A small, hexagonal building in Long Beach got a programmatic makeover in about 1932, adding a metal and glass percolator on the roof, to become the Hot Cha Café. It was renamed Koffee Pot Café, but remained a coffee shop into the 1960s.
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In Sept 1980, Wrather Port Properties signed a lease to manage the Queen Mary, berthed in Long Beach harbor. In 1981, Howard Hughes’s Spruce Goose was saved from demolition in the Wrather-funded geodesic dome next to the Queen Mary.
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The Long Beach Playhouse was established in 1929. It moved numerous times before buying a lot for $11,000 on Anaheim Street in 1948. When the theater on Anaheim opened in 1951, the first production charged $6 for admission.
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The Long Beach Main Post Office opened in September 1934. Its architectural style has been described as “Post-Quake Moderne” because the Moderne style of Art Deco architecture was prevalent as Long Beach was rebuilt after the 1933 quake.
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George’s 50’s Diner in Long Beach was opened by George and Helen Alvarez in 1996. It originally opened in 1952 as Grisinger’s Drive-In. It was designed by Googie architect Wayne McAllister, who also designed the Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank.
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Most of the notable specimens of Ficus macrophylla, commonly known as the Moreton Bay fig, in Southern California were planted in the late 19th century.
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The Queen Mary has been a fixture in Long Beach since 1967. It was shuttered amid the pandemic in March 2020. Starting on December 15, 2022, the city offered limited numbers of one hour guided tours of the 1st class passenger areas.
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