City guide

architecture in Long Beach.

2 buildings worth a detour, each with what to look for. Open them on the map, or walk them with the iPhone app, which collects each one you photograph.

Styles you'll see Art Deco Chateauesque

Landmarks

The buildings that define the city's architecture.

Art Deco

United States Post Office–Long Beach Main

Louis A. Simon

The Long Beach Main Post Office sits on Long Beach Boulevard in downtown, built from 1932 to 1934 out of large masonry blocks sheathed in terra cotta. It was designed by Louis A. Simon and the Office of the Supervising Architect under James A. Wetmore, and it opened in 1934 as the city rebuilt after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and still functions as a working post office today.

Photo: Los Angeles , CC BY-SA 3.0

Chateauesque

Villa Riviera

The Villa Riviera is a 16-story Chateauesque apartment building on Ocean Boulevard in the Alamitos Beach neighborhood, completed at the end of 1928 with a grand opening party in January 1929. It opened as an "own-your-own" apartment-hotel, with units sold fully furnished and residents served by maids, valets, doormen, concierge, and on-duty managers. From completion through 1955 it was the second-tallest building in Southern California and the tallest private one, and it has been called the city's "most elegant landmark."

Photo: Los Angeles , CC BY-SA 3.0