Villa Riviera

A 1928 sales brochure touted the sixteen-story Villa Riviera in Long Beach as “the finest and most modern of all California’s resident-owned apartment hotels.” The building’s Châteauesque design garnered international recognition for architect Richard D. King. From the time of its completion in 1929 through the mid-1950s, it was the second-tallest building (only LA City Hall was taller), and the tallest private building, in Southern California. The Villa Riviera was also distinctive as an early West Coast example of an “own-your-own” co-operative apartment building catering to those seeking luxury, world-class surroundings. It was one of only a few buildings taller than three stories to survive the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. It is a Long Beach Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.

Long Beach, Los Angeles County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt