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Long Beach Architecture Week presents an exciting schedule of tours, parties and lectures daily from May 29 – June 9, 2024.
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May 15, 2024
By Lydia E. Ringwald
Plan ahead can select from the menu of enriching heritage events listed on LongBeachArchitecture.org
The week opens on Wednesday, May 29 with a delightful garden party and luncheon at the historic Queen Anne Victorian Bembridge House in Drake Park. with awards for preservation of historic heritage buildings in Long Beach.
The weekend welcomes on Saturday, June 1 a 100th Anniversary Party from 6 pm to 10 pm at the historic Cooper Arms building. Delightful hors d’oeuvres and beverages are provided by Modica Restaurant, whose classic dining room graces the first floor of the heritage property.
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Cooper Arms Apartments
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Several beautifully appointed residential units in the building will be open for viewing during the evening that also features art exhibit by photographer George Derr and Long Beach artists Michele Rene and LaJon Miller. To add to the ambiance, party guests are invited to wear fashions from the 1920s.
Two tours on Saturday, June 2, at 10 am and 3 pm, will feature the classic historic 1920s LaFayette Hotel, Campbell Building, Metropolitan Hotel and Broadlind Hotel, offering a rare glimpse into the past.
At noon on Tuesday, June 4, Art Deco Expert Author and Preservationist John Thomas offers a double-decker bus tour featuring Long Beach’s Streamline Moderne building styles from the 1920s and 1930s. After the devastating earthquake in 1933, the city went on a campaign with support from the Works Project Administration to rebuild the post office, schools and hospitals as well as private buildings in the Art Deco styling of the era. John Thomas reveals the decorative highlights and unique characteristic detail.
In the afternoon at 4 pm on June 4, the Architectural Walking Tour features important landmark buildings in downtown Long Beach along with a visit to the 38-foot high and 22-foot wide glazed tile mural masterpiece of artists Stanton MacDonald Wright and Albert King, originally commissioned by the WPA in 1938. The enchanting walking tour ends at the Masonic Temple with the mysterious Altar Society ceremony.
A unique opportunity to visit the T.H.U.M.S. Islands, designed by Disney ‘Imagineers’, is available on Wednesday, June 5 at 9 am. There is limited availability for this boat tour so reserve your place now on the Long Beach Architecture website.
A tour and presentation ‘A Splash of Color’ by colorist Sara Mclean at the beautifully restored the First Church of Christ Science at 441 Elm St. Long Beach is offered on Wednesday, June 5 at 6 pm.
The Long Beach landmark heritage church, originally designed by acclaimed architect Elmer Grey in 1913, has earned the Long Beach Heritage Preservation and Adaptive Reuse award for 2024.
Award winners Vijay and his wife Chef Elizabeth Goel, owners of Bite Catering Couture offer a glass of wine while Sara Mclean shares insights into the historic use of color from 1900 into the 1970s, highlighting the color palette of original architect Elmer Grey.
A top treat of the week is the tour of the Long Beach Scottish Rite Masonic Temple on Thursday, June 6, at 10 am and again at 3 pm offering an opportunity to experience the gilded ceilings, stunning staircase, antique elevator and other unique features in this 100 year old edifice. The original 40 ft backdrops crafted for the theater reveal rare insights into the Masonic mysteries, rites and secret ceremonies that were once performed there.
A top treat of the week is the tour of the Long Beach Scottish Rite Masonic Temple on Thursday, June 6, at 10 am and again at 3 pm
A rare glimpse into selected vintage Long Beach Craftsman, Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor and Mid-Century Modern homes is available as the grand finale of Architecture Week on Sunday, June 9.
Please visit the Long Beach Architecture week website to order tickets to these enriching and edifying events.
For those passionate about architecture and Long Beach history, the Rancho Los Alamitos at 4600 Virginia Road Long Beach offers docent lead tours throughout the year with a special 20 minute guided tour during Long Beach Architecture Week.
