely been erased, including the forgotten tales attached to existing places and things.
Culture & Commentary
Meet the couple with big dreams for historic 440 Elm Ave. building in Downtown Long Beach
It is one of Long Beach's oldest church structures, having survived the 1933 earthquake after its 1913 construction—and the small business owners who are now overseeing the building at 440 Elm Ave. have big plans for this massive, gorgeous ode to the Classical Revival style from famed Los Angeles architect Elmer Grey.
Urbanism & Development
The waves aren’t returning: The Long Beach breakwater is here to stay—and it’s been that way for a while
This isn't news. That's for sure. But it might have been lost as it was released shortly before the pandemic in December of 2019: The Long Beach breakwater—the vast, linear seawall that joins two others in stretching across the coast of Long Beach and largely prevents larger waves hitting our shores—isn't going anywhere. Meaning said waves aren't coming back.
Culture & Commentary
Tour the oil islands, step inside historical homes, and more: Long Beach Architecture Week 2024 arrives
From celebrating the 100th birthday of Downtown Long Beach's historic Cooper Arms building to having a tour of the T.H.U.M.S. Islands, Long Beach Architecture Week is taking 2024 by the foundation with a slew of events for everyone's inner lover of architecture, spatial history, and Long Beach appreciation.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: When the waves brought avid surfers and competitions to our shores
In this part of Long Beach Lost, we explore Long Beach surfing—something that might be completely strange to think of now. But Long Beach was, at one point, one of the most sought-after early era surf spots along the West Coast with its six-foot swells that earned it the moniker of "Queen of the Beaches."
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: Club Sylvia, North Long Beach’s queer-fully odd, into-the-wee-hours drag bar
In this part of Long Beach Lost, we explore the history of Club Sylvia, nestled at the corner of 61st Street and Cherry Avenue in North Long Beach. It was the headquarters for drag queens—and for good reason.
Culture & Commentary
The disturbing, creepy history of Long Beach’s ‘Scorecard Killer,’ Randy Kraft
Following the recent news that, nearly 50 years after his death was falsely ruled as accidental and his body unidentified, Michael Ray Schlicht's body was identified. So we are revisiting the perturbing tale of Long Beach's "Scorecard Killer," Randy Kraft.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: The glorious, sad history of the late modern architectural masterpiece everyone hated
Seemingly uninviting and rubbing shoulders with the Brutalist architectural movement, the former Long Beach City Hall that opened in 1978 was one that was built by a dream team that included mid-mod master Edward Killingsworth and prolific Long Beach architect Don Gibbs.
Food & Drink
El Barrio in Long Beach shares history with Mexican joints stretching back to 1950s
Yes, El Barrio took over the dive that was Ashley's, much to the cry of its patrons—but it's grown as a community staple and, even more, shares an interesting history with Mexican food.
Culture & Commentary
The Ordinarie rediscovered this cocktail birthed in Long Beach 65 years ago
Not only participating in a Long Beach Food Scene meet-up and DTLB crawl, The Ordinarie has a Last Call menu that is an ode to the locals.
Events & Festivals
This (free) Big Red Bus crawl will explore some of the best Long Beach dive bars
Long Beach’s love for dive bars is one that shouldn’t be messed with—and with that, there will be a free Big Red Bus ride that will explore some of our finest on Monday, Mar. 9 beginning at 3PM at Crow's in Naples, all in celebration of Long Beach Last Call.
Culture & Commentary
A holiday ode to the queer bars of Long Beach’s Gayborhood—and every queer bar in the world
The holidays can be a convoluted emotional bag for those within the queer community—and this is a dedication and reminder that whether surrounded by love or still searching to find some form of it, our bars are more than just bars: They're our churches.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: The mid-mod County Courthouse building that was demolished
My ongoing series, Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings and spaces that have either been demolished or were never even in existence—including the forgotten tales attached to existing places. This is not a preservationist series but rather a historical series that will help keep a record of our architectural, cultural, and spatial history.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: With Hard Rock Hotel going on top of Jergins Tunnel, a look into the past
My ongoing series, Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings and spaces that have either been demolished or were never even in existence—including the forgotten tales attached to existing places. This is not a preservationist series but rather a historical series that will help keep a record of our architectural, cultural, and spatial history.
Culture & Commentary
31-story Hard Rock Hotel to break ground in Downtown Long Beach come 2024 (music venue in Jergins Tunnel included)
The mayor has said Hard Rock Hotel—taking over the southeast space at Ocean and Pine that has been empty for decades—is expected to break ground next year.
Urbanism & Development
The micro-unit housing project set to replace historic-not-really Varden hotel in Downtown Long Beach
Now entitled, here is what the project that will take advantage of the city's micro-unit ordinance might look like when completed at 335 Pacific Ave.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: DTLB’s ‘Gray Ghost’ was an art deco masterpiece that could have been a library
My ongoing series, Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings and spaces that have either been demolished or were never even in existence—including the forgotten tales attached to existing places. This is not a preservationist series but rather a historical series that will help keep a record of our architectural, cultural, and spatial history.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: Ivanhoe Room, the medieval-themed restaurant that once sat below the Lafayette
My ongoing series, Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings and spaces that have either been demolished or were never even in existence—including the forgotten tales attached to existing or nonexistent things and places.
Urbanism & Development
Paint the town: Historic Lafayette tower in Downtown Long Beach tower restores terra cotta, adds new color
One of Long Beach's most beloved historic buildings is ready to take on the town in an entirely new dress.
Culture & Commentary
Our city deserves a designated Long Beach LGBTQ district—and it’s more than just the naming of it
The city's proposed LGBTQ+ district is not only a long time in the making from a political perspective, but one in which queer history is intimately attached to a public project like never before in Long Beach.
Food & Drink
Queen Mary’s beloved Observation Bar & Chelsea Chowder Bar reopen; Sir Winston’s reopening pushed to 2024
The art deco masterpiece that is the Observation Bar, along with the ship-window lined chowder hall, have been both popular and cherished—and haven't seen the appearance of patrons since the beginning of the pandemic.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: The forgotten LB origins of one the most notorious white power gangs, PEN1
My ongoing series, Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings and spaces that have either been demolished or were never even in existence—including the forgotten tales attached to existing or nonexistent things and places.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: The oft forgotten tale behind Long Beach’s ‘resort’ oil drilling islands
My ongoing series, Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings and spaces that have either been demolished or were never even in existence—including the forgotten tales attached to existing places. This is not a preservationist series but rather a historical series that will help keep a record of our architectural, cultural, and spatial history.
Food & Drink
Celebrating 30 years, West Long Beach’s Gemmae Bake Shop has been the heart of the Filipino food scene
As we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, I take you on a trip to Gemmae Bake Shop, a westside bakery that has been feeding the community with everything from ube halaya and pancit to cheese mamons and ube & macapuno ensaymadas.
Food & Drink
Lola’s Mexican Cuisine—the restaurant that introduced Long Beach to birria—celebrates its quinceañera
Lola's Mexican Cuisine is having her quinceañera—15 years serving Long Beach from Retro Row—and her family, led by son Luis Navarro and daughter-in-law Brenda Riviera, want to assure the community that her spirit will never be lost as long as there is an appetite for her food.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: The Jungle, DTLB’s adult playground for ‘immorality and sexual deviation’
My ongoing series, Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings, places, and things that have either been demolished, are set to be demolished, or are in motion to possibly be demolished—or were never even in existence. This is not a preservationist series but rather a historical series that will help keep a record of our architectural, cultural, and spatial history.
Culture & Commentary
Prospector Long Beach to close after nearly 60 years of service; developer to revamp into two new spaces
Just shy of serving Long Beach for 60 years, its final day of service will be May 28 as developer Hilco Development takes over the restaurant to revamp the building into two new spaces.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: The Buffums’ department store in Downtown
My ongoing series, Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings, places, and things that have either been demolished, are set to be demolished, or are in motion to possibly be demolished—or were never even in existence. This is not a preservationist series but rather a historical series that will help keep a record of our architectural, cultural, and spatial history.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: The cringey and strange tale of how Lucille’s Smokehouse created a fictitious Black woman for their brand
In a move that echoes the controversy surrounding Quaker Oats's creation of Aunt Jemima, Lucille's proudly admitted to creating Lucille Buchanan, a fictitious Black woman from South Carolina which inspired their barbecue. Come the BLM protests of 2020, the restaurant removed the entire story without a word.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: The three roller coasters that once graced our shoreline at the Pike
My ongoing series, Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings, places, and things that have either been demolished, are set to be demolished, or are in motion to possibly be demolished—or were never even in existence. This is not a preservationist series but rather a historical series that will help keep a record of our architectural, cultural, and spatial history.
Culture & Commentary
Meet the Mexican immigrants whose first local jobs were at Egg Heaven—and how they’re trying to revive the breakfast legend
Esperanza Trejo and Rito García came from Mexico to Long Beach, each landing jobs at Egg Heaven. Now, decades later and following a closure of the space earlier this year, they return with the hopes of bringing the breakfast legend back to life.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach’s last video store, Broadway Video—a cultural cornerstone with 50K titles—officially closes and liquidates
Broadway Video & Art has been around for nearly four decades—and its current owner, determined to show a unique world antithetical to the Streaming Domain, can no longer move on.
Food & Drink
Over four decades in, Legends Long Beach is the legend that brought the sports bar to America
Through technology advancement and disaster setbacks—a fire nearly destroyed its existence—Legends Long Beach in Belmont Shore was bringing the game and bar food to locals before such a thing was ever common.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: Famed mid-mod SeaPort Marina Hotel was once the gem of the Shore
My ongoing series, Long Beach Lost, was launched to examine buildings, places, and things that have either been demolished, are set to be demolished, or are in motion to possibly be demolished—or were never even in existence. This is not a preservationist series but rather a historical series that will help keep a record of our architectural, cultural, and spatial history.
Food & Drink
One of the city’s oldest watering holes—PBS Pub in Wrigley—lives on thanks to new owners
A living and breathing pub since 1950, PBS has been a Wrigley staple for multiple generations—and thanks to a new team of owners, it will live on past the pandemic with a grand opening this Friday.
Culture & Commentary
From cinema to porn: How Downtown Long Beach was once the epicenter of filmmaking and theaters
Long before Hollywood became, well, Hollywood—Long Beach was destined to become the cinematic center of the world, with a ton of studios and theaters dominating the cinema scene in SoCal—that is, until oil moved in.
Food & Drink
A local institution: Long Beach Prospector up for sale with hopes new owner will continue traditions
The sale of The Prospector adds to a growing COVID trend: The owners of old-school restaurants are exhausted fighting and ready to retire—but want someone new to take the reins of the brands.
Urbanism & Development
Inching closer to reality, city seeks public input on Belmont Shore aquatics center (plus history on the old pool)
Years after demolishing the mid-mod Belmont in 2014—deemed unsafe due to structural concerns in 2012—the debate over how to create a new aquatics center for Long Beach is being brought back to the public.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Lost: The story of the glass house on the shore of Long Beach
Part of POW! WOW! Long Beach's 2021 collection of art, the temporary sculpture has been greeting passersby on the shore of Long Beach with its array of colors, reflections, and hope.
Culture & Commentary
Long Beach Cafe shutters after three decades of diner service
Long Beach Cafe, the steadfast diner that has served DTLB for over three decades, has permanently shuttered. It makes way for what will likely be a sale of the property for future development.
Culture & Commentary
Belmont Shore dive staple Acapulco Inn suddenly closes up shop after 60 years
Acapulco Inn, having initially opened its doors in Belmont Shore in 1955, is a Long Beach legend in terms of bars, sitting only behind two others—Joe Jost’s, which opened in 1924, and The Annex, which opened in 1952—as the oldest bar in Long Beach.
