§ 16.52.410. The Blackstone Hotel

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the Planning Commission, the City Council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the City: The Blackstone Hotel.

A.

Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 330 West Ocean Boulevard in the City of Long Beach, the Blackstone Hotel is a six-story hotel building featuring a simple, Renaissance Revival-influenced design. Of reinforced concrete construction, the Ocean Boulevard building has a U-shaped facade. Stringcourses set off the bottom and top stories. Single and paired double-hung sash windows with raised sills define the bays. A plain entablature culminating in an overhanging corn icecaps the building. Enhanced by landscaping, the Blackstone appears largely unaltered and in good condition.

The Blackstone is important in that it exemplifies the development of highrise residential structures on Ocean Boulevard in the 'twenties, defining the City's first highrise skyline. A reminder of the economic boom of that period, shaped by the City's prominence as a beach resort and fueled by the discovery of oil, the demand for new housing gave rise to residential highrise development downtown. Situated next to the Sovereign, it serves as a strong visual connection to the past and reflects the City's pattern of development.

B.

General guidelines and standards for any changes. The "Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings" prepared by the Secretary of the Interior (Revised, 1983), as amended, are incorporated by reference, and the following additional guidelines and standards as recommended by the Cultural Heritage Commission are adopted:

Any alterations, modifications or repair of the above structure shall be done so in keeping with its historic character, and any alteration, modifications or changes shall follow the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.

No environmental changes shall be permitted to the exterior of the building unless a Certificate of Appropriateness has been applied for and approved by the Cultural Heritage Commission or by the City Planning Commission, upon appeal, authorizing such environmental changes. Nothing in this Section shall be deemed to restrict internal modifications to the building not visible externally.

(Ord. C-6643 § 3, l989)