§ 16.52.830. The Merrill 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 Merrill Building.

A.

Location, Description and Reasons for Designation. Located at 810-812 Long Beach Boulevard in the City of Long Beach, the Art Deco styling of this commercial building is intact. It is two (2) stories, stucco-clad, and possesses a symmetrical facade. A central entry way is defined by piers, which are fluted in alternating wide and narrow widths and rise about three-quarters up the building. Decorative panels in low relief, accented by a chevron surmount the entry, which leads to the upper story. To either side, storefronts are topped by a patterned frieze. Reeded piers marked the ends of the building. The plane containing the second story windows is slightly recessed and punctuated by reeded panels and mullions. Each of the three (3) windows in the side and two (2) in the central bay are topped by patterned panels. This decorative band contrasts with the smooth surface of the frieze area into which the name "Merrill" is incised. The Merrill Block was probably built around 1921, replacing a smaller improvement on the property assessed to Isabel E. Lyman. Merrill Rowe, whose business was real estate, became the assessed owner in 1922. The Rowes lived next door to Mrs. Lyman, a widow, on East 8th Street. By 1922 the City Directory listed the occupants of the Merrill Building as the Sasnak Tire Company (distributors of Lancaster Tires) and the La Belle Apartments.

Following the 1933 earthquake, six thousand dollars ($6,000.00) worth of alterations were made to the building, whose appearance probably dates to that year. Art Deco emerged in the 1920's as a style that looked forward to the future rather than to history for its ornamentation. It was an expression of the eminence of technology and the machine age.

The building received the name "Merrill" following the 1933 alterations, done by the firm of Schilling & Schilling. The upstairs units were then called the Merrill Apartments. The ground floor has been used for various retail activities: in 1935, K.C. Welch butcher's equipment; in 1939, E.A. Glass restaurant. City Directories for 1951-52 show the Keller Paint Company downtstairs and the Long Beach Nurses Institute, a school, upstairs. Later (1959) the units again became apartment.

The building is significant as an example of the Art Deco work of Schilling & Schilling. The richness of the ornament recalls the Hancock Motors Building (500 E. Anaheim). Piers and fluted pilasters are flattened in a "modernistic" mode. The building is intact underneath the current obtrusive plastic signage.

B.

The Secretary of the Interior's "Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings" are incorporated by reference, and shall serve as standards and guidelines for future exterior changes to the building. All exterior changes whether or not they require a building permit, shall require a certificate of appropriateness from the Cultural Heritage Commission. Any exterior alterations, modifications or repair of the structure shall be consistent with the character-defining architectural features, and shall not adversely affect the historical materials, design or detailing.

(Ord. C-7075 § 1, 1993)