§ 16.52.490. The 312-316 Elm Avenue Commercial Building.

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 312-316 Elm Avenue Commercial Building.

A.

Location, description and reasons for designation. Located at 312-316 Elm Avenue in the City of Long Beach, this building exemplifies the tremendous economic expansion that drove the City's growth in the twenties, spilling over even into the early years of the Depression.

Constructed in 1930, this building is one of the finest Art Deco buildings in downtown Long Beach, an excellent and intact example of that style. Remarkably, all the original storefronts survive in the original design, with recessed entryways and colored tile bases. The facade is grouped into three (3) sections by fluted piers. The second story windows are capped with chevrons, and covered with ornate Art Deco metal grilles. The design is entirely unaltered, and retains the freshness and exuberance of the Jazz Age. Its architecture quality deserves to be preserved. It is one of a number of small-scale Art Deco commercial buildings in downtown Long Beach which recall the City's economic growth in the twenties. This was the second major phase in the City's growth and development, the first one occurring in the early 1900s.

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, including repainting, 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-6672 § 3, 1989)