Long Beach’s former city hall, a monument to brutalism, coming down at last

Long Beach’s erstwhile metropolis hall, a 45-year-old monument to brutalist architecture that made mode for a much modern successor successful 2019, is yet coming down.

The 14-story operation has been wrapped with a dust-dampening cloth, a crane has been erected and a operation elevator built. Marilyn Surakus, Project Management Bureau manager successful the Public Works Department and the constituent idiosyncratic for the demolition, said the demolition enactment was acceptable to statesman successful the coming days, with the docket calling for the apical 4 floors of the gathering to beryllium gone by the extremity of this month.

And if everything stays connected schedule, the full gathering volition beryllium gone by the extremity of the year.

“We’ll beryllium taking down the aged City Hall successful pieces, overmuch similar the aged courthouse was demolished,” Surakus said Thursday, Sept. 30. “It’s been wrapped to power debris and dust. The asbestos abatement has been done, truthful we should beryllium acceptable to go.”

Long Beach officials moved retired of that gathering successful July and August 2019 and acceptable up store successful the caller 11-story City Hall a mates of blocks to the west. Some worldly transportation took spot successful the remainder of 2019, including reusing, donating oregon auctioning furnishings and fixtures, depending connected their condition.

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic, though, fundamentally halted the enactment of emptying and demolishing the building’s interior, Surakus said. But erstwhile that process resumed, workers were capable to implicit asbestos abatement and interior brushed demolition by this June, which was the target.

That allowed for the crane to spell up region debris and a operation elevator to spell successful truthful crews and instrumentality could get to the floors being demolished.

Two mini-excavators — wheeled machines equipped with a jackhammer and a bucket to haul debris to containers for the crane — volition beryllium utilized to instrumentality down interior and outer walls.

The aged Main Library, adjacent to Ocean Boulevard, has already been demolished to marque mode for a rebuilt Lincoln Park.

The brutalist metropolis hall, with its factual wings protruding from each country of the dark, square, steel-and-glass building, was dedicated connected July 4, 1976, arsenic portion of the nationalist bicentennial celebration. Its amphitheater-style City Council chambers was cutting borderline for the clip and was featured successful a “Star Trek” movie.

But much than 30 years later, a seismic survey showed radical successful the gathering could beryllium successful information if an earthquake hit. Then-Mayor Bob Foster started talking astir replacing the building— arsenic good arsenic the room — but the 2008 Great Recession ended those discussions.

Talks resumed successful 2013 with an updated seismic survey and involvement by backstage developers successful the progressively invaluable downtown property. Foster was capable to propulsion done the conception of a public-private concern earlier helium near bureau successful 2014 that included a caller City Hall, Main Library, Port Headquarters and a rebuilt Lincoln Park.

Plenary Edgemoor Civic Partners was the backstage portion of the project, and it agreed to gathering the caller Civic Center successful speech for onshore — including the country present occupied by the aged metropolis hall. A mixed-use residential oregon edifice gathering is planned for the site, though a last statement hasn’t been reached, Surakus said.

Long Beach is leasing backmost the caller City Hall and Billie Jean King Main Library for the adjacent 38 years (originally 40), erstwhile it tin bargain the buildings for $1. The Harbor Department purchased its caller office building.

While the aged gathering rises 14 stories supra ground, it besides has 2 stories beneath ground. Until the caller Emergency Operations Center gathering was opened connected Spring Street and Redondo Avenue, the constabulary dispatch cognition was located there.

“We’ll beryllium doing demolition there, too,” Surakus said. “We’re hoping to implicit the statement for the caller building, which includes 2 levels of underground parking. That mode we tin debar filling it successful and digging it out.”

One last interest raised erstwhile it was decided to teardrop the gathering down was the destiny of peregrine falcons that had established a nesting tract connected the extortion of the building. Surakus said that earlier demolition began, a caller nesting level had been built connected the extortion of the adjacent nationalist information building.

Multiple nesting surveys person taken spot implicit the past 2 years, astir precocious connected Monday, Sept. 27, Surakus said.

“We did adhd vertebrate deterrent connected the (old metropolis hall) gathering past year,” she said. “They haven’t established a nest connected the nationalist information building, but we’re beauteous definite they are inactive successful the area.

“There are tons of gangly buildings around,” Surakus added. “And they bash similar gangly buildings.”

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