Long Beach residents and visitors traveled back in time as they stepped through the entrance of the newly renovated Historic Terminal building at the Long Beach Airport.
City leaders and community members celebrated the reopening of the airport’s Historic Terminal with a public open house on Saturday, July 27, completing a seismic safety upgrade and full restoration the terminal’s striking 1941 visual motif.
“Today, we mark the revival of one of Long Beach’s most cherished landmarks,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “This project — which uncovered classic building features, unseen by the public in decades— ensures that our beloved Historic Terminal will continue to be a source of pride and enjoyment for generations to come.”
The event, decked out in a 1940s theme featuring swing dancing and other live entertainment, celebrated the festive return of the city-designated historic landmark.
The terminal was opened to the public in 1942. Designed by architects William Horace Austin and Kenneth Smith Wing, it boasted elements of the 1930s Streamline Moderne style along geometric abstraction.
“The Historic Terminal’s striking architecture and the masterpiece floor mosaic are timeless works of art that mirror the timelessness of our Airport,” said Fifth District Councilmember Megan Kerr. “Honoring our past while embracing the future ensures that the oldest municipal airport in California retains that title for another century or more.”
With building restored to its former glory, city officials say they will apply for the building’s inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Historic Terminal had been closed in February 2023 to undergo the restoration and renovation. The $17.8 million project was part of the airport’s larger $125 million Terminal Area Improvements Program.
In addition to the detail-focused restoration of the building’s classic 1941 design elements, the LGB project restored the site’s original mosaic artwork, as…
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